Waking up and opening the New York Times Games app has become a ritual for millions, but honestly, some mornings are harder than others. If you are looking for a Connections hint Jan 14, you probably hit a wall with a group of words that seem to have absolutely nothing in common. It happens. You stare at the screen, the grid of sixteen words mocks you, and suddenly "braid" and "river" look like they might be related, but then you realize "bank" is also there and your brain starts spinning in three different directions.
Today’s puzzle is a classic example of why Wyna Liu is so good at her job. She knows how we think. She knows we see "blue" and immediately look for other colors, even when the connection is actually about music or moods.
The January 14 puzzle—specifically puzzle #583—is a masterclass in overlap. It’s one of those days where you might find yourself down to your last mistake before that "Aha!" moment finally hits. Let's break down the logic of this specific grid and why it likely tripped you up.
Understanding the Layers of the Connections Hint Jan 14 Grid
When you first glance at the board for the Connections hint Jan 14, a few words probably jump out. Words like Braid, Cornrow, and Pigtail are almost too obvious. That is the first trap. The NYT editors love to give you three-fourths of a category and hide the fourth member inside a much more difficult group.
Why do they do this? To test your discipline.
If you click those three immediately, you're left hunting for a fourth that might not exist in the way you think. In this case, you are looking for styles of hair. But wait, is Bun there? Is Twist? You have to be careful not to commit too early.
The complexity of the January 14 puzzle lies in its "red herrings." A red herring is a word that belongs to two potential categories. For example, if you see the word "Draft," it could be about a breeze, a preliminary version of a book, or even a professional sports selection. In today's puzzle, the word Mullet is the ultimate trickster. It's a fish, sure. But it's also a... well, it's a "business in the front, party in the back" hairstyle.
The Difficulty Spike in Today's Groups
The NYT categorizes these groups by color, though they don't tell you that until you solve them.
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- Yellow: Usually the most straightforward.
- Green: Slightly more abstract.
- Blue: Often involves wordplay or specific knowledge.
- Purple: The "dreaded" category. It’s usually about what words follow or precede another word, or something meta about the words themselves.
For the Connections hint Jan 14, the yellow category feels like a relief once you see it. It focuses on Hair Styles. We are talking about Braid, Bun, Cornrow, and Pigtail. It’s a solid group. No real tricks there, provided you didn't try to shove Mullet into it right away—though Mullet is technically a hairstyle, it serves a higher purpose in the purple category today.
Why Today’s Green Category is Sneaky
If you managed to clear the yellow group, the green group probably gave you a bit of a pause. It involves things that are "In a Line." Think about things you see when you're looking at a queue or a sequence.
- File
- Queue
- Tier
- Train
Train is the one that gets people. Most of us think of the locomotive. We think of tracks and whistles. But in this context, it refers to a succession of people or things following one another. Tier is also a bit of a reach for some, as we often think of tiers as vertical layers, but they function as a structured line in many organizational contexts.
Honestly, the green category is often where players lose their momentum. You find two words that fit perfectly, like File and Queue, and then you start guessing wildly for the other two. My advice? Look for synonyms that aren't the primary definition of the word.
Diving Into the Blue Category: Water and Beyond
Now, things get interesting. The blue category for the Connections hint Jan 14 revolves around Water Features. This is a classic "commonality" group.
- Brook
- Canal
- Channel
- River
The tricky part here is Brook. As a verb, it means "to tolerate." As a noun, it’s a small stream. If you were thinking about verbs, you might have tried to link Brook with something like File (as in filing a report) or Channel (as in channeling energy). This is where the NYT gets you. They use words that function as both nouns and verbs to keep you guessing.
The Purple Category: The "Fishy" Connection
The purple category is almost always the one that leaves people scratching their heads. For January 14, the theme is Fish minus their last letter.
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Yes, really.
- Cod becomes Co (Wait, no, that’s not it).
- Let's look at the actual words: Sole, Skate, Smelt, and Mullet.
Actually, the connection is even more subtle. These are all Fish names, but they are also Other things.
- A Sole is part of a shoe.
- A Skate is something you wear on ice.
- Smelt is the past tense of smell (or a metalworking process).
- A Mullet is that glorious 80s haircut.
This is a "homonym" or "multi-definition" category. It’s arguably one of the most satisfying ones to solve because it requires you to step back and look at the words as abstract symbols rather than just their most common definitions.
How to Win at Connections Every Day
If you struggled with the Connections hint Jan 14, don't beat yourself up. This game is designed to be a mental workout. To get better, you need a strategy that goes beyond just clicking on words that look similar.
First, never submit your first guess immediately. Even if you see four words that seem to fit, take ten seconds to look at the rest of the board. See if any of those four words could potentially fit into a different category. If Mullet is one of your four hair words, but you also see Skate and Sole, you should pause. You might need Mullet for a "fish/other" category later.
Second, use the Shuffle button. It’s there for a reason. Our brains get stuck in patterns based on where the words are physically located on the grid. By hitting shuffle, you break those visual associations and might see a connection that was hidden by the layout.
Third, think about parts of speech. If you have three verbs and one noun, that noun probably doesn't belong. The NYT is very consistent about keeping the "parts of speech" within a category somewhat uniform, or at least logically linked.
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Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Many players fail because they get "tunnel vision." They see a theme—let's say "Colors"—and they obsess over it. Even if they only find three colors, they will try to force a fourth word like "Apple" into the group because apples can be red.
Don't force it. If it doesn't feel like a clean fit, it probably isn't. The best Connections categories are the ones where, once you see the answer, it feels inevitable.
Also, watch out for "Compound Words." Sometimes the connection isn't the word itself, but a word that can be added to it. For example, if you see Ball, Room, Back, and Fire, the connection is "Words that follow 'Fire'" (Fireball, Fireroom—wait, no—Fireback, Firefire? No). But if you saw Foot, Basket, Base, and Hand, the connection is "____ball."
Final Insights for the January 14 Puzzle
The Connections hint Jan 14 serves as a reminder that the simplest words are often the most dangerous. File and Train are such common words that we overlook their secondary meanings.
If you are still working through the puzzle, take a deep breath. Look at the words Sole, Skate, Smelt, and Mullet again. Think about them not as fish, but as objects or actions. Look at Braid, Bun, Cornrow, and Pigtail and see them as a unified set of styles.
Solving these puzzles isn't just about vocabulary; it's about flexibility. It's about being willing to admit that your first instinct was wrong and being brave enough to try a weird connection.
Your Strategy Moving Forward
To keep your streak alive, try these actionable steps tomorrow:
- Identify the "Floaters": These are words that don't seem to fit anywhere. Often, these are part of the Purple category. Save them for last.
- Write it down: If you are really stuck, write the words on a piece of paper. Physically moving them around or circling them can trigger different neural pathways than just staring at a screen.
- Check the "Category Overlap": If a word fits in two places, solve the other three words in those potential categories first. The word that is left over will tell you where the "floater" belongs.
- Read the words out loud: Sometimes the connection is phonetic (like words that rhyme or words that sound like numbers). Hearing the word can help you bypass the visual trap.
Connections is a game of patience. The Jan 14 puzzle was a tough one, but it’s these challenges that make the win feel so much better. Keep practicing, stay observant, and don't let the red herrings win.
Next Steps for Today's Puzzle:
Scan the remaining words for any hidden "internal" categories you might have missed, such as words that contain a type of metal or words that are also names of US cities. If you have already solved today's grid, try explaining the logic to a friend; teaching the connection is the best way to internalize the patterns for tomorrow's game.