NY Times Connections Hints & Answers for Tuesday, January 21 — Puzzle #590

Looking for your next word-game obsession? The New York Times's latest game serves up a daily dose of clever, brain-teasing fun. See if you can solve today's puzzle!

With puzzles that range from straightforward to tricky, Connections is a fun and engaging way to test your word skills. Whether you're a casual player or a puzzle pro, it's easy to see why this game has become a must-try for fans of clever challenges.

What Is Connections?

Connections is an engaging word game that challenges players to find hidden relationships between words.

How to Play

To play Connections, you will be presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to group them into fours based on shared themes. Each puzzle has one solution and uses tricky words that fit into different categories.

For example, one group might include types of fish like Bass, Flounder, Salmon, and Trout, while another could feature words related to "Fire," such as Ant, Drill, Island, and Opal. The words and themes are carefully curated using the Oxford English Dictionary.

When to Play

Ready to test your wits? This game releases a new puzzle every day at midnight in your local timezone. Sharpen your mind and dive in!

Today's 16 Words

Here is the list of words for January 21, 2025.

If you want to try solving the puzzle on your own, stop here! If you want to see hints and answers, continue to read the article.

Today's Hints

Here are today's word clues and group themes to help you get started. Each category is color-coded: Yellow being the easiest category and Purple being the trickiest. Today's difficulty is 2 out of 5.

Connections Words:

• 🟨 Yellow: Dig
• 🟩 Green: Miniature
• 🟦 Blue: Shovel
• 🟪 Purple: Who

Group Hints:

• 🟨 Yellow: Insulting Words
• 🟩 Green: Something small representing larger things
• 🟦 Blue: What you need during winter
• 🟪 Purple: Fictional character names with a medical honorific

Think you've got today's puzzle figured out? If you're not ready to see the answers, now's the time to hit pause!

Today's Answers

Yellow Category: Putdown

• BARB
• CRACK
• DIG
• SLIGHT

Green Category: Small Likeness

• DOLL
• FIGURE
• MINIATURE
• MODEL

Blue Category: Used to Clear Snow

• PLOW
• SALT
• SAND
• SHOVEL

Purple Category: Doctors in Pop Culture

• NO
• OCTOPUS
• PEPPER
• WHO

That's a wrap for today's Connections game! A new puzzle drops at midnight, so get ready to take on the next challenge!