Looking for today's Connections answer for puzzle No. 231, January 28, was easier than the answer earlier in the week, and the Connections companion rated this puzzle 2.2 out of 5 for difficulty.

We update our Connections clues and hints daily. And if the hints aren't enough, you can see all four solutions along with the category title and related words. In addition, for those of you reading this in a different time zone, I have included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle, #230.

There are spoilers for connection #231. Only those who want to know the answer to today's connection should read on.

Alternatively, see our NYT Connections How to Play Guide for tips on how to solve the puzzle without our help.

While today's wordle solution guide recommends the best wordle starting words as a strategy, the Connections solution depends on identifying the categories that are connected from the 16 words. The difficulty of each category is represented by a color, with yellow being the easiest grouping and purple the most difficult. Hints are helpful as the answer is displayed after four wrong guesses.

If you need a hint to solve the groupings, here are each theme in order of difficulty:

If you read these hints, you should at least find the answer to today's connection. If not, please continue reading for larger hints. Also, if you only want the answer, scroll down further.

Now here's a bigger clue. There aren't that many traps in today's Connections answer.

Now for the answer to today's Connections Round 231.

Drum roll please.

In Connections, you will find words that can be divided into two or more categories.

For example, Vertex is not a word associated with more than one meaning, so I quickly combined it with Crest, Peak, and Summit to complete the yellow category.

I also did a little work on the blue theme, finding Toy, Mini, and Baby, and took a little longer to find a fourth little friend, Pocket.

But just as I began to dream of reaching today's summit without losing a single life, I was quickly pulled back to the ground as I submitted "Tile," "Board," "Bag," and "Digit" and accidentally tied them together as part of a vague board game theme.

Thankfully, I was left with only one, which I quickly realized was because I needed to be more specific. The game in question was Scrabble, which of course is all about words, not numbers (sounds familiar). So I took out the Digits and put in the Racks to complete the contents of my box.

Number, Contact, Cell, and Digits remained, completing the category on exchanging phone numbers. I only lost one life and ended up pressing submit, so as far as today's game was concerned, I would say I had the number.

I am reading this late in the day. According to Connections Companion, the difficulty was 2.6 out of 5.

Wisdom, courage, and heart. Some of today's Connections answers might work as the kind of personality traits you would list to make a good impression on a dating app. However, "Ache," "Burn," and "Sting" are also words that describe the emotions one encounters after using the app. I could not find the fourth word in my first hypothesis, but it seemed to fit nicely into the second. The yellow category "Hurt" is now officially complete.

Next up were Guard (dog) and Watch (dog), which I had in mind for my trusty canine companion, but wisely moved on, deciding that pet owners would never describe themselves as "house" dogs. Mind and Tend completed the green category.

A skillful press of the shuffle button produced a cyclone, and "Brains" and "Courage" were next to each other, and I was instantly thrown into the world of Oz, along with "Scarecrow" and "Cowardly Lion". The blue category was followed by "Heart" and "(No Place Like This) Home."

Answers, 2, Wrist, and Wrong remained, and the combination of wrong and right evoked memories of a failed school spelling bee. This seemed especially appropriate given the "silent W" theme of the purple division. After wrestling with the answers to today's connection, I smiled wryly as I hit the submit button.