Does the February 21, 2026 (#986) edition of NYT Connections have you scratching your head? We’re here to help you solve today’s puzzle and save your winning streak with some clues and hints.
Connections by The New York Times is a word puzzle created by editor Wyna Liu. The objective of the game is to create groups of four from a given set of 16 different words. Although the words may appear random, they are actually connected by some common themes. Fans must figure out how the words are connected and sort them accordingly into their respective groups. However, players get only four guesses to make the correct choices. Additionally, the game also offers a “one away…” notification as a hint.
Check out the hints and answers for the February 21 Connections puzzle below.
Connections hints for February 21
All the 16 different words in today’s puzzles are: LATE, SOLID, HISTORY, MINION, AUDITS, LIFE, EXCUSED, ABSENT, DODGERS, PRESENT, PERFECT, BACKGROUND, PAST, INFINITIVE, GREAT, and PHEW.
Here are some hints for each group:
- Yellow Group: The words in this group are related to someone’s past.
- Green Group: This collection includes words one might find in a school roll-call list.
- Blue Group: This set includes words that Connections players are familiar with.
- Purple Group: This group includes words whose first parts are names of famous car brands.
What are the Connections answers for today, February 21?
So, without further ado, here are the answers for the February 21 NYT Connections puzzle:
Yellow Group: Experience – BACKGROUND, HISTORY, LIFE, and PAST.
Green Group: Attendance Status – ABSENT, EXCUSED, LATE, and PRESENT.
Blue Group: Commentary About Your Connections Results – GREAT, PERFECT, PHEW, and SOLID.
Purple Group: Car Brands Plus Two Letters – AUDITS, DODGERS, INFINITIVE, and MINION.
Fans can also play other unique word puzzles like Wordle, Strands, Letter Boxed, and the NYT Crossword on The New York Times website. The puzzles are also available on the official NYT Games app.
