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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallNYT Connections #941 was the puzzle published for Wednesday, January 7, 2026. The four categories were Doppelgänger, Portion, Common flag symbols, and Pressed using a press.
This is an archived guide, not the current daily Connections puzzle. If you are solving #941 and want to avoid spoilers, start with the word list and progressive hints below before opening the answers.
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How NYT Connections works
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Each group shares a connection, but several words are deliberately chosen to suggest more than one possible category. You can make up to four incorrect guesses before the game ends, so separating a real pattern from a red herring is essential. The completed groups are color-coded by the game.
For this archived puzzle, the 16 words were:
- STAKE
- STAR
- WINE
- MIRROR
- STRIPE
- GARLIC
- INTEREST
- CROSS
- SHARE
- CIDER
- DOUBLE
- TROUSERS
- CRESCENT
- CLONE
- CONCERN
- RINGER
Progressive hints for Connections #941
Use these in order. The first hint gives the color and broad idea; the later hints become more specific.
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- Yellow: Four words can describe an identical copy or someone who looks exactly like another person.
- Green: Four words can refer to a portion, interest, or ownership share in a business.
- Blue: Four words are shapes or motifs commonly found on national flags.
- Purple: Four words can follow the idea of being processed or flattened with a press.
Additional clues without the answers
- The yellow group includes a word used in the expression “dead ____.”
- The green group uses CONCERN in its business sense, meaning a commercial enterprise—not simply worry.
- The blue group is made up of broad visual symbols rather than names of particular flags.
- The purple group mixes food and drink with something you might take to a dry cleaner or press with an iron.
Spoiler warning: answers to NYT Connections #941
The complete solution is below. Stop here if you are still trying to solve the archived puzzle.
Yellow: DOPPELGÄNGER
CLONE, DOUBLE, MIRROR, RINGER
A clone is an identical copy, while a double can be a duplicate or substitute. A mirror reproduces an appearance, and a ringer can mean someone or something extremely similar to another. The last word is most naturally understood through the phrase “dead ringer.”
Rank #2
Green: PORTION
CONCERN, INTEREST, SHARE, STAKE
INTEREST, SHARE, and STAKE can all describe financial involvement or an ownership portion in a business. CONCERN is the less familiar entry: in this context, it means a business or commercial enterprise. That meaning completes the category.
Blue: COMMON FLAG SYMBOLS
CRESCENT, CROSS, STAR, STRIPE
A crescent, cross, star, and stripe can each appear as a recognizable design element on a national flag. This is a relatively broad category, which makes it easy to miss while focusing on more vivid associations among the words.
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Purple: PRESSED USING A PRESS
CIDER, GARLIC, TROUSERS, WINE
Fruit can be pressed to make cider or wine. Garlic can be processed with a garlic press, while trousers can be pressed with an iron or clothing press. This wordplay-heavy group is likely to fall into place after the other three categories are removed.
The main red herring: a tempting vampire group
The most conspicuous trap is STAKE, GARLIC, CROSS, MIRROR, which evokes vampire stories. It is a coherent cultural association, but it is not one of the puzzle’s official groups.
The key is that MIRROR belongs with CLONE, DOUBLE, and RINGER. Once MIRROR is removed, CROSS becomes more useful as a flag symbol, while STAKE fits naturally with INTEREST and SHARE. CONCERN then completes the business-ownership group. The remaining CIDER and WINE point toward pressing, with GARLIC and TROUSERS supplying the less obvious pairings.
For readers who want more screen-free puzzles
If you enjoy the daily format but want something away from a phone or browser, NYT Games’ Puzzle Mania! book is a hardcover collection from The New York Times Games and Joel Fagliano featuring new spins on digital games, including Connections. It is a general puzzle collection; there is no basis for saying that it contains puzzle #941.
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A Connections-specific hardcover, Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay, is listed by the publisher for October 27, 2026, with ISBN 9798893312607. It is a forthcoming release in this article’s archival context, not a book that was available on January 7, 2026. Availability and preorder status should be checked at the time of purchase. The publisher describes it as a collection of more than 100 Connections-style puzzles.
See the publisher’s listing for the forthcoming Connections hardcover.
Best Value
- Find hundreds of words in an easy to read format - Some words you'll spot easily, but you'll have to search hard for others.
- A wide range of puzzle topics, including movies, actors, sports, cars, and more!
- Variations on the standard word search puzzles are included for extra challenge.
- Answer key in the back of the book.
- Spiral bound, 192 pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the answer to NYT Connections #941?
The four groups were DOPPELGÄNGER (CLONE, DOUBLE, MIRROR, RINGER), PORTION (CONCERN, INTEREST, SHARE, STAKE), COMMON FLAG SYMBOLS (CRESCENT, CROSS, STAR, STRIPE), and PRESSED USING A PRESS (CIDER, GARLIC, TROUSERS, WINE).
When was Connections puzzle #941 published?
Connections #941 was the puzzle for Wednesday, January 7, 2026. This page is an archive, not a guide to the current daily puzzle.
Why are CONCERN and RINGER in the answers?
CONCERN means a business or commercial enterprise in the PORTION category. RINGER refers to an extremely similar person or thing, as in “dead ringer,” in the DOPPELGÄNGER category.
The Bottom Line
NYT Connections #941: DOPPELGÄNGER = CLONE, DOUBLE, MIRROR, RINGER; PORTION = CONCERN, INTEREST, SHARE, STAKE; COMMON FLAG SYMBOLS = CRESCENT, CROSS, STAR, STRIPE; PRESSED USING A PRESS = CIDER, GARLIC, TROUSERS, WINE.
Quick Recap
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