NYT Connections is the daily word game that asks you to sort 16 seemingly unrelated words into four logical groups of four. For 05 January 2026, the puzzle delivered a well-balanced challenge mixing social media culture with art history trivia, creating an engaging blend of accessibility and unexpected depth. Below, you'll find spoiler-free hints first, followed by the full answers.

NYT Connections Puzzle Overview: 05 January 2026

Today's grid presented a refreshing mix of modern internet terminology and classical knowledge. The puzzle started strong with an intuitive yellow category that most social media users would recognize instantly. From there, difficulty ramped up steadily—the green category required recognizing spatial language, while the blue group delved into art movement terminology. The purple category, as always, reserved the trickiest wordplay for last, rewarding those who thought about alternative meanings and symbolic associations.

NYT Connections Hints: 05 January 2026

Category 1:
  • Think about common actions on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook
  • These are behaviors you perform daily if you're an active user
  • They involve engagement and interaction with content
  • Social media natives would recognize these instantly
Category 2:
  • These words describe the furthest or most extreme point
  • Think about directional language and limits
  • You might use these to describe something at its farthest reach
  • Often used when discussing distance or extremes
Category 3:
  • These are artistic styles and movements in history
  • They all end with a common suffix related to belief systems
  • You'll recognize names like Impressionism and Surrealism
  • Important periods in the evolution of fine art
Category 4:
  • Think about what the letter "V" represents in different contexts
  • Some are numbers, some are symbols or abbreviations
  • Roman numerals play a role here
  • Creative wordplay connects them all

NYT Connections Answers: 05 January 2026

Here are the answers for today, grouped by category:

Category 1: 
Category 2: 
Category 3: 
Category 4: 

Conclusion & Quick Strategy Tip

Today's puzzle delivered exactly what Connections fans have come to expect—three relatively accessible categories anchoring a clever purple group that required lateral thinking. The social media category made this puzzle feel current and relatable, while the art movements tested general knowledge. The purple category brilliantly exploited the multiple identities of a single letter, making it impossible to solve without considering wordplay possibilities.

Quick strategy tip: When you're confident about three categories but stuck on the fourth, examine the remaining words for hidden patterns—wordplay, abbreviations, letter substitutions, or alternative meanings. Often, the purple category groups words that seem random until you shift your perspective from literal to symbolic thinking. Today's "V" connection is a perfect example of why it pays to think outside the box.