NYT Connections is the daily word game that asks you to sort 16 seemingly unrelated words into four logical groups of four. For 16 January 2026, the puzzle blended abstract ideas, cultural references, and clever wordplay. Some categories felt instantly familiar, while others required a second look. Below, you’ll find spoiler-free hints first, followed by the full answers.

NYT Connections Puzzle Overview: 16 January 2026

Today’s puzzle leaned into recognisable themes like everyday objects and routines, then balanced them with a more abstract word-based category. Many solvers likely found an early win or two before slowing down on the final set. The difficulty came less from obscure words and more from resisting tempting but incorrect groupings.

NYT Connections Hints: 16 January 2026

Category 1:
  • All items can be worn on the head
  • Often associated with specific styles or eras
  • Typically used outdoors or for fashion
  • None of them are helmets
Category 2:
  • Commonly associated with children
  • Usually happens in the evening
  • Part of a repeating daily schedule
  • Linked to winding down before sleep
Category 3:
  • All are well-known music groups or performers
  • Each name contains only one vowel type
  • That vowel appears multiple times
  • No other vowels are present
Category 4:
  • Each word commonly follows the same adjective
  • The phrase is familiar in everyday language
  • Can describe size, importance, or intensity
  • Works across places, objects, and actions

NYT Connections Answers: 16 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 offered a pleasant mix of trivia and orthographic trickery — approachable if you spotted the obvious categories, trickier if you focused only on letters. Quick strategy tip: when a cluster looks like trivia, scan for proper names first; when letters look odd, test pronunciations and small edits.