Today's Connections Hints & Answers For January 27, 2025 (Puzzle #596)

If you need a hint or two on today’s Connections puzzle, you can get everything you need from the following clues. Today, it felt a little easier than yesterday, but it could have easily gone in a very bad direction if I had not guessed what I did. Sometimes, an instinctual guess can make all the difference, and it was that which helped me win today. However, I can now pass on that knowledge so that you can use guaranteed hints as opposed to running off instinct to win.

If you want a different kind of puzzle that doesn’t require any wordplay at all, the NYT’s Tiles puzzle is a great choice. Instead of playing with words, you will have to match images. Not only that, but there are layers on each tile that you have to match, not just the entire tile. That makes it a little harder as you have to look between each. If you are able to get the entire puzzle do in one go, you will have a massive streak and a massive score to go along with it.

Today's Connections Category Hints

JANUARY 27 #596

If you are looking for hints for today’s puzzle, you are in the right place. You should always be looking at the little details, but that should be employed today in particular. The first category is easy enough, but after that the Connections between the words will not be definition based, which means you need to pay extra attention to get the right combinations of words.

• One category is about something you might get as an appetizer
• One category is about four different things that can keep a living being safe
• One category is about four words used to describe one thing
• One category is about four things all found in the same movie

If you need more hints, the category names are often enough to nudge you over the edge. However, if you just need to know what’s in a specific category, the spoilers will likely be more useful to you.

Today's Connections Answers

JANUARY 27 #596

Yellow Answers: Revealed & Explained

This category was the first one I got and felt like the easiest one. I think the idea of party food, appetizers, or hors d’oeuvres all lean into this idea and it’s relatively common. However, even this category really isn’t about a specific definition and that can make it confusing. This is still the easiest category and the one that seems clearest. SAMPLE doesn’t directly imply food, but it is used in food contexts at times so it is close enough. However, the rest of the categories are not as simple.

Green Answers: Revealed & Explained

This one was the next one I guessed and it seems explanatory, but not necessarily. It is not four synonyms, but four things that are somewhat similar. They are all an outer layer of protection for whatever creature it is part of. Seeing SCALES and SKIN tipped me off, but I think it is harder to guess that SHELL and BARK also belong here. It is not unthinkable, which is why it is likely in the green color today. I’d like to know how intuitive this one was for other people, considering what is included.

Blue Answers: Revealed & Explained

This one is the second Connections category I can remember being like this, although I’m sure there are more. I think what annoys me most about these ones is the fact that the words are listed out of order in the final answers. When I got to this point, I saw the words and figured, “why shouldn’t I guess it?" since I still had a couple of guesses left. I still think these ones are a little weird, because this feels like one thing to me. It feels like they’re cheating, I suppose, even though I did get it right.

Purple Answers: Revealed & Explained

I think you could get this one earlier than the last category. It’s a popular enough movie and book and all of these items are from iconic enough scenes that I think it’s possible. Most of these even appear in the sequel, which also makes it easier to recognize them and group them together. However, even if you come to it last, you can feel a little better about this one because it does seem to go together a little more than usual.

Other Games Like Connections

If you are still in a mood for some good, old wordplay, there are lots of choices in the box below.