Waking up on a Saturday morning usually means coffee and a quick scroll. But if you’re like me, it also means staring at a grid of 16 words and wondering if Wyna Liu is personally trying to ruin your weekend. Today’s puzzle, Connections #951, isn’t the hardest we’ve seen this month, but it has some nasty little traps. Specifically, that blue group. Anagrams? Really? It feels like a prank when you first see it.
Honestly, if you've been checking mashable.com nyt connections today for your daily fix, you know the drill. They give you just enough to keep the streak alive without totally spoiling the satisfaction of that final click.
What’s the vibe of today’s board?
Today is January 17, 2026. The grid looks innocent enough. You see words like PLASTER, CAST, and SLING. Your brain immediately goes to: "Okay, I broke my arm." But then you see BLANKET and COVER. Suddenly, the "medical" category starts to feel a bit shaky.
This is where people get stuck.
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The trick today is realizing that some words are doing double duty. HIDE, for example, could be a verb like "to conceal," or it could be a noun like an animal skin. If you tried to group HIDE, SKIN, and PELT together, you weren't crazy—it just wasn't the path the New York Times wanted you to take.
The actual breakdown for January 17
If you’re just here for the answers because you’re on your last mistake, I won't make you wait.
- Yellow Group: Spread Over
- Words: BLANKET, COAT, COVER, PLASTER.
- Difficulty: 1/5. This is the "straightforward" one, though "Plaster" almost feels like it belongs in the Green group.
- Green Group: Throw
- Words: CAST, HURL, PELT, SLING.
- Difficulty: 2/5. Pretty basic synonyms for chucking something across a room.
- Blue Group: Anagrams
- Words: INKS, KINS, SINK, SKIN.
- Difficulty: 3/5. This is the one that messed with my head. Usually, Connections categories are about meaning. When they switch to spelling, it catches everyone off guard.
- Purple Group: First Words of Kids' Games
- Words: CAPTURE, HIDE, RED, SIMON.
- Difficulty: 4/5. Think: Capture the Flag, Hide and Seek, Red Rover (or Red Light, Green Light), and Simon Says.
Why the Mashable hints matter
Mashable has become the go-to for many because they don't just dump the answers. They give you these "vibes-based" hints first. Today’s hint for the Purple group was "Played during childhood." That’s actually helpful without being a total giveaway.
Sometimes you just need to know if you're even in the right neighborhood.
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I’ve noticed a lot of players on Reddit are complaining about the INKS/KINS/SINK/SKIN group. Anagrams are often considered "lazy" by the hardcore puzzle community because they bypass the lateral thinking of word associations. But hey, it’s Saturday. Maybe Wyna wanted to give us a break. Or maybe she wanted to distract us with the "animal skin" red herring—PELT, HIDE, SKIN—which was definitely a trap.
Strategy for tomorrow
If today beat you, don't sweat it. The best way to approach the Sunday puzzle is to look for the "too obvious" groups first. If you find four words that seem perfectly matched, they might be a red herring.
Try to find a fifth word that fits. If you can't find a fifth, you're probably safe. If you can find a fifth, one of those five belongs somewhere else entirely.
For the January 17 board, the "Spread over" and "Throw" groups were the anchors. If you cleared those, the anagrams and the kids' games were all that was left. Most people get Purple by default (the "leftover" method), but spotting SIMON and immediately thinking of "Simon Says" is the pro move here.
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Keep your streak alive. If you’re ever truly stumped, checking the daily guides is better than losing a 100-day record over the word "Sling."
Next Steps for Your Daily Routine:
- Check your Wordle: Today’s word starts with a vowel, so watch out.
- Try Strands: If you liked the "Kids' Games" theme, today’s Strands theme "That's putting it mildly" is a fun follow-up.
- Bookmark the guide: Keep a tab open for the daily refresh at midnight to get ahead of the curve.