**Connections: The New York Times Word Game Everyone’s Raving About**

*Connections* has swiftly risen to fame as one of the most beloved word games from *The New York Times*, enthralling players with its distinctive challenge of uncovering “common links among words.” Much like the internet hit *Wordle*, *Connections* refreshes daily at midnight, presenting a new puzzle that becomes increasingly challenging. If you’re facing difficulties, we have hints and tips to assist you in solving today’s puzzle.

If you’re simply looking for the answer, you can jump straight to the conclusion of this article. But if you’re keen to figure it out on your own, continue reading for useful clues, tactics, and insights.

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### What is *Connections*?

The newest offering in *The New York Times* Games section, *Connections* has quickly become a favorite on social media. Developed with the guidance of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, the game challenges participants to organize four words that share a common theme. It is accessible on both web browsers and mobile devices.

Each puzzle features 16 words that need to be classified into four distinct categories. These categories can include anything from book titles to software, country names, and beyond. While some words might appear to go together, there is only one accurate solution for each grouping.

When you successfully identify a group of four, those words are removed from the board. Nevertheless, incorrect guesses are considered errors, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game concludes. To help ease the gameplay, you can shuffle the board for a new angle.

Each group is color-coded by level of difficulty: yellow is the simplest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Much like *Wordle*, you can share your results with friends on social platforms.

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### Hints for Today’s *Connections* Categories

In need of a little guidance? Here are some hints for today’s categories:

– **Yellow:** *Putdowns*
– **Green:** *Similar to G.I. Joe, Barbie, or Warhammer*
– **Blue:** *Instruments for removing frozen precipitation*
– **Purple:** *They aren’t fond of apples*

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### Today’s *Connections* Categories Unveiled

Still puzzled? Here are the categories for today’s challenge:

– **Yellow:** *Insult*
– **Green:** *Miniature likeness*
– **Blue:** *Used for snow clearance*
– **Purple:** *Medical professionals in popular culture*

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### Today’s *Connections* Answers

Ready for the solutions? Here are the answers to today’s *Connections* puzzle (#590):

– **Insult:** BARB, CRACK, DIG, SLIGHT
– **Miniature likeness:** DOLL, FIGURE, MINIATURE, MODEL
– **Used for snow clearance:** PLOW, SALT, SAND, SHOVEL
– **Medical professionals in popular culture:** NO, OCTOPUS, PEPPER, WHO

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Don’t be discouraged if you didn’t manage to solve it this time—there’s always tomorrow! A new *Connections* puzzle will be waiting for you, and we will return with additional hints and solutions to help you out.

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### In Search of More Games?

If you enjoy puzzles, check out Mashable’s [games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more. You can also delve into other *New York Times* games like *Wordle* or *Strands*. Need assistance with today’s *Wordle*? [Here’s the solution.](https://mashable.com/article/wordle-today-answer-january-21-2025)

Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Discover the answer here.](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-sports-edition-hint-answer-today-january-21)

Happy puzzling!