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Need a nudge for the Thursday, January 16, 2025, NYT Connections puzzle? Start with the spoiler-light clues below; the four category names and all sixteen answers follow in a clearly marked spoiler section.
Hints for the January 16 Connections puzzle
Connections asks you to sort sixteen words into four groups of four. A category appears when you correctly identify a group, and some words can suggest more than one connection.
- One group is about money, economics, or exchanging goods and services.
- One group consists of fixtures or items attached to a surface.
- One group relates to covert operations.
- For the last group, find four words that can each come before the same three-letter name for a medium-sized rodent.
Full answers for January 16, 2025
Spoilers: The category labels and complete word groups are below.
Buying and selling
BUSINESS, COMMERCE, MARKET, TRADE
Installed on a wall
BASEBOARD, OUTLET, SCONCE, SWITCH
Spy
AGENT, ASSET, MOLE, PLANT
_____ rat
GYM, MALL, PACK, RUG
The final group completes the phrases gym rat, mall rat, pack rat, and rug rat.
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Which puzzle number is it?
Parade’s exact-date guide identifies the puzzle as #585, while other archive references associate a different number with January 16, 2025. The date and answer words are safer identifiers than the disputed number. Parade’s January 16 guide and Try Hard Guides’ answer page agree on the four categories and their words.
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