NYT Connections Hints Today (#936)—Clues and Answers for Friday, January 2

Happy New Year! Hopefully 2026 is off to a great start for you. To help you begin the year strong, I’ve got hints and solutions for today’s NYT Connections puzzle. Let’s get your day started with a win!

Read on to find out today’s answers.

What is NYT Connections?

I should probably give a little background information before sharing today’s hints for the NYT Connections game.

NYT Connections launched in June 2023 as the newest addition to the New York Times’ collection of games. It quickly became popular, and for good reason. This free game is easy to access for anyone around the world, playable on computers or through the mobile app.

NYT Connections is a great way to pass the time, like when you’re commuting or waiting in line for coffee.

But how do you play NYT Connections?

It’s relatively simple, and that’s why it’s the best New York Times game, in my opinion.

Each day, the New York Times will give you a puzzle with 16 words. Your job is to sort those words into four groups of four, based on what they have in common. There’s only one correct answer for each puzzle, and some words can be misleading, making it a bit challenging.

The words are also color-coded – yellow, blue, green, and purple – to show their difficulty level, going from easiest to hardest.

The key thing to remember is you only get four attempts each day. Use them all up, and you won’t be able to solve today’s NYT Connections puzzle – that’s when the game ends.

Today’s NYT Connections Hints (January 2)

If you’re stuck on today’s NYT Connections puzzle but don’t want the answers, let’s start by looking at the words themselves. Simply seeing them might be enough to get your brain working and help you find the connections.

Here are the NYT Connections words from today’s puzzle, #936:

HIVE
ROUTINE
RECORD
NUMBER
LOG
STANDARD
BIT
JOT
QUASH
BAR
NOTE
EEK
METRIC
GAG
ALE
EXAMPLE

And here are the hints I can offer for today’s NYT Connections:

Yellow – Think of quick ways to capture information, whether you’re scribbling something down, keeping track of events, or making a brief reminder for later. Each word here is something you might produce when you’re trying to preserve a thought or detail.
Green – These are all words you’d use to describe a comic performer’s signature move, the little recurring bits that make their act recognizable. Whether it’s a short joke, a recurring segment, or a whole comedic persona, each term fits into the world of stage routines and comedic gimmicks.
Blue – This set is all about measuring against a reference point. These words describe the things we use to judge quality, performance, or expectations — the yardsticks that define what’s typical, acceptable, or exemplary
Purple – Each of these looks strange at first glance, but imagine a common vegetable with its first letter chopped off. Once you mentally restore that missing initial, the original produce item becomes obvious.

Here’s the final warning before we get to the NYT Connections answers for today, January 2:

Are you sure you want to scroll further?

Very well!

NYT Connections Answers for Today, January 2 (#936)

Looking for the solutions to today’s NYT Connections puzzle? I can help!

Yellow – JOT, LOG, NOTE, RECORD
Green – BIT, GAG, NUMBER, ROUTINE
Blue – BAR, EXAMPLE, METRIC, STANDARD
Purple – ALE, EEK, HIVE, QUASH

When Does NYT Connections Reset?

That’s the puzzle for today! A new one becomes available every day at midnight your time. You’ll have a full 24 hours to solve it, starting from midnight in your time zone.

Hey, how’d it go? Did you manage a flawless run? I’m really curious – come share your current streak with everyone over on the TopMob Discord server! Let’s see how we all did!

MOBILE APP

Level Up Your Gaming News

Real-time news, exclusive podcasts, push alerts, and a better reading experience.

Available on iOS & Android

App Store

Google Play

2026-01-02 10:49