Looking for today's Connections answer for Puzzle No. 220, January 17, the Connections companion rated this puzzle 3.0 out of 5 for difficulty, continuing the trend of getting easier as the week goes on.

We update our Connections hints and tips 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 another time zone, I have included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle, #219.

There are spoilers for connection #220. Only read this if you want to know the answer to today's connection.

While today's Wordle answer guide recommends the best wordle starting words as a strategy, the answer to Connections 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:

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

Now, here's a bigger hint: Today's grid may seem to be composed of numbers, but don't let the numbers cloud your judgment. Not every name is meant to be counted, and sometimes interactions are more important than chemical reactions. If you tune in to the right frequency, the voices you hear will lead you to success.

So, what is the answer to today's connection in Round 220?

Drum roll please.

Today's grid seemed to evoke the spirit of my high school math teacher. Means, medians, mode, and ranges popped up like old classmates at a reunion, waving their hands full of numbers. Eureka. The yellow category of dataset data had already been established.

In this nostalgia for numbers, I found Rather. I know (Howard) Stern, (Larry) King, and (Ira) Glass were also presenters. But alas, I only had three names correct, and the tiles just shook. So who was the fourth? Gross, of course, Terry Gross. Joined by the other four, the quartet of radio broadcasting legends was complete. I turned the dial to the correct frequency and the purple category was complete.

With the signal clear, my gaze turned to the elements of the grid. Elements, bases, solutions, and bonds were not the material of the spies, but the building blocks of matter itself. The green categories coalesced like a perfectly balanced equation.

Finally, my focus turned to the intensifiers - Awful, Pretty, Rather, Real - increasing the number of adjectives to eleven and filling in the blue categories with broad strokes of emphasis. [The symphony of set and spectrum, elements and eloquence, was completed with the precision of a perfectly calibrated pipette.

It is much later in the day when you read this. According to Connections Companion, the difficulty level was 3.1 out of 5.

Today's Connections puzzle seemed to mock me with a cacophony of insults: Boob, Dope, Dupe, Fool, Trick, Con, etc., as if the puzzle gods were questioning my intelligence. I chuckled, deciding not to take the bait, and noticed Giggle winking at me.

I noticed that many words were written two letters in a row, perhaps that was more common than I thought. I followed my instincts and chose trick, fool, con, dupe. The art of illusion was my first triumph, having uncovered their tricks and secured the category.

My thoughts then turned to slope, lean, and list, and I found an unexpected ally in cant. Like a coordinated dance troupe, they elegantly leaned into the blue category, and by leaning to one side, they all united.

Ward and Dope seemed like oddballs, lacking the two-letter traits I had previously recognized. But as if whispered in my ear, I recognized the connection. Along with Skinny and Scoop, they were the juiciest purveyors of inside information, gleefully gossiping in the green category.

As the final curtain came down, Boob, Eggshell, Giggle, and Hello cheered me on from the sidelines with a series of letters. They were the words of the classroom number-cruncher, cleverly spelled out on an upside-down calculator. When the game was complete and all the connections had been found, I involuntarily giggled, pun fully intended, and punched the numbers into my calculator to celebrate.

"Connections" relies heavily on deductive reasoning and general knowledge, and it is impossible to know which word (or words) is not appropriate for the grouping you guessed. If even one wrong word is included, the game will tell you so.

To win a connection, you should look carefully at all 16 words before making your first guess. Are there words that have more than one meaning than they are pronounced? Are there words that have more than one meaning? Are there any words that are part of a larger phrase?

Often, the first answer that jumps out at you may be intentionally misleading you. Therefore, identifying possible five-word categories is a good strategy to start with. Bookmarking them and coming back to them after solving one or two other categories should help you figure out which of the five words belong in a different category.

Most connection categories are not as obvious as they might seem. Editors typically use phrases, puns, and other tricky topics that require thought. If you get stuck on a category, cycle through each word in the grid and brainstorm possible categories to which the word might apply.

Connections is a category matching game and was released in beta on June 12, 2023. It was then officially added to the NYT Games app (iOS and Android) on August 28, 2023. The app allows users to play the daily New York Times crossword and the ultra-popular Wordle game. However, playing the crossword requires a paid subscription, while Wordle and Connections are free.

In Connections, you are presented with 16 words and must group them into four four-word categories. Often there are words or seemingly five-word categories intended to mislead you. Your goal is to group the words appropriately without going beyond four guesses; if you cannot solve the puzzle within four attempts, you have failed and the answer will be revealed.

NYT Connection Puzzles will be available daily. Games are updated at midnight local time on your device.

Connections can be played on the New York Times Game App available for iOS/iPadOS and Android. If you are using a computer or device browser, you can access NYT Connections online here.