NYT Connections Hints and Answers Today, January 29, 2026 (Puzzle #963)
The NYT Connections hints for January 29, 2026 (Puzzle #963) center on makeup, a classic children’s tale, items you drink from, and words that sound like harsh adjectives. Below you’ll find light hints, deeper category clues, and finally the full answers laid out for quick scanning.
NYT Connections Hints for January 29, 2026 (At a Glance)
- Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026 – NYT Connections puzzle #963.
- Yellow category: Everyday beauty products for your face.
- Green category: Characters and elements from “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”
- Blue category: Words that end with kinds of drinking vessels.
- Purple category: Homophones of words meaning “cruel” or “brutal.”
How to Use These NYT Connections Hints
- Start by scanning the full 16-word list and try grouping obvious pairs before reading any hints.
- Use the light hints section if you just need a gentle nudge without seeing category names.
- Scroll to the category names and grouped answers at the bottom only if you’re stuck or want to check your work.
Today’s NYT Connections Word List (January 29, 2026 – #963)
Here are all 16 words in today’s NYT Connections board:
- BRONZER
- FOUNDATION
- LINER
- STAIN
- BEAR
- BED
- BOWL
- CHAIR
- CUP
- GLASS
- GOBLET
- MUG
- GOREY
- GRIMM
- GRIZZLY
- SCARRY
Today’s NYT Connections Hints (No Category Names Yet)
- Yellow: Think about items you might apply as part of a basic face routine before heading out.
- Green: Picture a certain story with bears, porridge, and a visitor who tries everything.
- Blue: Focus on words whose endings could sit on a dinner table or in your kitchen cabinet.
- Purple: Look for words that sound like harsh or violent descriptors rather than being those exact spellings.
Category Hints for Today’s Connections
- Yellow group hint: Beauty products you might keep in a makeup bag.
- Green group hint: Characters and items you’d meet in a famous three-bears bedtime story.
- Blue group hint: Words that end with objects used to drink water, coffee, or wine.
- Purple group hint: Names that sound like adjectives describing something gruesome or vicious.
Today’s NYT Connections Categories and Answers
The NYT Connections answers for January 29, 2026 (Puzzle #963) are four groups: MAKEUP, FEATURED IN GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS, ENDING WITH DRINKING VESSELS, and HOMOPHONES OF WORDS MEANING “BRUTAL.”
Yellow group: MAKEUP
Answer: BRONZER, FOUNDATION, LINER, STAIN
These are all common cosmetics you might apply to your face as part of a simple makeup routine.
Green group: FEATURED IN GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS
Answer: BEAR, BED, BOWL, CHAIR
Each word is a key character or object in the “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” story: the bears themselves plus the furniture and dishes Goldilocks tries.
Blue group: ENDING WITH DRINKING VESSELS
Answer: CUP, GLASS, GOBLET, MUG
These form words that finish with items used for drinking, like a cup or glass, so the set is all about beverage containers at the tail end of each term.
Purple group: HOMOPHONES OF WORDS MEANING “BRUTAL”
Answer: GOREY, GRIMM, GRIZZLY, SCARRY
Each of these names sounds like a word linked to something violent or frightening (gory, grim, grizzly, scary), so the connection is about homophones of harsh descriptors.
NYT Connections Categories and Words Table (January 29, 2026)
| Color | Category name | Words in group |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | MAKEUP | BRONZER, FOUNDATION, LINER, STAIN |
| Green | FEATURED IN GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS | BEAR, BED, BOWL, CHAIR |
| Blue | ENDING WITH DRINKING VESSELS | CUP, GLASS, GOBLET, MUG |
| Purple | HOMOPHONES OF WORDS MEANING "BRUTAL" | GOREY, GRIMM, GRIZZLY, SCARRY |
How NYT Connections Works (Quick Refresher)
NYT Connections gives you a 4×4 grid of 16 words, and your goal is to group them into four sets of four based on a hidden common theme. The color order always runs from easiest to hardest: Yellow, then Green, then Blue, then Purple. You can make up to four mistakes before the game ends, so careful testing of groups matters. Many puzzles include deliberate traps where words could fit multiple groups, forcing you to think about the strongest shared connection.
Solving Tips for Today’s Puzzle
- Pull out obvious beauty items (BRONZER, FOUNDATION, LINER, STAIN) to lock in the Yellow makeup group early.
- Once you see BEAR, look for its story companions (BED, BOWL, CHAIR) to spot the Goldilocks set.
- For the trickier sets, scan endings and ask which words could realistically finish with CUP, GLASS, GOBLET, or MUG.
- Save the names (GOREY, GRIMM, GRIZZLY, SCARRY) for last and think about how they sound rather than what they literally mean.
- If you’re stuck, shuffle the board and re-group by theme type: people/names, household items, beauty, containers.
