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Need help with NYT Connections #965? The Saturday, January 31, 2026, puzzle centers on parties, painting tools, Y-shaped objects, and different meanings of “shift.” If you are still solving, use the hints below in order; the complete word groups appear after the spoiler warning.
The date matters: this is Saturday, January 31, 2026 — Connections #965, not the January 31, 2025 puzzle. Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Each puzzle has one intended solution, but overlapping associations are deliberately used to create traps. The New York Times’ Help Center explains the basic rules.
Hints for Connections #965
Try these graduated clues before looking at the answers. The first hint is broad; the last describes the most difficult category.
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- One group consists of types of social events or celebrations.
- One group contains tools or methods used to spread or apply paint.
- One group is based on physical shape, not on what the objects are used for.
- The trickiest group involves a word that can refer to a computer control, clothing style, change in a value, and a period of employment.
One-word clue for each group
- Yellow: MIXER
- Green: ROLLER
- Blue: WISHBONE
- Purple: DRESS
For an extra nudge, the published clue sequence is: Bring a present, Choose your color first, Check the alphabet, and A common word to replace them.
Spoiler warning: The categories and all 16 answers for Connections #965 are below this point.
Connections #965 answers for January 31, 2026
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Kinds of parties | BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER |
| Green | Ways to apply paint | BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN |
| Blue | Y-shaped things | SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE |
| Purple | What “shift” might refer to | COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD |
How to solve each group
Yellow: Kinds of parties
BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, and SHOWER can all describe social gatherings. A ball is generally a formal dance or social event; a mixer is intended to help people mingle; a reception is a hosted event such as a wedding reception; and a shower can mean a bridal shower or baby shower.
The key is to read these words as event names rather than their more literal meanings. “Ball” can be an object, “shower” can be weather, and “reception” can describe the quality of a signal or welcome. Connections often relies on exactly this kind of shift in meaning.
Green: Ways to apply paint
BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, and SPRAY CAN are all tools or implements for applying paint. This is a practical grouping: the four entries do not share a word pattern, but each provides a different way to put paint onto a surface.
“Palette knife” is the most specific entry in this set. It can be used to spread or layer paint, while a brush, roller, and spray can suggest more familiar painting methods. Removing this group early makes the remaining words easier to interpret.
Blue: Y-shaped things
SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, and WISHBONE are connected by their recognizable forked or Y-like shapes.
This category requires a visual change of perspective. A stethoscope may first suggest medicine, a tuning fork may suggest music, and a wishbone may suggest food or superstition. Their professions and uses are unrelated, but their physical forms provide the common link. That is why the hint says to “check the alphabet”: the objects resemble a Y.
The Tool Desk
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COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, and WORK PERIOD each point to a different meaning of SHIFT:
- Computer key: the Shift key on a keyboard.
- Dress: a shift dress, a relatively simple, straight-cut style of dress.
- Fluctuation: a shift can mean a change or movement in a level, value, or condition.
- Work period: a shift is a scheduled period of work.
This group is difficult because “shift” does not combine with all four entries in the same grammatical way. It is a shared-word category built from separate definitions and uses. The less familiar “shift dress” and the indirect clue “work period” are especially likely to delay the solve. Published puzzle commentary also identifies this as the trickiest group; that is solver commentary, not an official NYT difficulty rating.
A practical solving route
If you wanted to solve this grid without guessing randomly, a strong path would be:
- Start with the obvious event words. BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, and SHOWER form a clean party-related set.
- Look for concrete tools. BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, and SPRAY CAN are all ways to apply paint.
- Reconsider the remaining objects visually. SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, and WISHBONE all have a forked or Y-shaped silhouette.
- Use the leftover words as a phrase-and-definition puzzle. COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, and WORK PERIOD resolve through the different meanings of SHIFT.
The main traps are semantic rather than factual. STETHOSCOPE and TUNING FORK invite medical and musical groupings, respectively. WISHBONE can pull you toward food or luck. COMPUTER KEY looks like a broad computing term until you connect it specifically to the Shift key. If a possible group leaves one word that only fits through a vague association, set it aside and test whether the word works better as a shape, object, event, or definition.
Where to play Connections
Connections is released daily at midnight in the player’s local time zone. According to the official NYT Games Help Center, it is available through the Games app, the Connections website, the News app, and The Athletic. Readers who want to play Connections on the NYT Games app can use the official NYT Games access points to find the current puzzle and future daily grids.
Availability of features can depend on the platform and account. The New York Times also describes additional game features, including Connections Bot functionality for eligible subscribers, but that is separate from the basic act of solving the daily grid.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Quick recap
- Kinds of parties: BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER
- Ways to apply paint: BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN
- Y-shaped things: SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE
- What “shift” might refer to: COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD
That is the complete solution for NYT Connections #965 on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the NYT Connections answers for January 31, 2026?
The four groups are: Kinds of parties — BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER; ways to apply paint — BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN; Y-shaped things — SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE; and what “shift” might refer to — COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD.
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Why is the purple Connections group “what shift might refer to”?
The purple group uses four different meanings of “shift”: a COMPUTER KEY is the Shift key, a DRESS can be a shift dress, a FLUCTUATION is a change in a value or condition, and a WORK PERIOD is a work shift.
Which Connections puzzle is this?
The puzzle is Connections #965, released for Saturday, January 31, 2026. It is distinct from the January 31, 2025 puzzle.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: #965 resolves into four groups: party types, paint-application methods, Y-shaped objects, and four meanings of “shift.” The best solving order is to take the concrete party and painting groups first, then use shape to identify the blue group and the leftover definitions to unlock purple.
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