Need help with today’s NYT Connections puzzle? This guide covers Connections #953 (January 19, 2026) with spoiler-free hints first, then tap-to-reveal answers (by group) when you’re ready. You can play the official game here: NYT Connections.
How NYT Connections works (quick refresher)
You’re given 16 words and need to sort them into four groups of four. Each group shares a hidden theme. The catch: you only get four mistakes before the game reveals the answers. When you feel stuck, hit Shuffle— it often helps your brain spot patterns you missed.
Today’s words (Puzzle #953)
SILVER, MINT, STUDY, TIME, FIX, BUDDING, MASS, BUNDLE, FRESH, CURRENT, WAD, SAND, NAIVE, FORTUNE, LENGTH, NEW
Spoiler-free hints for Connections #953
Read these in order and stop as soon as something clicks.
Hint 1 (easiest group)
One category is about being new at something—think “green behind the ears.”
Hint 2
Another category is about money—specifically, words that suggest a lot of it.
Hint 3
One group will feel familiar if you’ve ever seen science measurements or basic physics terms.
Hint 4 (trickiest group)
The hardest set is a classic Connections pattern: four words that can follow the same starter word.
Tap to reveal ALL answers for Connections #953
Prefer revealing one group at a time? Scroll a bit further—each group is also separated below.
🟨 Yellow — Inexperienced
BUDDING, FRESH, NAIVE, NEW
🟩 Green — 🤑 (a lot of money)
BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT, WAD
🟦 Blue — Measured by SI units
CURRENT, LENGTH, MASS, TIME
🟪 Purple — Words after “quick”
FIX, SAND, SILVER, STUDY
Reveal-by-group (tap only what you need)
🟨 Yellow answer
Category: Inexperienced
Words: BUDDING, FRESH, NAIVE, NEW
🟩 Green answer
Category: 🤑 (a lot of money)
Words: BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT, WAD
🟦 Blue answer
Category: Measured by SI units
Words: CURRENT, LENGTH, MASS, TIME
🟪 Purple answer
Category: Words after “quick”
Words: FIX, SAND, SILVER, STUDY
Quick solve notes (what made this puzzle interesting)
Today’s grid mixes a very straightforward adjective set (the “new to this” cluster) with a satisfying science set (SI-measured quantities). The trickiest part is resisting near-matches: several words here can feel “money-adjacent” or “new-adjacent” until you lock the clean fours. And the purple group is pure Connections DNA: once you spot the shared starter phrase, the leftovers suddenly snap into place.
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