Spoiler warning: This guide moves from the 16 tiles to gentle clues, then category names and the complete answers for Thursday, January 15, 2026, NYT Connections puzzle #949. Stop at any stage to keep solving.
The 16 words in today’s Connections puzzle
The board contains these 16 tiles:
CEREAL · STATIC · MELTED · SNOW · LEVITATE · SALT · PATRON · SHOVEL · HOSE · STATIONARY · SPADE · JACKAL · FROZEN · RAKE · DANDRUFF · STILL
Hints for Connections #949
These clues become more revealing as you go. Each of the four groups contains four tiles.
Oblique clues
- One group helps take care of things outside.
- One group is not budging.
- One group can describe something flaky.
- One group is doubly manly.
One example tile per group
- Gardening tools: HOSE
- Unmoving: STATIC
- Things that come in flakes: SNOW
- Words formed by two men’s names: PATRON
Category names
- Yellow: Gardening tools
- Green: Unmoving
- Blue: Things that come in flakes
- Purple: Words formed by two men’s names
Today’s Connections answers
The full groupings for puzzle #949 are:
- Yellow — Gardening tools: HOSE, RAKE, SHOVEL, SPADE
- Green — Unmoving: FROZEN, STATIC, STATIONARY, STILL
- Blue — Things that come in flakes: CEREAL, DANDRUFF, SALT, SNOW
- Purple — Words formed by two men’s names: JACKAL, LEVITATE, MELTED, PATRON
How the purple wordplay works
Each purple tile can be split into two men’s names: JACK AL, LEVI TATE, MEL TED, and PAT RON.
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How Connections works
The New York Times Help Center says, “Players are given 16 words and must find groups of four items that share something in common.” Each puzzle has one solution, but some words can appear to fit more than one theme. The official guide describes yellow as the easiest category and purple as the trickiest; that is a general color convention, not a prescribed order for solving today’s groups. NYT Connections rules and help
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play and find archived puzzles
The game is available through the NYT Games app, nytimes.com/games/connections, nytimes.com/theathletic, and the NYT News app, according to the NYT Help Center. New puzzles release daily at midnight in the player’s timezone. The archive, which goes back to June 12, 2023, is available to All Access and Games subscribers; playing archived puzzles can affect some stats but does not affect streaks. Access details can change, so check the official help page for current terms.
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