This is the archived guide to the Sunday, January 18, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle, game #952. The date is historical, not a live “today” puzzle. Read the spoiler-light category hints first, then open the solution section when you are ready.
Spoiler-light hints for Connections #952
Here are the four category clues without revealing the groups:
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- Yellow: Bird characteristics
- Green: Ruin something
- Blue: Seen on a paperback
- Purple: Stars of the silver screen
Parade phrased the clues another way: “Donald’s attributes”; “What you might do in a rage room”; “Dressing for a New York Times Bestseller”; and “Iconic tinseltown performers.”
Full answers for January 18, 2026
Spoilers below. The sixteen words in the grid were QUOTE, PECK, PRICE, TOTAL, DAMAGE, TITLE, BILL, GRANT, AUTHOR, WINGS, COOPER, BREAK, WEBBING, WRECK, SYNOPSIS, and FEATHERS.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | FEATURES OF A DUCK | BILL, FEATHERS, WEBBING, WINGS |
| Green | DESTROY | BREAK, DAMAGE, TOTAL, WRECK |
| Blue | FOUND ON A BOOK JACKET | AUTHOR, QUOTE, SYNOPSIS, TITLE |
| Purple | CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD ACTORS | COOPER, GRANT, PECK, PRICE |
Why the book-jacket group is easy to miss
PRICE is the tempting decoy: it can suggest the information printed on a book, but the actual jacket group is AUTHOR, QUOTE, SYNOPSIS, and TITLE. TechRadar writer Johnny Dee said he initially put PRICE in the quartet instead of SYNOPSIS.
The groups use different kinds of connections: physical features of a duck, synonyms for “destroy,” material found on a book jacket, and surnames of classic Hollywood actors. The actor surnames are COOPER, GRANT, PECK, and PRICE.
Rank #2
Why this puzzle’s “today” is date-specific
NYT Connections presents a new puzzle at midnight in each time zone, so a player’s local puzzle date can differ from another reader’s. This page identifies the archived January 18, 2026 puzzle, #952; it is not a current daily answer guide.
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Quick Recap
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