If you seek the solutions for the Connections game for January 22, 2025, you’re in the right place. This post will provide insightful hints, strategies, and an eventual unveiling of the answers across all four categories. Throughout the discussion, obscure word definitions will be clarified, and we’ll piece together how everything interrelates. Warning: Spoilers ahead for NYT Connections #591 on January 22! Continue reading if you would like assistance and eventually the answers for today’s puzzle.

For a convenient method to access our hints regularly, bookmark this link. The past hints are also available there should you wish to catch up on a previous challenge.

Below are some subtle clues regarding today’s Connections answers, with more detailed themes and solutions located further down the page. Take your time and only grab the hints you find necessary!

Credit: Connections/NYT

Thematic Clues for Today’s Connections

Here are some spoiler-free hints regarding the groupings in today’s Connections:

• Yellow category – Beginners often start with the introductory level here.

• Green category – Refers to various underground voids.

• Blue category – All relate to a specific garment, although in varied formats.

• Purple category – Involves a phrase that requires a directional input.

SPOILER ALERT: Answers Ahead!

The answers will soon be disclosed. Proceed carefully if you prefer not to know the complete outcomes. (The comprehensive solution is available below.)

Noteworthy Challenges

The terms PIT, BOXER, and LAB do not point to any dog breeds.

BATTER is not related to pancake mix—it’s a position in baseball.

JUDGE is employed as a noun rather than a verb here.

Categories in Today’s Connections

• Yellow: TYPES OF ACADEMIC COURSES

• Green: RESULTS OF SOME DIGGING

• Blue: ONES WEARING ROBES

• Purple: ___ UP

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: SOLUTIONS BELOW

Prepare to uncover the answers for today’s Connections game. They are revealed below.

Yellow Words in Today’s Connections

The yellow group is generally considered the most straightforward. Its theme is TYPES OF ACADEMIC COURSES, with the words being: DISCUSSION, LAB, LECTURE, SEMINAR.

Green Words in Today’s Connections

The green set is typically regarded as the next easiest. This category’s theme centers on RESULTS OF SOME DIGGING, comprising: DITCH, HOLE, PIT, TRENCH.

Blue Words in Today’s Connections

Blue categorization falls into the second-hardest group. Its theme revolves around ONES WEARING ROBES, including: BOXER, JUDGE, MONK, WIZARD.

Purple Words in Today’s Connections

The purple category is considered the most complex. Its theme is ___ UP, featuring words such as: BATTER, BOTTOMS, CHIN, LAWYER.

Strategies for Solving Today’s Connections

Thinking of WIZARD and MONK evokes imagery of characters in fantasy themes, but that’s not relevant here.

Pondering BOXER, PIT, and LAB as potential dog breeds leads nowhere productive.

One can group TRENCH, DITCH, HOLE, and PIT as types of underground features.

LECTURE, LAB, SEMINAR, and DISCUSSION can correlate with academic course names.

WIZARD, MONK, JUDGE, and BOXER relate to vocations commonly associated with robes.

This leads to CHIN, BOTTOMS, LAWYER, and BATTER, all of which fit the context of “up”—CHIN up, BOTTOMS up, LAWYER up, and BATTER up! Indeed!

Connections
Puzzle #591

How to Engage with Connections

A thorough guide for playing Connections is available, but here’s a brief overview of the mechanics:

First, locate the Connections game on either the New York Times website or in the Games app (formerly known as the Crossword app). The game features a board with 16 tiles, each displaying a word or phrase. Your goal is to identify four tiles that share a common thread. Usually, these tiles represent the same category (for instance: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all forms of precipitation), but occasionally a clever twist may be at play (like BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH representing various types of lists: bucket list, guest list, etc.).

Select four words and click the Submit button. If successful, the category and color will be unveiled. (Yellow denotes the easiest, followed by green, then blue, and finally purple.) In case of an incorrect guess, another attempt will be allowed.

Your victory is determined by correctly identifying all four groups. However, if you make four mistakes before completing the puzzle, the game concludes and the solutions become visible.

Tips for Winning Connections

The key aspect to winning Connections is recognizing that the groupings may present challenges. Overlapping categories are common. For example, one puzzle may seem to contain several breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. However, BACON might actually belong with painters like CLOSE and MUNCH; EGG could be part of a group of items typically counted by the dozen (including JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). Therefore, do not hit “submit” until convinced that your selected four tiles consist solely of those items.

If you find yourself stuck, consider examining terms that appear unrelated to the rest. If WHISTLER only brings to mind the famous painting referred to as “Whistler’s Mother,” you may be on the right track. A previous association lead to a search for an artist named Close, suggesting a possible connection.

Another effective tactic when facing difficulty is to seek out helpful hints—this is why shared pointers are valuable daily. Return tomorrow for the next enticing puzzle!