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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallSpoilers ahead. These are the hints and answers for the standard NYT Connections puzzle for Monday, January 12, 2026, game 946. Hints appear first, followed by the categories and full groups.
The 16 words
HANDSHAKE, COMPACT, ARMCHAIR, EXPERT, CONSOLE, HEADQUARTER, NOVICE, FOOTSTOOL, UNDERSTANDING, PUMPERNICKEL, PROFICIENT, AGREEMENT, CEFTAZIDIME, INTERMEDIATE, BOOKCASE, MONEYPENNY.
Hints for each group
Connections gives players 16 words and asks them to find four groups of four that share a connection, according to the New York Times Help Center. Try these clues before reading the solutions.
- Yellow: You might see these lounging around.
- Green: You might reach one of these after 10,000 hours of practice.
- Blue: Locked in.
- Purple: Change comes to those who wait.
For one-tile nudges, the groups include CONSOLE, INTERMEDIATE, UNDERSTANDING, and CEFTAZIDIME, respectively. Forbes’ hints and nudges are reported in its January 11 puzzle guide.
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Category names
- Yellow: LIVING ROOM FURNITURE
- Green: EXPERIENCE LEVELS
- Blue: PROMISE
- Purple: ENDING IN U.S. COINS
Full answers for game 946
- Yellow — LIVING ROOM FURNITURE: ARMCHAIR, BOOKCASE, CONSOLE, FOOTSTOOL.
- Green — EXPERIENCE LEVELS: EXPERT, INTERMEDIATE, NOVICE, PROFICIENT.
- Blue — PROMISE: AGREEMENT, COMPACT, HANDSHAKE, UNDERSTANDING.
- Purple — ENDING IN U.S. COINS: CEFTAZIDIME, HEADQUARTER, MONEYPENNY, PUMPERNICKEL.
The purple connection is in each word’s ending: ceftazidiDIME, headQUARTER, moneyPENNY, and pumperNICKEL. HEADQUARTER is less obvious because it is more commonly encountered in the plural, HEADQUARTERS.
Why overlapping words can mislead
The New York Times says the four groups are color-coded, with yellow the easiest and purple the trickiest, and notes that words can appear to fit more than one category. The puzzle’s editor-curated connections draw on the Oxford Dictionary, so a word’s meaning or a hidden word pattern may matter more than its most immediate association. See the official Connections help page for the game’s rules.
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When the puzzle appeared
This answer guide is for Monday, January 12, 2026, game 946—not the adjacent day’s puzzle. The New York Times says Connections puzzles release at midnight in the player’s timezone. Its Help Center lists play through the Games app, NYTimes.com, and the News app; it also says the archive back to June 12, 2023 is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Access terms can change, so check the official Help Center page for current details. TechRadar independently reported the same game number and answers in its January 11 guide.
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