Looking for the answer to today's Connections puzzle 219, originally published on January 16, today's answer is even easier, with the Connections companion rating this puzzle's difficulty at 3.1 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 title and related words. In addition, for those of you reading this at another time, I have included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle 218.

There are spoilers for Connection 219. Please only read this if you want to know the answer to today's connection.

Unlike today's Wordle answer guide, which recommends the best wordle starting words as a strategy, solving Connections requires you to identify 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 will help 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: Don't let naughty words play with your mind in today's game. Instead, look at things from a different angle, or even upside down, to find their true meaning.

Now for the answer to today's Game 219 connection.

Drum roll please.

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

I recognized that many of the words had double consecutive letters, but perhaps that was more common than I had thought, I followed my intuition of Trick, Fool, Con, and Dupe. The Art of Illusion was my first win, revealing their tricks and securing the category.

My thoughts then turned to Slope, Lean, and List, and I found an unexpected ally in Canto. Like a well-coordinated dance troupe, they elegantly leaned toward the blue category, united by all leaning to one side.

Ward and Dope seemed like oddballs, lacking the two-letter traits I had previously recognized. But as if whispered in my ear, the connection pinged. Along with Skinny and Scoop, they were the purveyors of the juiciest 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 connections were found, I unintentionally giggled, pun fully intended, trying to punch the numbers into my calculator in celebration.

It's much later in the day when you read this. According to Connections Companion, the difficulty level was 3.3 out of 5.

Amidst a jumble of words that could be mistaken for the latest health blog post, I found myself sifting through cream, syrup, soup, and tablets. The idea of a strange new diet trend was quickly dismissed when Buffer, Cushion, Pad, and Shield caught my eye, forming the very obvious category of protective barriers.

With one category firmly in place, I turned to the next group: tickets, ballots, slates, and rosters. A vote for this political quartet was successful, and just like that, another category fell into place.

The remaining words seemed to whisper the secrets of the apothecary's closet. 'Creams', 'syrups', 'capsules', and 'pills' are indeed ingredients of the blue category, the various forms of medicine.

The last category. Only four words remained, but the connections between them gave me pause. They were all somewhat green, somehow. But that alone lacked specificity. Of course. Pea coat, pea greens, pea pods, and pea soup. With a perfect score and a new appreciation for peas, I was ready to tackle the day with the precision of a surgeon and the insight of a politician.

Connections rely heavily on reasoning and general knowledge, and there is no way to know which word (or words) are not in 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 have to group them into four four-word categories. Often there are words meant to mislead you, or words that are seemingly in five-word categories. Your goal is to group the words appropriately without going beyond four guesses; if you do not solve the puzzle within four attempts, you have failed and the answer will be revealed.

NYT Connection Puzzles are delivered 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.