Spoiler warning: The progressive clues below come before the complete solution for NYT Connections game #936, dated Friday, January 2, 2026. Stop after the clue you need if you want to avoid seeing the answers.
Progressive hints for Connections #936
Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four that share a connection. These clues are listed in the puzzle’s color order; each gives a little more direction without naming the category.
- Get me a pen.
- Hokey.
- This is a level to meet.
- Garden produce, with a twist.
Full answers for Friday, January 2
Spoilers below: The four category names and all 16 words follow.
Yellow: WRITE
JOT, LOG, NOTE, RECORD
Green: SHTICK
BIT, GAG, NUMBER, ROUTINE
Blue: BENCHMARK
BAR, EXAMPLE, METRIC, STANDARD
Purple: VEGETABLES MINUS STARTING LETTER
ALE, EEK, HIVE, QUASH
For the last group, restore the missing first letter to each word to get a vegetable: ALE becomes KALE, EEK becomes LEEK, HIVE becomes CHIVE, and QUASH becomes SQUASH.
#1 Best Overall
All 16 words
HIVE, BAR, LOG, BIT, GAG, EXAMPLE, ROUTINE, QUASH, JOT, NOTE, RECORD, EEK, STANDARD, METRIC, ALE, NUMBER.
Parade and TechRadar identify this archived puzzle as game #936 for Friday, January 2, 2026. The game’s four-by-four format and the answer groups are also described in TechRadar’s guide; the progressive clues and answer sets are available in WordHint’s archived guide.
Quick Recap
Rank #2
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