NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, January 20 (game #954)

NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
(Image credit: New York Times)
Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, January 19 (game #953).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #954) - today's words

NYT Connections hints for game 954 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • CRAVEN
  • TOWER
  • BROOKLYN
  • BUMBLE
  • CARPENTER
  • LACE
  • NEEDLE
  • TWIST
  • HONEY
  • WANTON
  • WIND
  • RIALTO
  • DESIREE
  • GOLDEN GATE
  • WEAVE
  • KILLER

NYT Connections today (game #954) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: Connect two things closely
  • GREEN: Types of a striped insect
  • BLUE: Notable water crossings
  • PURPLE: A longing to begin

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #954) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: INTERTWINE
  • GREEN: KINDS OF BEES
  • BLUE: FAMOUS BRIDGES
  • PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "HANKER FOR"

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #954) - the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 954 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #954, are…

  • YELLOW: INTERTWINE LACE, TWIST, WEAVE, WIND
  • GREEN: KINDS OF BEES BUMBLE, CARPENTER, HONEY, KILLER
  • BLUE: FAMOUS BRIDGES BROOKLYN, GOLDEN GATE, RIALTO, TOWER
  • PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "HANKER FOR" CRAVEN, DESIREE, NEEDLE, WANTON

  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 2 mistakes

I would like to claim that I saw crave, need, desire and want in CRAVEN, DESIREE, NEEDLE, WANTON, but I didn’t – it was a lucky guess when I was down to my final eight tiles.

Before that it was a day to BUMBLE through. I made a mistake getting INTERTWINE, initially thinking it was about crafting. I included NEEDLE for WIND and then TWIST before finally landing on the correct foursome.

FAMOUS BRIDGES was the only group that I actually knew – TOWER Bridge I have crossed many times including during the London Marathon, whereas my main memory of the RIALTO is the fish market right beside it.


Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, January 19, game #953)

  • YELLOW: INEXPERIENCED BUDDING, FRESH, NAIVE, NEW
  • GREEN: 🤑 BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT, WAD
  • BLUE: MEASURED BY SI UNITS CURRENT, LENGTH, MASS, TIME
  • PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "QUICK" FIX, SAND, SILVER, STUDY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Contributor

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.

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