**Connections: The Word Game from The New York Times That Everyone Is Raving About**
*Connections* has swiftly emerged as one of the favorite word games from *The New York Times*, engaging players with its distinct task of discovering “common threads between words.” Much like the internet phenomenon *Wordle*, *Connections* resets daily at midnight, presenting a fresh puzzle that grows more challenging as the week goes on. If you’re feeling stuck, we have hints and advice to assist you—or you can jump to the end of this article for today’s answer.
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### What is *Connections*?
The *New York Times*’ new word game has captured the attention of social media. Developed with the assistance of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, *Connections* presents a daily challenge accessible on both web and mobile devices. The objective? To categorize four words that share a unifying theme.
Each puzzle features 16 words, which players must organize into four distinct groups. These categories can encompass anything from book titles to software brands, countries, and beyond. While some words may appear to belong together, only one combination is correct.
When players successfully identify a quartet, those terms are eliminated from play. However, incorrect choices are counted as errors, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game concludes. To ease gameplay, the board can be shuffled, and each category is marked by color: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (most difficult). Like *Wordle*, players can share their outcomes on social media to compare scores with friends.
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### Tips for Today’s Puzzle
In need of some assistance but prefer not to see the complete solution? Here are a few hints for today’s *Connections* categories:
– **Yellow:** Spreadsheets love these
– **Green:** Casual conversations like a pro
– **Blue:** Recent contests
– **Purple:** Identical second word
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### Today’s *Connections* Categories
If you’re seeking more detailed help, here are the specific categories for today’s puzzle:
– **Yellow:** Arrangement of rows and columns
– **Green:** Activities at a professional event
– **Blue:** Olympic sports since 2000
– **Purple:** _____ Court
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### The Solution to Today’s *Connections* Puzzle
Ready to see the answers? Here’s how today’s puzzle is laid out:
– **Arrangement of rows and columns:** ARRAY, GRID, MATRIX, TABLE
– **Activities at a professional event:** CIRCULATE, CONVERSE, MINGLE, NETWORK
– **Olympic sports since 2000:** BREAKING, SURFING, TAEKWONDO, TRAMPOLINE
– **_____ Court:** FOOD, KANGAROO, SUPREME, TENNIS
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Don’t fret if you didn’t crack it this time—there’s always tomorrow’s puzzle to anticipate! We’ll return with additional hints and solutions to help you conquer the next challenge.
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### Looking for More Games?
If you’re a puzzle enthusiast, visit Mashable’s games hub for even more enjoyment. From Mahjong and Sudoku to complimentary crosswords, there’s something for everyone. And if you’re also engaged with *Wordle* or *Strands*, we have clues and solutions for those as well.
– [Today’s Wordle Answer](https://mashable.com/article/wordle-today-answer-january-11-2025)
– [Today’s Strands Hints and Answers](https://mashable.com/article/strands-nyt-hint-january-11-2025)
Missed the previous day’s *Connections*? [Here’s the solution to January 10’s puzzle.](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-hint-answer-today-january-10-2025)
Happy puzzling!