NYT Connections #935 is the Thursday, January 1, 2026, puzzle. Its groups are Bit of magic, Remove the covering from, “Enthusiast” equivalent, and BUTTER___. Use the progressive hints below before revealing the complete answers.
NYT Connections puzzle #935 is the Thursday, January 1, 2026, game. The four groups are Bit of magic, Remove the covering from, “Enthusiast” equivalent, and BUTTER___.
If you are still solving, start with the hints below. The complete groups appear farther down the page behind additional spoiler warnings.
NYT Connections #935 words for Thursday, January 1
SPOILER WARNING: The 16-word grid is listed here. Stop before the next section if you only want the word list.
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- SHUCK
- SCOTCH
- HEAD
- RAT
- CURSE
- SKIN
- NUT
- FLY
- HOUND
- FINGERS
- SPELL
- SHELL
- CHARM
- BUFF
- PEEL
- HEX
Hints for Connections #935
Connections asks you to sort all 16 words into four groups of four. Each group has a shared connection, but some words are designed to fit more than one apparent pattern.
Try these clues in order:
- One group consists of words associated with magic.
- One group describes taking an outer layer off something.
- One group uses words that can follow or precede the idea of an enthusiast.
- One group forms familiar compounds after the word “butter.”
One-word reveal for each group
Yellow: SPELL
Green: SHUCK
Blue: BUFF
Purple: FINGERS
Connections #935 answers
Final spoiler warning: The complete answers are below.
Yellow: Bit of magic
CHARM, CURSE, HEX, SPELL
Each word can describe a magical influence, supernatural effect, or magical utterance. “Charm,” “curse,” and “hex” describe types of magic, while a “spell” can be an incantation or magical act.
Green: Remove the covering from
PEEL, SHELL, SHUCK, SKIN
These words can all work as verbs for removing an outer covering. You can peel or skin certain foods, shell something such as a nut, or shuck an ear of corn or another husked item.
Blue: “Enthusiast” equivalent
BUFF, HEAD, HOUND, RAT
These words form compounds that describe an enthusiast or devoted follower:
- film buff
- gearhead
- newshound
- gym rat
The category is less literal than the magic and covering-removal groups because the words become “enthusiast” equivalents when paired with another word.
Purple: BUTTER___
FINGERS, FLY, NUT, SCOTCH
Each word completes a familiar expression or compound beginning with “butter”:
- butterfingers
- butterfly
- butternut
- butterscotch
Why this Connections puzzle is tricky
The biggest trap is the overlap between the green and purple groups. NUT can naturally appear to belong with PEEL, SHELL, and SHUCK because you can shell a nut. However, NUT is needed for the “BUTTER___” group: butternut.
The blue group also requires compound-word thinking. BUFF, HEAD, HOUND, and RAT do not independently mean “enthusiast” in every context, but they do in combinations such as film buff, gearhead, newshound, and gym rat.
A clean route through the grid is to identify the four magic terms first. Next, look for the words that follow “butter.” Once those eight words are removed, PEEL, SHELL, SHUCK, and SKIN form the covering-removal group, leaving the four enthusiast compounds for blue.
How NYT Connections works
Each daily Connections puzzle presents 16 words. Your task is to select four words that share a connection, then repeat the process until all four groups are complete. You have a limited number of incorrect guesses, so it is worth checking whether a word fits a stronger category before submitting.
The game is available through the New York Times Games platforms. After completing a puzzle, players can also view their solving statistics if statistics are enabled for their account.
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More puzzles to try offline
If you enjoy Connections but want something away from a screen, Puzzle Mania! is a hardcover collection from The New York Times Games and Joel Fagliano. The publisher describes it as a book containing new or adapted material based on games including Connections, along with Wordle, Spelling Bee, and the Mini Crossword.
It is best thought of as a broader collection of related puzzle formats—not a print copy of Connections #935 specifically. The book’s ISBN is 9798893310481.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the categories in NYT Connections #935?
The four Connections #935 groups are Bit of magic; Remove the covering from; “Enthusiast” equivalent; and BUTTER___.
What are the 16 words in Connections #935?
The full grid is SHUCK, SCOTCH, HEAD, RAT, CURSE, SKIN, NUT, FLY, HOUND, FINGERS, SPELL, SHELL, CHARM, BUFF, PEEL, and HEX.
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What is the trickiest word in Connections #935?
NUT is the main decoy. It can fit with words describing removing an outer covering because you can shell a nut, but it belongs with FINGERS, FLY, and SCOTCH to make butterfingers, butterfly, butternut, and butterscotch.
The Bottom Line
The answer groups for NYT Connections #935 on Thursday, January 1, 2026, are CHARM, CURSE, HEX, SPELL; PEEL, SHELL, SHUCK, SKIN; BUFF, HEAD, HOUND, RAT; and FINGERS, FLY, NUT, SCOTCH.
Quick Recap
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