Looking for today's Connections answer for puzzle #223 from January 20, which is easier than the recent version, the Connections Companion gives this puzzle a difficulty rating of 2.5 out of 5.

We update our Connections clues and hints daily. And if the hints are not enough, see the four answers below, 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, #222.

There are spoilers for Connections #223. Only those who want to know the answer to today's Connections 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 to know the answer, scroll down further.

Now for the bigger clues. Some of the answers to today's connection might make you think of the bathroom, but drop that idea and instead think about how you would react to your favorite music in the comfort of your own home.

Now, what is the answer to today's game #223 Connection.

Drum roll please.

Water, shower, sink. The answer to today's Connection is certainly in the bathroom. However, I could not find a fourth word that fits this theme.

Some people like to sing in the shower, but it is best to avoid dancing there. Tap is not only another name for tap, it is, of course, a type of dance, as are modern, salsa, and swing.

After briefly considering the themes of fishing (Fly) and microphones (Boom), I found myself at a reasonable impasse. However, Dip, Drop, Fall, and Sink were a little too applicable for comfort to complete the yellow category.

As luck would have it, I added Blaze, Fly, and Tear, and yes, Race, to complete the green category, completing the full "Move with Speed" set. The result was

This left Boom, Carrot, Shower, and Talk, which revealed all the purple categories. As usual, the trick to solving the connection is to take baby steps.

I'm reading this late in the day. According to the Connections Companion, the difficulty level was 3.0 out of 5.

My insatiable sweet tooth finally came in handy today, as within seconds I found the sugar-coated yellow category for a sundae topping that combined cherries, fudge, nuts, and sprinkles.

Perhaps the game master with the devilish connections thought that the word bell bell pepper could match the above ingredients, especially since the presence of nuts made me think of stir-fry, and I might get lost.

However, I was convinced that Peppers and Maroons were part of the pop music category (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Maroon 5), so I avoided that savory pitfall and chose something else. But I was certainly playing the wrong song here. Curse you.

And so we come to the blue category. Parents of young children will find little drama; Darn, Rats, and Shoot complete the "Phooey" category.

Shells. Woodchucks. Of course, there are only tongue-twisting expressions, but I soon found a third in my old friend's (pickle) peppers. The fourth, however, was not so easy to find. Unsure, I put in the word desert, and lost my first life of the day. One shot out.

Desert was clearly off, but I didn't stop there as I combined it with Strand, Maroon, and Ditch to complete the green category. This left the last tongue twister, Fuzzy. The game was complete, and as a bonus I got a new tongue twister to talk to the kids about, Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, apparently.