NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 2 (#936)

Category: Tech / Gaming
Published: January 2, 2026
Game: NYT Connections
Puzzle Number: 936

If today’s NYT Connections felt extra tough, you’re not imagining it. The Jan. 2 Connections puzzle features a brutal purple group that requires mentally adding a missing letter — a classic NYT twist.

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🧩 Hints for Today’s NYT Connections Groups (#936)

⚠️ Spoilers ahead — stop scrolling now if you want to solve it yourself.

The four hints are ordered from easiest (Yellow) to hardest (Purple):

🟨 Yellow Group Hint

Get me a pen.

🟩 Green Group Hint

Hokey.

🟦 Blue Group Hint

This is a level to meet.

🟪 Purple Group Hint

Garden produce, with a twist.

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✅ Today’s NYT Connections Answers (Jan. 2, #936)

Once all four categories are grouped correctly, the puzzle is solved. Here are the official answers:

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🟨 Yellow Group — Write

• Jot
• Log
• Note
• Record

Straightforward verbs related to writing things down.

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🟩 Green Group — Shtick

• Bit
• Gag
• Number
• Routine

This group refers to comedic or performance routines, not numbers in a math sense.

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🟦 Blue Group — Benchmark

• Bar
• Example
• Metric
• Standard

Each word represents a measure or level used for comparison.

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🟪 Purple Group — Vegetables Minus Starting Letter

• Ale (kale)
• Eek (leek)
• Hive (chive)
• Quash (squash)

The toughest group — every answer becomes a vegetable when you add the missing first letter back.

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🧠 Why Today’s Puzzle Was So Difficult

• The purple group requires mentally adding letters
• Words like ale and eek feel complete on their own
• Several answers could plausibly fit other categories
• One mistake resets progress, punishing trial-and-error

This is a classic high-difficulty NYT Connections puzzle designed for experienced solvers.

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🕹️ What Is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word game from the New York Times where players:

• Sort 16 words into 4 hidden groups
• Identify subtle word relationships
• Avoid incorrect guesses that reset the board

It’s widely considered harder than Wordle, especially on days with abstract purple groups.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are today’s NYT Connections answers for Jan. 2, 2026?

The answers are Write, Shtick, Benchmark, and Vegetables Minus Starting Letter.

What was the hardest group in Connections #936?

The Purple group, which involved vegetables missing their first letter, was the hardest.

Is NYT Connections harder than Wordle?

Yes. Connections typically requires multi-layered reasoning, not just finding one word.

Where can I play NYT Connections?

You can play daily on the New York Times Games website or app.