People who find today’s NYT Connections puzzle difficult will discover they are not the only ones facing this challenge. The Connections #965 puzzle proved difficult because it contained deceptive word pairings and smartly constructed false clues. The guide which you can read easily shows you how to solve today’s puzzle because it protects your winning streak from potential interruptions.

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What Is NYT Connections?

The New York Times which invented Wordle created Connections as their most popular daily word puzzle. The challenge requires players to arrange 16 provided words into four groups which each share a common theme.

Sounds simple? Not quite. Many words appear to fit multiple categories, making the puzzle deceptively difficult. Players are allowed only three mistakes—on the fourth error, the game ends and the solution is revealed.

Each group also has a difficulty level, marked by color:

• Yellow – Easiest
• Green – Easy
• Blue – Medium
• Purple – Hardest

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Today’s Connections Words (Feb 1, 2026)

BANGER
BOOST
BOP
CLOG
FLAT
GLUTE
HEATER
HYPE
JAM
MORGAN
MULE
PITCH
PLUG
SHARP
THORN
WEDGE

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Connections Hints for Sunday, February 1

Here are subtle hints to guide you without giving everything away:

• Yellow: This helps promote or increase visibility.
• Green: You can walk in these.
• Blue: Related to catchy or popular music.
• Purple: Something is removed or altered musically.

Extra clues:

• Only two groups include four-letter words.
• Two of the themes are music-related.

If you still need help, here’s one word from each group:

• Yellow: Pitch
• Green: Clog
• Blue: Heater
• Purple: Sharp

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Today’s Connections Groups

The four correct themes for today’s puzzle are:

• Yellow: Publicize
• Green: Kinds of Shoes
• Blue: Anthem
• Purple: Musical Instruments + Starting Letter

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NYT Connections Answers for February 1, 2026

Here is the complete solution for Connections #965:

• Yellow – Publicize: Boost, Hype, Pitch, Plug
• Green – Kinds of Shoes: Clog, Flat, Mule, Wedge
• Blue – Anthem: Banger, Bop, Heater, Jam
• Purple – Musical Instruments Plus Starting Letter: Glute, Morgan, Sharp, Thorn

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Many players found today’s grid especially confusing due to overlapping ideas like hype, banger, plug, and clog. Music-related terms and shoe types often blurred the lines, making this one of those puzzles where working on multiple groups simultaneously was the key to success.