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Here are spoiler-safe hints for NYT Connections #948, dated Wednesday, January 14, 2026. The puzzle uses 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four. Open the hint levels in order, then use the answer key if you want the full solution.
Spoiler-safe hints for Connections #948
These clues move from the easiest category toward the most wordplay-heavy one:
- Yellow: Held in position — “That’s not going anywhere.”
- Green: One who pays — an end user or customer.
- Blue: Meteorological beginnings — ask a meteorologist.
- Purple: Open without sound — not noisy.
The 16 words in today’s grid
FROSTY, SNOWMAN, AUCTION, RAINMAKER, FIRM, MOVIE, CLIENT, MISTLETOE, FAST, PARTNER, SECURE, ACCOUNT, USER, TREATMENT, TIGHT, CONSUMER
Answers for NYT Connections #948
Warning: the complete solution is below.
| Category | Words | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|
| FIXED | FAST, FIRM, SECURE, TIGHT | Each can describe something held securely or not moving. |
| RECEIVER OF GOODS OR SERVICES | ACCOUNT, CLIENT, CONSUMER, USER | Each identifies a recipient or end user of goods or services. |
| STARTING WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS | FROSTY, MISTLETOE, RAINMAKER, SNOWMAN | They begin with frost, mist, rain and snow. |
| SILENT ___ | AUCTION, MOVIE, PARTNER, TREATMENT | The completed phrases are silent auction, silent movie, silent partner and silent treatment. |
Why this puzzle is tricky
The winter-looking decoy
FROSTY, MISTLETOE and SNOWMAN look like an obvious seasonal set. RAINMAKER completes that group only when you notice that all four words start with weather-related terms: frost, mist, rain and snow.
#1 Best Overall
The business-word decoy
CLIENT, PARTNER, ACCOUNT and FIRM suggest a business category, but the correct group uses ACCOUNT with CLIENT, CONSUMER and USER as recipients of goods or services. PARTNER belongs with the silent phrases, while FIRM belongs with the fixed synonyms.
A reliable way to solve #948
- Start with the strongest direct synonyms: FAST, FIRM, SECURE and TIGHT all point to FIXED.
- Group ACCOUNT, CLIENT, CONSUMER and USER as a recipient or end-user set.
- With those removed, look at the beginnings of FROSTY, MISTLETOE, RAINMAKER and SNOWMAN.
- Test the remaining words after “silent” to find AUCTION, MOVIE, PARTNER and TREATMENT.
How Connections works
The New York Times gives players 16 words and asks them to find four groups of four items that share something in common. Every puzzle has one solution, and the groups are color-coded Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple from lower to higher difficulty. You can play through NYTimes.com/games and supported New York Times apps.
No authoritative puzzle-specific solve-time, success-rate or difficulty statistic has been established for #948, so an individual completion time should not be treated as a general performance measure.
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Best Value
Rank #3
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