Need help with today’s NYT Connections? Here are the hints and answers for Connections 961 on February 5, 2026.

🎯 Today’s Connections Answers (February 5, 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 (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
Yellow (cut into pieces):CUBE, DICE, HASH, MINCE
Green (provide with a place to stay)BOARD, HOUSE, LODGE, QUARTER
Blue (kinds of golf clubs):IRON, PUTTER, WEDGE, WOOD
Purple (Memory) :CARD, FOAM, HOLE, LANE
Yellow (Publicize):INTERVAL, PERIOD, SPAN, STRETCH
Green (credentials for entry)LANYARD, PASS, STAMP, WRISTBAND
Blue (modern crime series protagonists):BOSCH, CROSS, REACHER, RYAN
Purple (trees plus a letter) :Glute, Morgan, Sharp, Thorn
Yellow (Publicize):Boost, Hype, Pitch, Plug
Green (Kinds of shoes)clog, flat, mule, wedge
Blue (Anthem):banger, bop, heater, jam
Purple (Musical instruments plus starting letter) :Glute, Morgan, Sharp, Thorn

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 5, 2026

Today’s Connections groups are

  • Yellow group — when you’re at a place where you can pick up a H-O-T drink, you might need these when it’s time T-O-G-O (I couldn’t resist making a hamfisted Chappell Roan reference here)
  • Green group — like an actor with a speaking part, they have lines
  • Blue group — crane, blow and bee would fit in here
  • Purple group — hollow and mourning could work in this group

Spoiler Territory ahead! All Answers for Today:

Today’s NYT Connections answers are…

  • Yellow group — items at a coffee station (CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW)
  • Green group — things with stripes (CANDY CANE, CROSSWALK, REFEREE, TIGER)
  • Blue group — words before “fly” in insect names (BUTTER, DRAGON, FIRE, HORSE)
  • Purple group — homophones of greetings (CHOW, HAY, HIGH, YEOH)

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!