Here are some tips and answers for NYT Connections January 4 Puzzle #938.
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, CNET editor-in-chief, journalist and pop culture junkie, is co-author of “Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the ’70s and ’80s,” as well as “The Totally Sweet ’90s.” She has been a journalist since 1989 and works for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and NBC News Digital. She is part of Generation X in terms of date of birth, words and deeds. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she’ll be first in line.
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- Co-author of two Gen X pop culture encyclopedias for Penguin Books. Won the “Headline Writer of the Year” award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in the Society for Features Journalism 2013 headline writing.
In search of most recent Answers to connections? Click here for today’s Connections tips, plus our daily answers and tips for the New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition, and Strands puzzles.
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle contains a joke! Or four, actually. The purple category is also very weird. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times has a login bot, like Wordle’s. Go there after playing to receive a numerical score and have the program analyze your answers. Players registered in the Times Games section can now track their progress, including the number of completed puzzles, win rate, number of times they achieved a perfect score, and their winning streak.
Learn more: Tips, Tricks and Strategies to Help You Win Every Time on NYT Connections
Tips for Today’s Connections Groups
Here are four clues for today’s Connections puzzle groupings, ordered from the easiest yellow group to the difficult (and sometimes weird) purple group.
Yellow group index: Extra, extra!
Green group index: Wind up.
Blue group index: NFL Features.
Purple group index: Behind.
Answers for Today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Paper publication.
Green Group: Coil.
Blue group: What a defensive football player does.
Purple group: Synonyms of buttocks plus starting letter.
Learn more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The NYT Connections puzzle completed by January 4, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETYellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is paper publication. The four answers are copy, edit, number and print.
Green words in today’s Connections
The theme is the reel. The four answers are spool, crank, reel, and wind.
Blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is what a defensive football player does. The four responses are blitz, block, sack and tackle.
Purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is synonymous with buttocks and the letter of departure. The four answers are drear (rear), etail (tail), grump (rump) and scan (can).
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The most difficult connections puzzles
We’ve noted some of the most difficult Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.
#5: Include “elements you can set”, such as atmosphere, record, table and volleyball.
#4: Included “one in a dozen,” like the egg, the juror, the month, and the rose.
#3: Included “Screen Streets”, such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.
#2: Includes “___ power” such as Nap, Plant, Ranger, and Travel.
#1: Include “things that can leak,” like the candidate, faucet, mascara, and nose.
