NYT Connections Hint and Answer for January 26, 2026

Welcome to another Monday morning! If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got your coffee in one hand and your phone in the other, staring at a grid of sixteen words that seem to have absolutely nothing in common. Today’s puzzle, edited by Wyna Liu, offers a fantastic mix of synonyms, Hollywood legends, and some clever wordplay that might make you "rattle" a bit before you find the solution.

The difficulty for today is a solid medium. While the yellow group is fairly straightforward, the purple group is a classic Wyna Liu "head-scratcher" that requires you to look at the words as shapes rather than definitions.

If you’re stuck, don't worry. Here is the NYT Connections hint and the full answer for 2026-01-26.

Hints for Today's Categories

If you just need a little nudge in the right direction without giving everything away, here are some hints for each color-coded group:

• Yellow (Easiest): To take advantage of a situation or a person to get as much as possible.
• Green (Medium): Words that mean to intimidate, unsettle, or make someone lose their composure.
• Blue (Hard): Think of the red carpet. These common nouns and verbs are actually the surnames of legendary leading ladies.
• Purple (Tricky): Take a look at these four words and try adding a single letter to the end of each. They all become furry friends.

Detailed Solution and Groupings

Now, let's break down the categories and see which words belong where.

Yellow: EXPLOIT

These verbs all describe the act of extracting every last bit of value from something, often in a way that feels a bit greedy or exhaustive.

• DRAIN (To deplete a resource entirely)
• FLEECE (To overcharge or swindle someone)
• MILK (To exploit a situation for all it's worth)
• SQUEEZE (To extract value through pressure)

Green: DAUNT

This group is all about making someone feel small or nervous. A few of these are "animal verbs" that you might not use every day in this context.

• BUFFALO (To overawe or intimidate, often by a show of confidence)
• COW (To destroy the resolve of someone; to intimidate)
• RATTLE (To make someone nervous)
• RUFFLE (To disturb someone's composure)

Blue: ICONIC ACTRESSES

If you're a movie buff, this one might have jumped out at you! These are the last names of four of the most powerhouse actresses in cinema history.

• CLOSE (Glenn Close)
• FIELD (Sally Field)
• FOSTER (Jodie Foster)
• WEAVER (Sigourney Weaver)

Purple: MAMMALS MINUS LAST LETTER

This is the "trick" category for the day. Each word is a perfectly valid English word on its own, but if you add one letter to the end, you get a well-known mammal.

• BADGE + R = Badger
• GOA + T = Goat
• MOOS + E = Moose
• RABBI + T = Rabbit

Today's Answer for 2026-01-26

In case you just want the quick list, here is the final breakdown of the grid:

• EXPLOIT: DRAIN, FLEECE, MILK, SQUEEZE
• DAUNT: BUFFALO, COW, RATTLE, RUFFLE
• ICONIC ACTRESSES: CLOSE, FIELD, FOSTER, WEAVER
• MAMMALS MINUS LAST LETTER: BADGE, GOA, MOOS, RABBI

How to Solve Today’s Puzzle

The key to today's grid was recognizing the "animal verbs" in the Green category. Words like BUFFALO and COW are much more commonly seen as nouns, so when you see them in a list with RATTLE, your brain has to shift gears from "farm animals" to "actions."

Once those were out of the way, the ICONIC ACTRESSES (Blue) became much clearer. WEAVER and FOSTER are the big giveaways there. If you were left with BADGE, GOA, MOOS, and RABBI, don't feel bad—that Purple group was particularly sneaky because "GOA" and "MOOS" feel like they shouldn't be words on their own (though Goa is a state in India and Moos is the plural of a cow's sound!).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word game where players are given 16 words and must group them into four categories of four words each based on a common link.

When does the NYT Connections puzzle reset?

The puzzle resets every day at midnight local time.

What do the colors mean in Connections?

The colors indicate difficulty:

• Yellow (Straightforward)
• Green (Medium)
• Blue (Hard)
• Purple (Tricky/Wordplay-heavy)

How many mistakes can I make in Connections?

You are allowed four mistakes. If you make a fifth mistake, the game ends and reveals the answers to you.