Looking to crack NYT Connections #936? In this complete guide, you will find the full solution for Friday, January 2, 2026, along with helpful hints and tips. If you are a fan of word games such as Wordle, Strands, or Quordle, then today’s hints will be of great help to you.

NYT Connections Board – January 2, 2026

The puzzle includes these 16 words:
HIVE, ROUTINE, RECORD, NUMBER, LOG, STANDARD, BIT, JOT, QUASH, BAR, NOTE, EEK, METRIC, GAG, ALE, EXAMPLE

Puzzle Categories (Spoiler-Free Hints)

• Yellow: Verbs that involve recording or documenting information.
• Green: Comedic terms, think of what a performer might use.
• Blue: Words associated with benchmarks or levels of performance.
• Purple: Food-related words, but with a twist—they’re missing their first letters.

Hints for Each Category

• Yellow: Actions a secretary, scientist, or writer might do with important notes.
• Green: Think of a comedian’s routines or signature gags.
• Blue: Words linked to standards or examples to measure by.
• Purple: Common vegetables, but each is missing its starting letter.

Pro Tip: Scroll carefully—spoilers follow below!

The Answers – NYT Connections #936

• Yellow (WRITE): JOT, LOG, NOTE, RECORD – straightforward verbs for documenting something.
• Green (SHTICK): BIT, GAG, NUMBER, ROUTINE – classic comedy elements.
• Blue (BENCHMARK): BAR, EXAMPLE, METRIC, STANDARD – terms for measuring performance.
• Purple (VEGETABLES MINUS STARTING LETTER): ALE, EEK, HIVE, QUASH – add the missing first letters to get Kale, Leek, Chive, Squash.

How Today’s Puzzle Was Solved

• Yellow: LOG, RECORD, NOTE, and JOT clearly link to writing.
• Green: BIT, GAG, NUMBER, and ROUTINE fit the theme of comedy performances.
• Blue: METRIC, STANDARD, BAR, and EXAMPLE all relate to benchmarks.
• Purple: QUASH, HIVE, EEK, and ALE correspond to vegetables with their first letters removed.

How to Play and Win Connections

Connections challenges players to group 16 words into four related categories. Select four tiles that represent an identical concept and then press the Submit button. If your choices are right, the category color will be displayed: yellow (easiest), green, blue, or purple (hardest). Do not submit until you are completely sure—each and every one of the four words must be part of the category, otherwise, mistakes will be recorded against you.

Pro tips: Look for words that seem out of place—they often lead to tricky, overlapping groups. Google or think creatively about less obvious connections if you’re stuck.Moreover, if you have hints, then use them—they intend to give you a little push without revealing everything.

Don’t miss the hints and solutions to tomorrow’s puzzle that will allow you to continue improving your Connections skills!