Need a hint for NYT Connections game #959 on Sunday, January 25, 2026? The categories are ACT AS A BACKUP, PC KEYBOARD KEYS, PASTA SHAPES, and SUFFIXES. The answer groups are below, with a clue for each before the spoiler.
Hints for Connections #959
- Yellow: What you might do when someone else cannot take a turn or perform a role.
- Green: Four labels or commands you may find on a PC keyboard.
- Blue: Four familiar forms of pasta.
- Purple: Word endings that can complete other words.
NYT Connections answers for Sunday, January 25
The puzzle’s four groups, as reported by TechRadar and Forbes, are:
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Yellow: ACT AS A BACKUP
COVER, FILL IN, SUB, TEMP
Green: PC KEYBOARD KEYS
ALT, ENTER, MENU, WINDOWS
Blue: PASTA SHAPES
BOWTIE, RIBBON, SHELL, TUBE
Purple: SUFFIXES
ATE, DOM, HOOD, SHIP
Why ALT is a tempting red herring
ALT can read as shorthand for “alternative,” making it seem like it could join the backup group. Here it belongs with ENTER, MENU, and WINDOWS as a PC keyboard key. The suffixes also become clearer when attached to examples: relationSHIP, fatherHOOD, kingDOM, and activATE.
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How Connections works
Connections asks players to sort sixteen words into four groups of four based on a shared theme. Each group has a color: yellow is the easiest and purple the trickiest. The words are deliberately chosen so that some may appear to fit more than one category. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone, and NYT says it can be played for free without registration through NYT Games platforms. NYT Help Center: Connections.
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Can you replay game #959?
NYT’s Connections archive covers puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023, and the Help Center says archive access is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Check NYT’s current access terms if you are planning to replay an older puzzle.
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