connections answers January 18: NYT Connections Answers January 18: Hints and solution revealed for the Sunday puzzle #952

Designed to test pattern recognition and lateral thinking, Links It quickly built a loyal following, as well as other NYT Games such as. Word And wires.
Category types in today’s NYT Connections puzzle
Each Links The puzzle has four categories of increasing difficulty, color-coded from yellow to purple. According to Life Hacker’s report, the category types for January 18 were as follows:
- Yellow category: Parts of a whole
- Green category: Related verbs
- Blue category: Related names
- Purple category: Popular culture and history references
While these explanations are spoiler-free, the overlap between literal and figurative meanings made correct grouping less straightforward.
Spoiler-free tips for today’s Connections themes
The following thematic clues have been applied to each colorway to help players narrow down the possibilities:
- Yellow: Physical characteristics of an animal.
- Green: Verbs often associated with car accidents
- Blue: Elements commonly found on a book cover
- Purple: Well-known artists of classic Hollywood
Many words including invoice, price, quotationAnd totalIt seemed deceptively linked to money, but the puzzle required players to go beyond superficial interpretations.
Deceptive words that cause confusion
The key challenge in today’s puzzle lay in misleading assumptions. Invoicefor example, it did not mean payment, but instead meant bird’s beak. Price it functioned as a surname rather than a cost. total It was used as a verb describing a vehicle written off after damage. Such changes forced players to rethink initial groupings.
Categories in today’s NYT Connections puzzle
After careful elimination, the correct categories for puzzle number 952 emerged as follows:
- Yellow: Characteristics of a duck
- Green: Destroy
- Blue: Found on a book cover
- Purple: Classic Hollywood actors
NYT Connections’ response dated January 18, 2026
Here’s NYT Connections’ full response, with all four groups and their associated words, according to Life Hacker’s report:
- Yellow – Features of the duck: BEAK, FEATHERS, NETS, WINGS
- Green – Destroy: BREAK, DAMAGE, TOTAL, WRENCH
- Blue – Found on the cover of a book: AUTHOR, QUOTE, ABSTRACT, TITLE
- Purple – Classic Hollywood actors: COOPER, GRANT, PECK, PRICE
The purple category referenced iconic movie stars Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck and Vincent Price, making it the toughest group for many actors.
How was today’s NYT Connections riddle solved?
Many players report identifying the yellow group early after becoming familiar with bird anatomy. The blue group was followed after the book-related terms were isolated. The purple category initially appeared to be a list of surnames before revealing the classic cinema connection. This left the green group focusing on destruction-related verbs as the final takeaway.
How to play NYT Connections?
Available on the New York Times website and the Games app, Links presents players with 16 words arranged in a grid. The goal is to choose four words that share a common theme. Players have four attempts to correctly identify all groups. Yellow is the easiest category and purple is the most complex category.
FAQ
What is today’s NYT Connections answer?
NYT Connections’ answer, dated Sunday, January 18, 2026, includes groups based on duck traits, verbs of destruction, book cover elements, and classic Hollywood actors.
Where can I play NYT Connections?
The game is available daily on the New York Times website and through the Games app.


