NYT Connections puzzle #949, published Thursday, January 15, 2026, groups its 16 words into gardening tools, things that are unmoving, things that come in flakes, and words that split into two men’s names. Gentle hints and the complete groupings are below.
Hints for Connections #949
These are publisher-provided hints, not official wording from The New York Times. Start with the broad clues, then use the more revealing alternatives if you need them.
- Yellow: Used to tame plants. An alternate clue is “For planting things.”
- Green: Not budging. Alternatively: “Not going anywhere.”
- Blue: A shared crystal structure. Alternatively: “Little pieces of something.”
- Purple: Doubly manly. Alternatively: “Combine two names.”
Answers for January 15, 2026
The 16 words are CEREAL, STATIC, MELTED, SNOW, LEVITATE, SALT, PATRON, SHOVEL, HOSE, STATIONARY, SPADE, JACKAL, FROZEN, RAKE, DANDRUFF, and STILL.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | GARDENING TOOLS | HOSE, RAKE, SHOVEL, SPADE |
| Green | UNMOVING | FROZEN, STATIC, STATIONARY, STILL |
| Blue | THINGS THAT COME IN FLAKES | CEREAL, DANDRUFF, SALT, SNOW |
| Purple | WORDS FORMED BY TWO MEN’S NAMES | JACKAL, LEVITATE, MELTED, PATRON |
Why the purple group works
Each purple answer can be divided into two men’s names: JACK + AL makes JACKAL; LEVI + TATE makes LEVITATE; MEL + TED makes MELTED; and PAT + RON makes PATRON. The category depends on spotting the name pairs inside ordinary words.
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About the game
Connections is a New York Times word game in which players sort 16 items into four groups of four that share a connection. The categories are color-coded by difficulty. TechRadar says the game is available through NYT Games on desktop or mobile: TechRadar’s January 15, 2026, hints and answers.
Sources for the puzzle number, date, hints, and categories: TechRadar and Parade.
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