> At a Glance
> – Jan. 10 NYT Connections puzzle #944 is notably tricky
> – No pop-culture themes to lean on
> – Why it matters: Daily solvers need fresh angles
today’s grid lacks the pop-culture crutch many rely on, so every grouping feels tougher.

Today’s Groups
Yellow hollow cylinders: hose, pipe, straw, tube
Green software platforms: app, desktop, mobile, web
Blue take off: book, dip, jet, split
Purple units of measure: bar, gram, mole, volt
Hardest Days So Far
| Puzzle | Twist |
|---|---|
| #5 | things you can set: mood, record, table, volleyball |
| #4 | one in a dozen: egg, juror, month, rose |
| #3 | streets on screen: Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame |
| #2 | power ___: nap, plant, Ranger, trip |
| #1 | things that can run: candidate, faucet, mascara, nose |
Key Takeaways
- No pop-culture anchor makes every quadrant harder
- Yellow group is literal hollow items
- Purple group mixes metric and imperial units
- Track your streaks in the Times Games section

