The NYT Connections answer for today, January 16, 2026, was Puzzle #950: DERBY, FEDORA, PANAMA, and PORKPIE were kinds of hats; BATH, BRUSHING, PAJAMAS, and STORY formed a kid’s bedtime routine; ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, and SANTANA were musical acts with A as the only vowel; and BAHAMA, CANYON, SLAM, and PIANO followed “Grand.”
Because January 16, 2026 is now an archive date, the answers below refer specifically to that historical puzzle rather than the current daily game.
Key takeaways
- The January 16, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle was game #950.
- The yellow group was KINDS OF HATS: DERBY, FEDORA, PANAMA, and PORKPIE.
- The green group was COMPONENTS OF A KID’S BEDTIME ROUTINE: BATH, BRUSHING, PAJAMAS, and STORY.
- The blue group was MUSICAL ACTS WITH “A” AS THE ONLY VOWEL: ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, and SANTANA.
- The purple group was words that follow GRAND: BAHAMA, CANYON, SLAM, and PIANO.
What are the NYT Connections answers for January 16, 2026?
The complete solution to archived NYT Connections Puzzle #950 was:
| Color | Category | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | KINDS OF HATS | DERBY, FEDORA, PANAMA, PORKPIE |
| Green | COMPONENTS OF A KID’S BEDTIME ROUTINE | BATH, BRUSHING, PAJAMAS, STORY |
| Blue | MUSICAL ACTS WITH “A” AS THE ONLY VOWEL | ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, SANTANA |
| Purple | GRAND ___ | BAHAMA, CANYON, SLAM, PIANO |
The archived answer guide from NYTGames.net lists these four groups and all 16 words. TechRadar’s January 16 answer guide and Forbes’ coverage of game #950 independently identify the puzzle date and number.
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Spoiler warning: The complete answers appear above. If you are still solving the archived grid, stop before the explanations below.
How do the four January 16 Connections groups work?
The four categories rely on familiar hat names, a child’s bedtime sequence, a vowel-based music-name pattern, and phrases completed by the word “Grand.”
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Yellow: KINDS OF HATS
DERBY, FEDORA, PANAMA, and PORKPIE are all types or styles of hats. The spelling PORKPIE is one word in this puzzle.
The category is relatively concrete, but the grid can make the words harder to recognize because some may also appear to fit phrase-based or name-based connections.
Green: COMPONENTS OF A KID’S BEDTIME ROUTINE
BATH, BRUSHING, PAJAMAS, and STORY describe familiar parts of a child’s bedtime routine: taking a bath, brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, and hearing or reading a story.
Blue: MUSICAL ACTS WITH “A” AS THE ONLY VOWEL
ALABAMA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS, and SANTANA are musical acts whose names use A as the only vowel.
The clue refers to the written names of the acts, not necessarily to how every name is pronounced. BANANARAMA is also spelled as one word. This is the more wordplay-heavy group: the names look unrelated until the vowel restriction becomes visible.
Purple: GRAND ___
BAHAMA, CANYON, SLAM, and PIANO can each follow “Grand” to form a familiar expression or name:
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- Grand Bahama
- Grand Canyon
- Grand Slam
- grand piano
The capitalization of “Grand” varies by expression, but the word-completion relationship is the same.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the NYT Connections game?
NYT Connections presents 16 seemingly unrelated words and asks players to sort them into four groups of four. The official New York Times Help Center describes Connections as “a word game that challenges players to find themes between words.”
Each puzzle has exactly one intended solution, according to the official documentation, and the categories are curated by editors using the Oxford Dictionary. The main difficulty is not simply finding four words that share a possible relationship; it is identifying the relationship the puzzle’s editors intended while avoiding misleading connections.
Was January 16, 2026 the current Connections puzzle?
No. January 16, 2026 is an archive date, and Puzzle #950 should not be described as the current daily puzzle. This answer page is for readers looking up the historical Friday, January 16, 2026 grid.
Where can you find more Connections puzzles?
If you enjoy the category-matching format and want a print option, The New York Times Games’ official publisher catalog lists Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay, a hardcover puzzle collection by The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu. Retailer listings describe the book as a physical puzzle activity book with more than 100 puzzles and a lay-flat format; the book is not being presented here as containing the January 16, 2026 daily grid.
The Bottom Line
The archived NYT Connections answer for Friday, January 16, 2026, was Puzzle #950: hats, a kid’s bedtime routine, musical acts using A as their only vowel, and words that follow “Grand.”
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