Mastering NYT Connections: Hints, Strategies, and Full Answers for Jan. 19, 2026 (#953)
If you woke up this morning ready to tackle the NYT Connections puzzle for Monday, January 19, 2026, you aren’t alone in your frustration. Today’s grid, officially numbered #953, has been described by long-time players as “super hard” and “unusually scientific.” With a mix of physics fundamentals, financial slang, and a purple category that relies on a specific prefix, it is a masterclass in misdirection.
Whether you are looking for a gentle nudge to save your winning streak or you’ve completely run out of guesses and just want the solution, we have the comprehensive guide to today’s board.
Today’s 16 Words: The Playing Field
Before we dive into the groups, here are the 16 words provided in today’s 4×4 grid:
- SILVER
- MINT
- STUDY
- TIME
- FIX
- BUDDING
- MASS
- BUNDLE
- FRESH
- CURRENT
- WAD
- SAND
- NAIVE
- FORTUNE
- LENGTH
- NEW
Hints for Each Category
Sometimes, you just need to know the vibe of the group to see the pattern. Here are four hints ranked from easiest to hardest:
- Yellow Group Hint: Think about someone who is brand new to a job or a hobby. They are “green” or lacking experience.
- Green Group Hint: This is all about “big bucks.” Think of various ways people describe having a massive amount of cash in their hands.
- Blue Group Hint: Dust off your high school physics textbook. These are fundamental quantities used for measurement in the scientific community.
- Purple Group Hint: These four words all share a common “speedy” prefix. If you put this specific word in front of them, they form common phrases or compound words.
The Full Solution: Today’s Connections Answers
Yellow Group: INEXPERIENCED
This group was the most straightforward, focusing on adjectives that describe a novice or a beginner.
- Words: BUDDING, FRESH, NAIVE, NEW
Green Group: MONEY-FACED EMOJI (🤑)
In a rare move, the NYT used an emoji for the group title today. These are all informal or slang nouns for a large sum of money.
- Words: BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT, WAD
Blue Group: MEASURED BY SI UNITS
This was the “expert level” category for many. These four terms represent the fundamental base quantities in the International System of Units (SI).
- Words: CURRENT (Ampere), LENGTH (Meter), MASS (Kilogram), TIME (Second)
Purple Group: WORDS AFTER “QUICK”
As always, the purple category is the trickiest. Today, it required you to realize that each word can follow the word “QUICK” to form a new term.
- Words: FIX (Quick-fix), SAND (Quicksand), SILVER (Quicksilver), STUDY (Quick study)
Analysis of Today’s Traps
The NYT editors love to plant “red herrings” to lure you into a mistake. In puzzle #953, the most dangerous trap was the word MINT. Many players immediately tried to pair MINT with FRESH and NEW, thinking of “Mint condition.” However, MINT was required for the Green group (referring to a “mint of money”), while FRESH and NEW belonged to the “Inexperienced” group.
Another common pitfall was TIME. Players often try to link TIME with CURRENT, thinking of chronological “current events,” but CURRENT in this puzzle refers specifically to electrical current (the flow of charge), which is why it sits in the SI Units group.
How to Improve Your Connections Score
If you struggled with today’s puzzle, here are three tips for tomorrow:
- Use the Shuffle Button: Sometimes your brain gets “stuck” on a vertical or horizontal pair that doesn’t exist. Shuffling the tiles can break that mental loop.
- Look for Category Types: Every puzzle usually has one “synonym” group, one “phrase” group, and one “wordplay” group (like the “Quick” prefix today).
- Don’t Submit Too Fast: If you find a group of four, look at the remaining 12 words first. If one of those words also fits your group, you’ve likely found a red herring and need to reconsider.
