NYT Connections Answer

Welcome back, puzzle lovers! It’s January 31, 2026, and we are closing out the month with a delightful grid curated by Wyna Liu. If you’re feeling a bit of brain fog this morning, don’t worry—today’s puzzle has some clever visual connections and a few "shift-y" double meanings that might trip you up.

Whether you're looking for a small nudge or the full answer for 2026-01-31, I’ve got you covered. Let’s dive into the solution for Connections #1023.

Today's Connections Hints

Before we reveal the groups, here are some hints to get your gears turning:

• Yellow Category: Think about various social gatherings where people meet and mingle.
• Green Category: These are all tools you would find in an artist's studio or a home improvement store.
• Blue Category: If you were to draw these objects, they would all share the same basic geometric silhouette.
• Purple Category: This one is a bit more abstract. Every word in this group is a different definition or type of the same five-letter word.

Yellow: KINDS OF PARTIES

This group was relatively straightforward. Each word describes a specific type of social event, ranging from the very formal to the casual and gift-oriented.

• BALL (A formal dance)
• MIXER (A social event for networking or meeting new people)
• RECEPTION (A formal gathering, often following a wedding)
• SHOWER (A party to "shower" someone with gifts, like a baby or bridal shower)

Green: WAYS TO APPLY PAINT

As someone who enjoys a bit of DIY, this one clicked quickly. These are the physical tools used to move pigment from a container to a surface.

• BRUSH (The classic tool for fine art or walls)
• PALETTE KNIFE (Used by painters to apply thick layers of oil or acrylic)
• ROLLER (The go-to for painting large interior walls)
• SPRAY CAN (Essential for street art or quick furniture touch-ups)

Blue: Y-SHAPED THINGS

This is where Wyna Liu gets clever. This category isn't about what the objects do, but what they look like. If you look at these four items, they all branch out from a single stem into two distinct arms.

• SLINGSHOT (The classic wooden or metal "Y" frame)
• STETHOSCOPE (The medical tool that splits to go into both ears)
• TUNING FORK (The metal prong used by musicians)
• WISHBONE (The furcula bone found in birds, famous for being pulled apart)

Purple: WHAT "SHIFT" MIGHT REFER TO

The "dreaded" purple category today is all about the word SHIFT. This is a great example of how the English language can use one word in a dozen different ways.

• COMPUTER KEY (The Shift key on your keyboard)
• DRESS (A "shift dress" is a short, straight-lined clothing style)
• FLUCTUATION (A "shift" in numbers or a "shift" in the wind)
• WORK PERIOD (A set time for labor, like a night shift or a double shift)

Helpful Definitions

Just in case some of these were a bit obscure:

• Palette Knife: Unlike a kitchen knife, this is a flexible tool used by artists to mix paint on a palette or apply it to a canvas for texture (impasto).
• Shift Dress: Popularized in the 1960s, it's a dress that lacks a defined waistline, hanging straight down from the shoulders.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I play NYT Connections?

The goal is to find four groups of four words that share a common thread. Select four words and tap "Submit." You have four lives before the game ends. Each color represents a difficulty level: Yellow (easiest), Green, Blue, and Purple (trickiest/most abstract).

When does the NYT Connections reset?

A new puzzle is released every night at midnight in your local time zone.

What is a "Purple" category exactly?

The purple category often involves wordplay, homophones, or words that follow a specific prefix or suffix. It’s designed to be the most challenging because it requires you to think about the words themselves rather than just their literal meanings.

How did you do on today's puzzle? Did the Y-shaped objects jump out at you, or did the different types of "shifts" leave you guessing? See you tomorrow for the first puzzle of February!