Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 28, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love listening to vinyls.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: A copy
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Green: Scrubbers
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Blue: Vinyl parts
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Purple: Extra
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #962 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Imitation: DUMMY, MOCK, PRETEND, SHAM
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Cleaning supplies: BUCKET, GLOVES, RAG, SOAP
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Components of a record player: MOTOR, NEEDLE, PLATTER, TONEARM
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Spare ___: ME, RIB, TIME, TIRE
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to the latest Connections.
Entertainment
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Entertainment
Big Salad’s Birthday Sale


This week only, we’re offering 20% off annual subscriptions to Big Salad, our weekly newsletter (and the #1 fashion/beauty publication on Substack). For $4/month, you will get every issue for a year — packed with fun finds, life realizations, and essays on sex, dating, love, marriage, divorce, parenting, and friendship — plus access to our deep archives.
Last Friday, I wrote about a dating realization I had that changed everything (gift link, free for all). The comments were truly incredible, and I felt really moved by the ability to share relationship (and life) highs and lows with women who really get it. We really are all in this together.
Here are a few more issues you may enjoy…
On sex, dating, relationships, and friendship:
The genius advice my therapist gave me when my marriage ended.
What it felt like to have sex for the first time post-divorce.
How do you know if it’s time to get divorced?
Four ways I’ve learned to deepen friendships.
The book that profoundly changed my friend’s sex life.
Reader question: “I want to talk dirty in bed, but I’m nervous.”
Nine habits that are making my 40s my favorite decade.
On fashion and beauty:
How to style a shirt like a Copenhagen girl.
7 things we spotted people wearing in Paris (plus, two magic Paris itineraries).
13 beauty products we always finish.
Do I get botox or filler? Readers asked, and I answered. 🙂
At age 46, I finally figured out my hair.
Gemma’s #1 drugstore beauty find.
Our 13 favorite swimsuits.
And, most of all, amazing life insights from women we love:
Ashley C. Ford on why poverty makes it hard to figure out what you like.
Anne Helen Petersen’s book-filled island cottage.
Three people share how they changed their careers. Then, three more women share!
Brooke Barker’s great conversation starter.
Hunter Harris tells us what movies and shows to watch right now.
Abbey Nova’s jaw-dropping garden makeover.
Natasha Pickowicz wants you to throw yourself a party.
My sister’s parenting hack that I can’t stop thinking about.
Alison Piepmeyer’s amazing wallpaper before-and-after photos.
15 incredible books to read.
Nine ways Kate Baer is coming out to play in her 40s.

Here’s the discount link for 20% off annual subscriptions, and here’s the Big Salad homepage, if you’d like to check it out. We would love to have you, and thank you so much for your support and readership. Joannaxo
P.S. We also offer 50 comped subscriptions per month for those who’d like to read Big Salad but aren’t in a place to pay for it at the moment. Just email newsletter@cupofjo.com to get on the list. Thank you!
Entertainment
Brûléed Yogurt? Yes, Please!


Did you know you can brûlée, like, anything? I always forget brûléeing is an option, because it’s one of those fancy cooking processes that’s too much fuss for home cooking. The thing is? It’s really not. All you need is a broiler and the courage to turn it on. (I suppose you might also need a fairly clean oven, or you’ll set off your smoke alarms — but I do that once a month anyway.) And once you’re in the swing of it, it’s truly so much fun.
“I love brûléeing the most simple things,” says our friend Jerrelle Guy, whose gorgeous cookbook, We Fancy, comes out this week. “Warm oatmeal, fresh bananas, grapefruit halves, the peanut butter on my peanut-butter toast. And whenever I brûlée my yogurt, it becomes decadent. I think of it as a no-bake crème brûlée.” For breakfast! Or whenever!
This week, we’re excited to share this fun, creamy, tangy new recipe from Jerelle’s book. True to the title, this is indeed a fancy dish, but Jerrelle is the kind of recipe writer who knows that fancy doesn’t need to be complicated (this is the woman who judged our boxed brownie taste test, after all). When she says you can do this — in less than 30 minutes, no less — you can trust her. And doesn’t a warm, citrus brûlée sound so good right now? Definitely worth braving the broiler. Let’s crack a window and do this thing.
Brûléed Lemon Yogurt With Berries
From We Fancy, by Jerrelle Guy
Serves 2-4
For the berry pico
1/2 cup blueberries and strawberries (fresh or frozen), diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
Kosher salt
For the yogurt crème brûlée
1 cup Greek yogurt (full-fat) or labneh
Turbinado sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Make the pico: In a small bowl, combine the berries, thyme, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Set aside to allow the berries some time to release their juices.
Make the yogurt: Divide the yogurt among four 4-ounce ramekins (or two 8-ounce ramekins), or small heat-proof bowls, and spread in a smooth, even layer. Wipe any splattered edges of the ramekins with a clean kitchen cloth. (If making ahead, you can cover the yogurt and refrigerate for up to three days, until ready to eat. You can also leave it overnight to make the yogurt firmer.)
Brûlée the yogurt: Sprinkle sugar over the tops of the yogurt in a thin, even layer. If using a broiler, set an oven rack just beneath the heating element and turn the broiler on high. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and slide under the broiler. You can also use a blow torch, moving in slow, circular motions over the yogurt. Burn the sugar until it beads, then caramelizes and melts into puddles. Remove from the oven (if using), and allow the yogurt to rest for a few minutes until the sugar hardens. Top with the pico and serve.
Note: If you want to make it even fancier, Jerrelle suggests mixing the yogurt with 2-3 tbsp of lemon curd and 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract, before transferring to the ramekins, to add a pleasant tang.

Thank you so much, Jerrelle! We love the new book!
P.S. Molly Yeh’s classic egg-in-a-hole, and seven delicious muffin recipes.
(Photos from Jerrelle Guy. Excerpted from We Fancy. Copyright © 2026 by Jerrelle Guy. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.)
