NYT Connections puzzle #940 for Tuesday, January 6, 2026, groups four sets of words around apartments, resonant voices, poker hands and phrases ending in “animal.” Spoiler-safe hints come first; the full solution is below a spoiler warning.
Spoiler-safe hints for January 6
Try these nudges before checking the categories or word groups:
- Yellow: Small home
- Green: Velvety vocals
- Blue: Hold ’em
- Purple: Add a word for beasts
The 16 words are PARTY, BOAT, QUARTERS, QUADS, CLEAR, BALLOON, FLUSH, STUFFED, RICH, PACK, PAD, DEEP, FLAT, FULL, STRAIGHT and DIGS.
Full answer key — spoilers
Warning: the groups and answers below reveal the complete solution.
#1 Best Overall
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | APARTMENT | DIGS, FLAT, PAD, QUARTERS |
| Green | SONOROUS | CLEAR, DEEP, FULL, RICH |
| Blue | POKER HANDS, FAMILIARLY | BOAT, FLUSH, QUADS, STRAIGHT |
| Purple | _____ ANIMAL | BALLOON, PACK, PARTY, STUFFED |
Why the groups fit
Yellow: apartment
Digs, flat, pad and quarters are informal terms for an apartment or living space.
Green: sonorous
Clear, deep, full and rich can each describe a resonant voice.
Rank #2
Blue: poker hands, familiarly
Boat, flush, quads and straight are familiar names for poker hands.
Purple: _____ animal
Each word can come before “animal” in a familiar phrase: balloon animal, pack animal, party animal and stuffed animal.
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The New York Times Help Center says the Connections archive includes puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023, and is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Since puzzle #940 falls within that range, subscribers can look for it in the archive. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone; Connections is available through the NYT Games app, the Connections website, the Athletic site and the NYT News app. Open Connections.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Connections works
Each puzzle presents 16 words. Players sort them into four groups of four according to a shared theme. Groups are color-coded from Yellow, the easiest, through Purple, the trickiest. Some words may seem to fit more than one possible category, so look for the connection that accounts for all four words in a group.
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