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Spoilers below. The Friday, January 16, 2026, NYT Connections puzzle—game No. 950—groups its 16 words into hat styles, children’s bedtime-routine steps, musical acts whose only vowel is “A,” and phrases beginning with “Grand.”
Spoiler warning: The complete answers to NYT Connections No. 950 appear below the clues.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words in the Friday, January 16, 2026, puzzle:
PANAMA, ALABAMA, BATH, BAHAMA, SANTANA, BANANARAMA, SLAM, PAJAMAS, PIANO, PORKPIE, BRUSHING, KANSAS, DERBY, STORY, CANYON, FEDORA
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Spoiler-free hints
Try these clues before revealing the categories:
- Yellow: They go up top.
- Green: Time to wind down.
- Blue: Promoters may not have to worry about any IOUs when these acts are on tour.
- Purple: They aren’t small.
Need one more nudge?
One representative word from each group is DERBY, BRUSHING, KANSAS, and SLAM.
NYT Connections answers for January 16, 2026
Yellow: KINDS OF HATS
DERBY, FEDORA, PANAMA, PORKPIE
Each word names a hat style. A derby, fedora, Panama hat, and porkpie hat are all types of headwear. This is the most direct group once PANAMA and PORKPIE are recognized as hat names rather than food-related words.
Green: COMPONENTS OF A KID’S BEDTIME ROUTINE
BATH, BRUSHING, PAJAMAS, STORY
These words describe familiar parts of getting a child ready for bed: taking a bath, brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, and hearing a bedtime story.
Blue: MUSICAL ACTS WITH “A” AS THE ONLY VOWEL
ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, SANTANA
This is the puzzle’s spelling-based trap. The names of all four musical acts use A as their only vowel. The category is not based on musical genre, decade, or nationality, so trying to group the acts by sound or style can send you in the wrong direction.
ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, and SANTANA contain no E, I, O, or U. Their repeated “a” sounds also help explain why the puzzle includes several words with similar-looking or similar-sounding patterns.
Purple: GRAND ___
BAHAMA, CANYON, PIANO, SLAM
Add GRAND before each word: Grand Bahama, Grand Canyon, grand piano, and grand slam. The group is difficult because the completed phrases belong to unrelated subjects: an island, a natural landmark, a musical instrument, and a sporting achievement.
How the puzzle’s misdirection works
Several words invite plausible but incorrect connections. PANAMA can suggest a place, while BAHAMA points toward geography. PAJAMAS and BANANARAMA share a conspicuous “ama” ending, and the music-related answers in the blue group may initially look like a conventional band or performer category.
The reliable way through the puzzle is to test precise relationships rather than broad associations. Once the four hat styles are removed, the bedtime words form a natural group. The remaining music names are then best understood as a letter-pattern category, while BAHAMA, CANYON, PIANO, and SLAM resolve through the shared phrase GRAND ___.
What is NYT Connections?
Connections gives players 16 words and asks them to divide them into four groups of four. Every group has a common connection, but the words are deliberately selected to support misleading alternative groupings. The four difficulty colors run from yellow, generally the most accessible, through green and blue to purple, generally the most challenging.
The game is released at midnight in the player’s local time zone, so dates can appear differently for players in different regions. This article refers to the puzzle labeled Friday, January 16, 2026, which is game No. 950. The New York Times makes the daily game available to play for free; subscribers can also access the archive of previous puzzles. The archive guidance cited for this puzzle reaches back to June 12, 2023.
Want more Connections puzzles?
For readers who prefer solving away from a screen, the official Connections puzzle book is a forthcoming physical option. The publisher lists the hardcover as scheduled for publication on October 27, 2026; availability and ordering status should be checked closer to that date. It should not be assumed to include this January 16, 2026, puzzle unless the eventual product description says so.
If you want to revisit older daily puzzles digitally, check the current terms for a New York Times Games subscription, which is the route associated with access to the Connections archive. Pricing, promotions, and eligibility can change.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the NYT Connections answers for January 16, 2026?
The four groups are: kinds of hats (DERBY, FEDORA, PANAMA, PORKPIE); components of a kid’s bedtime routine (BATH, BRUSHING, PAJAMAS, STORY); musical acts with “A” as the only vowel (ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, SANTANA); and words that follow “Grand” (BAHAMA, CANYON, PIANO, SLAM).
Best Value
What number is the January 16, 2026, Connections puzzle?
It is puzzle No. 950.
What is the trick in the blue Connections group?
The blue group is based on spelling: ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, and SANTANA all use A as their only vowel.
Why is the purple group “Grand ___”?
The purple answers complete four different phrases: Grand Bahama, Grand Canyon, grand piano, and grand slam.
The Bottom Line
The January 16, 2026, Connections solution is No. 950: hats, children’s bedtime routine components, musical acts using only “A” as a vowel, and words completing “Grand ___.”
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