NYT Connections Hints for Jan. 2, 2026: Answers and Puzzle Breakdown

NYT Connections hints for January 2, 2026, are now available for puzzle No. 936. The New York Times word game delivered a mix of straightforward clues and one notably tricky category that challenged even experienced players.

The puzzle was published on January 2, 2026, and quickly drew attention for its difficult purple group. Players needed to think creatively and mentally adjust words to find the final connection.

NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Puzzle No. 936

The NYT Connections puzzle features 16 words divided into four groups of four. Each group shares a common theme. The groups are ranked by difficulty, starting with yellow as the easiest and ending with purple as the hardest.

For January 2, the yellow group focused on writing-related actions. The green group leaned into comedy terminology. The blue group centered on standards and comparisons. The purple group required players to remove the first letter of vegetables to uncover the answers.

Yellow Group: Write

The words in this group were jot, log, note, and record. Each word relates directly to the act of writing or documenting information.

Green Group: Shtick

This group included bit, gag, number, and routine. These terms are commonly used to describe comedic material or performance elements.

Blue Group: Benchmark

The answers were bar, example, metric, and standard. Each word represents a reference point used for measurement or comparison.

Purple Group: Vegetables Minus Starting Letter

This was the most difficult category. The answers were ale (kale), eek (leek), hive (chive), and quash (squash). Solvers had to mentally add a missing first letter to identify the vegetable connection.

This type of word manipulation is a recurring challenge in higher-difficulty Connections puzzles. It often requires players to look beyond surface meanings.

Why Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Stood Out

Puzzle No. 936 stood out because of its demanding purple category. Unlike direct word associations, this group relied on phonetic recognition and mental reconstruction.

Many players reported solving the yellow, green, and blue groups quickly. The final set, however, required stepping away and revisiting the words with a fresh perspective.

The New York Times continues to use these indirect mechanics to increase replay value. This approach mirrors strategies seen in late-week Wordle puzzles.

For frequent players, today’s puzzle reinforced the importance of flexibility. Sometimes the connection is not what the word is, but what it could become.

NYT Connections hints remain one of the most searched daily puzzle guides, especially when a single group blocks completion.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times. Players must group 16 words into four sets based on shared themes.

Q2: Why was the purple group hard on Jan. 2?

The purple group required removing the first letter from vegetable names. This extra mental step made the connection less obvious.

Q3: What was the theme of the yellow group?

The yellow group focused on writing-related actions. All four words described ways to record information.

Q4: How often do puzzles use letter-removal tricks?

These tricks appear regularly in harder Connections puzzles. They are most common in purple groups.

Q5: Where can players review their performance?

Registered players can use the Connections Bot from The New York Times to analyze accuracy and track puzzle statistics.