Hey there! The weekend is almost here, and I, for one, am ready for a well-deserved break after a busy first week back at work.
Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do—especially writing this column, which is the highlight of my day! That said, as someone who covers technology, I’ll always be a little bitter that the biggest consumer tech event of the year lands right at the start of January.
Before we dive in, I want to share some exciting news: I’ve started a Discord discussion group for this column and the Connections puzzle. It’s a space where you can chat with me and other puzzle enthusiasts, share strategies, and exchange ideas. I’d love to hear how you approach the game! The Discord group is also the best way to send me feedback—especially if I ever make a rare(!) mistake in the column.
Now, let’s talk about today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, January 11.
How to Play Connections
Connections is a free and popular daily word game from The New York Times. A new puzzle drops at midnight each day, and you can play it on the NYT website or Games app.
The game challenges you to sort a grid of 16 words into four groups of four based on shared connections. These connections might include themes like clickable items, types of participants in a study, or words that pair with a specific body part.
There’s only one correct solution for each puzzle, so watch out for tricky words that could fit into multiple categories. Shuffling the words might help you spot hidden connections.
Each group is color-coded:
- Yellow: Typically the easiest group to solve.
- Blue and Green: Moderate difficulty.
- Purple: The hardest group, often involving wordplay.
To play, select four words you think belong together and hit “Submit.” If you’re wrong, you’ll lose a life. If you’re one word away from a correct group, the game may prompt you, but you’ll still need to figure out the swap.
You get four chances—after that, it’s game over. But don’t worry, I’ve got hints and answers to help you out.
If you’re an NYT All Access or Games subscriber, you can explore the Connections archive to play past puzzles. For additional hints, just search online for my tips—add the puzzle’s date to your query, and you’ll find the answers!
Today’s Connections Hints
Ready for today’s challenge? Here are the hints for the four groups in the January 11 puzzle.
Today’s 16 words:
SUGAR, GOAT, RELAX, ORANGE, HOST, REST, DOOR, HINGE, EASY, RYE, DEPEND, CAR, RELY, CHILL, ENOUGH, BITTERS
Hints:
- Yellow Group: Conditionally.
- Green Group: Take a moment to breathe and calm down.
- Blue Group: Components of a delicious cocktail.
- Purple Group: Elements of a classic brain teaser.
Today’s Connections Groups and Answers
Spoiler alert: Stop reading now if you don’t want to see the answers!
Today’s groups:
- Yellow Group — Be contingent on: DEPEND, HINGE, RELY, REST
- Green Group — “Calm down”: CHILL, EASY, ENOUGH, RELAX
- Blue Group — Ingredients in an Old Fashioned: BITTERS, ORANGE, RYE, SUGAR
- Purple Group — Featured in the Monty Hall problem: CAR, DOOR, GOAT, HOST
Good luck with today’s puzzle, and don’t forget to share your results or join the conversation on Discord!
