NYT Connections Hint - January 20, 2026

Good morning! I'm here to help you solve the New York Times Connections puzzle. Let's get to guessing. For each correct group, you get a new hint. See if you can match the words together.

Word Explanations

• CRAVEN

  • noun

    1. Cowardly; “It’s not that it is easy; sometimes we don’t want to be judged.”
    2. As a verb: a small quantity of beer used at the time of making the brew.

• TOWER

  • noun 3. The tallest and most recognizable human structure used as a large building, often for many lives. 4. In the context of TV, like “the Tower of London” is the famous building in Europe. Actually that name can refer to the famous old building where it’s better at giving hints.

• BROOKLYN

  • proper noun

    1. A borough in New York City, across the East River from Manhattan, so it's not a bridge, but it’s home to the famous Brooklyn Bridge.

• BUMBLE

  • verb (intransitive), verb (transitive)

    1. To act in a clumsily, aimless, or unsuccessful way.
    2. (noun) A type of bee’s buzz and its movement.
    3. In the game: “bumble” with some sort of bees: they will often come in “Bumble”.

• CARPENTER

  • noun

    1. A type of animal such as a carpenter ant, which looks like a carpenter (you know the woodcutters of bees?),
    2. Or a person who makes a living making something from wood, often working part or full-time as a carpenter.

• LACE

  • noun

    1. A fine openwork fabric worked in any direction, often sewn onto or made as a pair of two, (like lace and the fabrics).

• NEEDLE

  • noun / a machine part

    1. A small, thin, sharp-ended piece made typically of steel, used for sewing.
    2. A ‘needle and thread’ for a sailor to sew the ship.

• TWIST

  • noun; verb (transitive)

    1. The act of turning, the motion of twisting; example: the rope twisted round the tree.
    2. Colloquially in a puzzle: twisting thread into something like a tangled rope.

• HONEY

  • noun

    1. A sweet sticky substance made by bees.
    2. In certain contexts, e.g., “honey.”

• WANTON

  • adjective

    1. Reckless, uncaring, indecent in nature.
    2. Wanton acts: those that are intentionally immoral, sometimes used as a term for “bad deeds.”

• WIND

  • verb, noun; mainly a noun to describe the “wind”; from the concept of “to wind” meaning to tighten coil rope or to wrap about something.

• RIALTO

  • proper noun — a proper name of a famous place in Italy. 2. “Rialto” is a famous market square in Venice, famous for its “Rialto Bridge.” So we think of “Rialto” as a bridge name that could be the answer.

• DESIREE

  • proper name (French), also a name brand used for a 1999 French comedy film.

• GOLDEN GATE

  • proper noun

    1. “Golden Gate Bridge”, the huge suspension bridge across the Golden Gate Strait that connects San Francisco and Marin County.
    2. Also a city in Mexico named “Puente de la Vida” — Wait—no—“the Golden Gate” is the name of a street and not a bridge.

• WEAVE

  • verb (transitive), noun

    1. “weave” used for making fabric: you take warps and wefts.
    2. Also as a verb: “We’re weaving our way through a tangled web.”

• KILLER

  • noun

    1. One who kills.
    2. In naming the bees: “killer bee” is a hybrid Africanized honey bee, “killer bee”. So “Killer” can also be the name for a type of bee used here: the Africanized honey bee.

Theme Hints

1. INTERTWINE

   • Are you weaving? Twisting? Lacing? Something is being made here that combines strands of thread or something.

2. KINDS OF BEES

   • Humming with a buzz? You know, the bees that sting and make honey and do the “Killer.”

3. FAMOUS BRIDGES

   • San Francisco? The City in Italy known for its many canals in Brooklyn.

4. STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "HANKER FOR"

   • Hankering after? Wanting? Craving? These are some synonyms that make it stick with the “C,” “N,” “W” letters!

Answers Explanation

Well, that's a wrap! 🌟 I had a blast diving into today's word jungle, and I hope you found something interesting along the way. The category with the