For fans of The New York Times’ popular Connections puzzle, February 20, 2026, brings puzzle #985, offering a new set of sixteen words to sort. This well-liked word game asks players to find the hidden links between words, putting them into four different groups of four that share a common idea. Whether you’re trying to keep your perfect streak going or just need a little help to solve today’s special puzzle, this guide is here for you.
Below, you will find useful hints to help you figure things out, along with the full answers for today’s NYT Connections.
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a popular daily word game from The New York Times. The objective of the game is to sort a grid of 16 seemingly unrelated words into four groups of four, based on hidden common associations.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
The grid: You are presented with 16 words in a 4×4 grid.
The goal: Your task is to identify four groups of four words that share a hidden connection or category.
Categories: These connections can be based on various things, such as synonyms, common phrases, linguistic patterns (e.g., words with only one vowel, words ending in a certain letter, Themes and Wordplay.
Difficulty: Each of the four categories is colour-coded by difficulty:
Yellow: Easiest
Green: Medium
Blue: Hard
Purple: Trickiest (often involves more abstract connections or wordplay)
How to play NYT connections:
Connections presents a grid of 16 words. Your objective is to identify four groups of four words that share a hidden connection.
Select Words: Click or tap on four words you believe belong together.
Submit Guess: Once you’ve chosen your four, hit the “Submit” button.
Correct Match: If correct, the words will vanish, revealing their category and color. (Yellow is the easiest, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple as the most challenging.)
Incorrect Match: A wrong guess counts as a mistake. You get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
Win: Solve all four groups to win the puzzle!
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle (#985, February 20, 2026) challenges players with themes like quick fixes, moon lore, board game history, and wordplay on “Jack.”
Hints by Category
Yellow: Instant remedies or miracle cures.
Green: Things linked to the moon (folklore, science).
Blue: Classic game pieces from early editions.
Purple: Meanings of a common first name in phrases.
Full Answers
Category Words
Quick Fix EASY ANSWER, MAGIC WAND, PANACEA, SILVER BULLET
Associated with the Moon ECLIPSE, GREEN CHEESE, TIDE, WEREWOLF
Original Monopoly Tokens BOOT, IRON, THIMBLE, TOP HAT
What “Jack” Might Refer To CHEESE, DONKEY, PLAYING CARD, SOCKET
Many players note overlaps, like cheese fitting moon or Jack themes, adding trickiness.