Looking for today's Connections answer for puzzle #225 from January 22, Connections is much easier than it was yesterday. The Connections companion rated the difficulty of this puzzle at only 2.4 out of 5.

We update our Connections hints and tips daily. And if the hints aren't enough, see the four answers below, along with the category name 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 224.

There are spoilers for Connection #225. 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 help you 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 to know the answer, scroll down further.

Now for a bigger clue. Don't be swayed by first impressions. But keep your eye on the clock and remember that some of the easiest solutions may only be a chuckle away.

Now, what's the answer to today's game #225 Connection?

Drum roll please.

Today's connection puzzle was like a knight on a magical quest. When I found the crown and scepter, my first thought was that I had wandered into a royal palace, but that was not the case. The baton, scepter, staff, and wand all clicked into place, and when I shouted "conectiamus," the yellow category surrendered.

Next, the dentist's lair beckoned with terms that would make anyone grit their teeth. Cavities, crowns (a term that seems to wear many hats), fillings, and plaque were grouped together as easily as pearly whites, and the drill gave me the green category without a single whirr.

Then I headed to the office. Words like urgent, paid, void, and approved seemed ready to stamp authority on the paperwork.

To conclude my verbal adventure, I assembled the puzzle's customary quartet. Gap, Leap, Light, and School, while linked by the theme of "year," fell into the purple category and became a tapestry of the passage of time.

The puzzle took no more than a coffee break to solve, and each category fell into place without any exaggerated gesture.

You will read this much later in the day. According to Connections Companion, the difficulty level was 4 out of 5.

The fact that I chose to combine head, nose, and ears, convinced that the first category I was looking for must have something to do with the human body, says a lot about my subconscious. Wings. Seriously. It was incorrect and a reminder that I should stop taking children's fairy tale books literally.

My next thought was to connect fleece, honeycomb, and candles with the theme of natural by-products. However, when I found "crayons," I began to think that they might be more specifically related to wax. With the fleece gone and the stickers in, the first category of the day was complete.

The shuffle brought Wing and Cabin next to each other, bringing back sad memories of summer vacation.

Once the blues and greens were in place, the words Fleece and Hose reminded me of my recent supermarket complaint ("How much."), and there was a bit of a stalemate in progress until Rob and Stiff completed the theme of rip-offs. There was a bit of a stalemate in the

Bulb, Ear, Head, and Stalk remained. It was close, they are all vegetable units. If I had eaten more, I might have gotten them sooner.