Need help with today’s NYT Connections? Here are the hints and answers for Connections 974 on Feb 9, 2026.

🎯 Today’s Connections Answers (February 8, 2026)

YELLOW: FINDINGS
DATA, DETAILS, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE
GREEN: DINNER OPTIONS
COOK, DELIVERY, GO OUT, LEFTOVERS
BLUE: U.S. CABINET DEPARTMENTS
COMMERCE, EDUCATION, ENERGY, LABOR
PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF PLACES TO PARK A SHIP
BIRTH, DOC, PEER, WORF

Past Answers

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Yellow (used in weaving):LOOM, NEEDLE, SCISSORS, YARN
Green (method)APPROACH, MANNER, STYLE, WAY
Blue (Draw):NEAR, POKER, STRAWS, THE LINE
Purple (draw) :NEAR, POKER, STRAWS, THE LINE
Yellow (Suppress):Gag, Inhibit, Muzzle, Silence
Green (Features of a strong password)Length, Number, Symbol, Uppercase
Blue (Same old stuff):Drill, Grind, Habit, Routine
Purple (Words after “two”) :Bit, Cents, Faced, Timer
Yellow (Pips on a die):FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO
Green (Symbols used in arithmetic)DIVIDED BY, EQUALS, MINUS, PLUS
Blue (Punctuation marks):COLON, ELLIPSIS, PERIOD, QUOTATION MARK
Purple (Lowercase letters) :I, L, T, X
Yellow (items at a coffee station):CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW
Green (things with stripes)CANDY CANE, CROSSWALK, REFEREE, TIGER
Blue (words before "fly" in insect names):BUTTER, DRAGON, FIRE, HORSE
Purple (Purple group — homophones of greetings) :CHOW, HAY, HIGH, YEOH
Yellow (cultural symbols of the U.S):AMERICAN FLAG, APPLE PIE, BALD EAGLE, BASEBALL
Green (collide with)BUMP, BUTT, KNOCK, RAM
Blue (blue things):JEANS, LAPIS LAZULI, OCEAN, SKY
Purple (Lees of Hollywood) :ANG, BRUCE, CHRISTOPHER, SPIKE
Yellow (contention):CONFLICT, DISCORD, FRICTION, RIVALRY
Green (games of chance)BINGO, CRAPS, LOTTERY, WAR
Blue (more or less, colloquially):APPROX, BOUT, LIKE, AROUND
Purple (starting with NBA teams) :BULLSEYE, HEATED, MAGICAL, NETSCAPE

What exactly is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is not your typical word game. It’s a brain teaser where you’re presented with a 4 × 4 grid containing 16 words. Your task? Find four groups of four words that share a common connection. These groups are colour-coded by difficulty:

  • Green = Easy
  • Yellow = Moderate
  • Blue = Challenging
  • Purple = Toughest

Tips to Conquer NYT Connections

Though I’m still mastering the game, here are a few strategies that have helped me:

  • Pay Attention to Feedback: If you get a group wrong, watch the message “One away” usually means you’re close!
  • Shuffle to Refresh Your View: Rearranging the words can spark new insights.
  • Start with the Easy Groups: The green and yellow sets are typically more obvious and can help you narrow down the rest.

Hints for Today, February 8, 2026

Today’s Connections groups are

  • Yellow group — these can help you connect the threads
  • Green group — trust the process
  • Blue group — wordsmiths’ wonga
  • Purple group — like fire, string and bridge

Spoiler Territory ahead! All Answers for Today:

Today’s NYT Connections answers are…

  • Yellow group — used in weaving (LOOM, NEEDLE, SCISSORS, YARN)
  • Green group — method (APPROACH, MANNER, STYLE, WAY)
  • Blue group — kinds of payment for an author (ADVANCE, BONUS, FEE, ROYALTY)
  • Purple group — draw (NEAR, POKER, STRAWS, THE LINE)

My Take

Today’s puzzle was a classic one, playing with different meanings and categories. The yellow group with equipment was easy to pick out, while the green group tied to dress in was straightforward once you connected the dots. The blue set, focused on street suffixes, was a little trickier, and the purple group of nicknames added a fun layer of wordplay. Overall, it was a fun puzzle with a mix of challenging and easy connections.

If you enjoyed today’s puzzle, make sure to check in tomorrow for more clues and answers!