It is Tuesday, January 13, 2026, and the New York Times Games team has released another brain-teasing edition of Connections. If you are staring at the 4×4 grid and seeing words that seem to belong to five different categories at once, you aren’t alone. Today’s puzzle features a mix of physical actions, festive items, and a tricky wordplay category that might stump even veteran players.
Whether you are looking for a gentle nudge in the right direction or the full solution to keep your streak alive, we have everything you need below.
Spoiler-Free Hints for Today’s Connections
Before we reveal the specific groups, try these general clues. They point toward the themes without giving away the exact words.
- Yellow Category Hint:Â Things you need when preparing a birthday surprise or holiday package.
- Green Category Hint:Â Verbs that describe pushing through a crowd or applying force.
- Blue Category Hint: Iconic items worn or held by the mascot of the world’s most famous real-estate board game.
- Purple Category Hint:Â Anatomy terms hidden inside other words (specifically, parts of the foot).
Today’s Connections Categories
If the hints above weren’t enough, here are the specific names of the four categories for January 13, 2026. This often helps players spot the “red herrings.”
- Yellow:Â Present Go-Withs
- Green:Â Jostle
- Blue:Â Accessories for Mr. Monopoly
- Purple:Â Parts of the Foot Plus Starting Letter
Strategy Note: Be careful with words like “Elbow” and “Shoulder.” While they are body parts, today they are functioning as verbs in the Green category!
The Solutions: NYT Connections Answers for January 13, 2026
Here is the complete breakdown of the answers.
Yellow: Present Go-Withs
These items are all associated with wrapping gifts.
- BOW, CARD, GIFT WRAP, RIBBON
Green: Jostle
These words are verbs used to describe pushing or shoving.
- ELBOW, PRESS, SHOULDER, SHOVE
Blue: Accessories for Mr. Monopoly
If you visualize Rich Uncle Pennybags (Mr. Monopoly), he is wearing or holding these items.
- BOWTIE, CANE, MONEYBAG, TOPHAT
Purple: Parts of the Foot Plus Starting Letter
This was the hardest category. You have to remove the first letter to see the foot anatomy.
- OTOEÂ (O + Toe)
- PARCHÂ (P + Arch)
- RANKLEÂ (R + Ankle)
- WHEELÂ (W + Heel)
Keep Your Brain Sharp
Connections requires lateral thinking, but it helps to practice with other word games to recognize patterns. If you want to see how puzzle difficulty fluctuates throughout the week, it is worth looking back at previous games. For example, you can review the solutions for NYT Strands today January 11 2026 to see how the NYT constructs its word-search logic.
Sharing Your Results
Once you have solved the grid, the best part is sharing your success (or near-misses) with friends. However, sharing links to game guides or long articles can clutter up your text threads. To make your sharing easier and cleaner, consider using Shrinkle. It is a great tool for shortening internal and external links, ensuring your messages stay concise.