You’ve woken up, grabbed your coffee, and opened the New York Times Games app only to stare at a 4x4 grid that makes absolutely zero sense. We have all been there. Honestly, today’s puzzle—number 951 for Saturday, January 17, 2026—is one of those "stare at the screen until your eyes blur" kind of days.
If you are looking for the NYT Connections Forbes hints today, you aren't just looking for a cheat sheet. You’re likely looking for a way to save your streak without feeling like you totally gave up. Connections is a game of lateral thinking, and Wyna Liu, the game's editor, loves to throw in red herrings that make you want to toss your phone across the room.
The struggle is real.
Today's grid is particularly heavy on words that look like they belong in three different places at once. You see "Skin" and "Hide" and immediately think: "Okay, leather? Animals?" But wait. "Plaster" is there too. Is it construction? It’s a mess.
Let's break down the logic before you burn through your four mistakes.
The Strategy for January 17
First off, don't just start clicking. That is the quickest way to see the "Game Over" screen. The best players—the ones who brag about their perfect grids on social media—always look for the "Blue" or "Purple" categories first because they are the most abstract.
Yellow is usually straightforward. Think synonyms.
Green is a bit more specific.
Blue often involves wordplay or trivia.
Purple? Purple is the wild card. It usually involves "blank" words or phrases where the connection is a word that isn't even on the board.
Hints That Won't Give It All Away
If you just want a little nudge to get the gears turning, here is what you should be thinking about for today's groups:
- Yellow Group Hint: Think about what you do when you’re painting a wall or fixing a scrape. It’s all about creating a layer.
- Green Group Hint: This is purely physical. If you were standing on a mound or in a field, what verbs would you use to get an object from point A to point B?
- Blue Group Hint: Look at the letters. No, seriously. Look at the specific letters in words like INKS and SKIN. Notice anything?
- Purple Group Hint: This one is a nostalgia trip. Think back to the playground. What are the first words you say when you're starting a game with your friends?
Today’s Connections Groups (The Answers)
If the hints weren't enough and you're down to your last mistake, here is the full breakdown of the categories for puzzle #951.
Yellow: Spread Over
These are words that describe applying a substance or a layer onto a surface. It’s the most direct group in the puzzle.
- BLANKET
- COAT
- COVER
- PLASTER
Green: Throw
These are all synonyms for the act of tossing or hurlings something. Pretty straightforward once you see them together.
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- CAST
- HURL
- PELT
- SLING
Blue: Anagrams
This is the "aha!" moment. All four of these words are composed of the exact same four letters: I, K, N, and S.
- INKS
- KINS
- SINK
- SKIN
Purple: First Words of Kids' Games
The most difficult category because it requires you to fill in the rest of the title in your head.
- CAPTURE (as in Capture the Flag)
- HIDE (as in Hide and Seek)
- RED (as in Red Light, Green Light)
- SIMON (as in Simon Says)
Why Today’s Puzzle Was Tricky
The main reason people get stuck on the NYT Connections Forbes hints today is the overlap between SKIN, HIDE, and COAT. In any other context, those three words are practically sisters. If you tried to group them together, you likely looked for a fourth word like "Fur" or "Leather" and realized it wasn't there.
That is the classic Connections trap.
SKIN actually belonged in the anagram group. HIDE was part of the children’s games. COAT was about spreading a layer. It’s brilliant and annoying all at once.
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Another thing: PLASTER. Most people think of it as a noun (the stuff on walls), but here it’s used as a verb—to plaster something on. If you weren't thinking of it as an action, you probably missed the Yellow connection entirely.
How to Get Better at Connections
If you want to stop relying on hints every Saturday, you have to change how you look at the grid.
- Shuffle is your friend. Sometimes our brains get locked into seeing words in a specific order. Hitting that shuffle button breaks the visual associations and lets you see new patterns.
- Say the words out loud. Sometimes hearing the word "Simon" makes you instinctively say "Says," which triggers the "Games" category.
- Count the overlaps. If you see five words that fit a category, that category is a trap. Do not submit it until you figure out which of those five words belongs somewhere else.
- Check for "Letter" patterns. NYT loves anagrams, words that start with the same sound, or words that can all take the same prefix (like "Un-" or "Pro-").
Saturday puzzles are notoriously harder than Monday or Tuesday puzzles. The "Anagram" category today is a perfect example of a "hard" connection because it ignores the meaning of the words entirely and focuses only on the spelling. That is a common tactic for the Blue and Purple groups.
Now that you've cleared the grid and saved your streak, you can go back to your weekend. Tomorrow's puzzle will likely be just as devious, so keep these strategies in mind.
To stay ahead of the game, always look for the "hidden" meaning of a word. "Sink" isn't just a kitchen fixture; it's an action, a noun, and in today's case, an anagram.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Practice with the Archive: If you have a Times subscription, go back to previous Saturdays to see if you can spot the "anagram" or "hidden word" patterns more quickly.
- Play the Mini Crossword First: Often, the "vibe" of the puzzles for the day is similar. If the Mini is pun-heavy, expect Connections to be pun-heavy too.
- Record Your Mistakes: Keep track of which categories trip you up. If you always miss the "Fill-in-the-blank" types, start looking for those specifically when you first open the app.