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The January 28, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle was #962. Its answers are DUMMY, MOCK, PRETEND, SHAM; BUCKET, GLOVES, RAG, SOAP; MOTOR, NEEDLE, PLATTER, TONEARM; and ME, RIB, TIME, TIRE. Use the spoiler-controlled hints below before revealing the categories and explanations.
Looking for the NYT Connections answers from January 28, 2026? The Wednesday puzzle was Connections #962. Below, you’ll find the 16-word grid, spoiler-controlled hints, category names, and the complete solution. This is a historical answer guide, not the current-day Connections puzzle.
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NYT Connections #962 words for January 28, 2026
Here are the 16 words from the January 28, 2026 grid:
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SHAMBUCKETPRETENDTIME
SOAPDUMMYTONEARMME
Hints for the January 28 Connections puzzle
Connections groups the 16 words into four sets of four. The groups are represented by four colors, with yellow usually the most accessible and purple usually the most difficult.
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- Yellow: Fake.
- Green: Things needed to mop or wash a floor.
- Blue: Things associated with playing vinyl records.
- Purple: Put the same word before each answer.
The blue group is particularly easy to miss: NEEDLE may suggest sewing, while MOTOR might look like a general mechanical term. The purple group is also a wordplay connection rather than a category shared by the four words on their own.
Connections categories for January 28, 2026
The four completed categories were:
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Imitation | DUMMY, MOCK, PRETEND, SHAM |
| Green | Cleaning supplies | BUCKET, GLOVES, RAG, SOAP |
| Blue | Components of a record player | MOTOR, NEEDLE, PLATTER, TONEARM |
| Purple | Spare ____ | ME, RIB, TIME, TIRE |
Full NYT Connections answers for January 28, 2026
Yellow: IMITATION
DUMMY, MOCK, PRETEND, SHAM
Each of these words can describe something fake, simulated, or not genuine. A dummy can be a model or fake object, while to mock or pretend is to imitate or act as though something is true. A sham is something presented as genuine even though it is not.
Green: CLEANING SUPPLIES
BUCKET, GLOVES, RAG, SOAP
These are ordinary household cleaning supplies or equipment. A bucket holds water or cleaning solution, gloves protect your hands, a rag wipes surfaces, and soap helps remove dirt and grime.
Blue: COMPONENTS OF A RECORD PLAYER
MOTOR, NEEDLE, PLATTER, TONEARM
These are physical parts of a turntable or record player. The motor drives the mechanism, the platter is the rotating platform that supports the record, and the tonearm positions the stylus assembly over the record. The puzzle uses NEEDLE as the familiar term for the stylus that reads the groove.
Purple: SPARE ____
ME, RIB, TIME, TIRE
Add SPARE before each word:
- spare me
- spare rib
- spare time
- spare tire
That shared phrase pattern is the entire connection. Unlike the other three groups, these four words do not form a straightforward semantic category by themselves.
Why this Connections puzzle was tricky
Several words create plausible distractions. RIB, RAG, MOCK, and NEEDLE can tempt you toward a loose teasing- or poking-related group, but that set does not produce a clean category. NEEDLE belongs with the record-player parts, while RIB is saved for the “spare ____” group.
Likewise, MOTOR could be grouped with almost any collection of mechanical words, but the more precise connection is the record player. Once the yellow imitation group and green cleaning-supplies group are removed, the remaining words make the blue and purple answers much clearer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Connections answer on January 28, 2026?
The January 28, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle was game #962. The answers were IMITATION, CLEANING SUPPLIES, COMPONENTS OF A RECORD PLAYER, and SPARE ____.
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What was the purple category in Connections #962?
The purple group was ME, RIB, TIME, and TIRE. Each forms a phrase when preceded by “spare”: spare me, spare rib, spare time, and spare tire.
What was the blue category in Connections #962?
The blue answers were MOTOR, NEEDLE, PLATTER, and TONEARM, all parts associated with a turntable or record player.
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The January 28, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle was #962. Its groups were IMITATION, CLEANING SUPPLIES, COMPONENTS OF A RECORD PLAYER, and SPARE ____.
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