Connections NYT: Hints For Today's Puzzle, Sat, Feb 7
By | Last edited Feb 7, 2026
Mat C.
Managing Editor
Mat is a certified word nerd who's spent 10+ years crafting documentation and content systems at Shopify that actually make sense. When he's not obsessively ensuring our Wordle, Strands, and Connections hints are spot-on, he's probably solving tomorrow's puzzle just for fun.
Get hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle. Progressive hints to help you solve without spoiling the fun! Find the 4 groups of 4 words that share a common connection.
We couldn't find the Connections answer for Saturday, February 7, 2026. The puzzle may not be available yet, or the date may be outside our archive range.
Master the category-based word puzzle and discover the connections between seemingly unrelated words
What is NYT Connections and How to Play?
Connections is a captivating daily word puzzle from The New York Times where players group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. Created by Wyna Liu, the puzzle challenges you to find common threads between words that may seem unrelated at first glance. The categories range from straightforward to cleverly deceptive, testing both your vocabulary and lateral thinking skills.
Steps for Solving the Puzzle
Identify Categories
Scan all 16 words and look for potential connections. Categories can be anything from synonyms and types of things to wordplay and pop culture references.
Select Four Words
Choose 4 words you believe belong together and submit your guess. If correct, they'll be revealed with their category name and removed from the board.
Work Through Difficulty
Categories are color-coded by difficulty: Yellow (easiest), Green (moderate), Blue (hard), and Purple (trickiest). Purple often involves wordplay, homophones, or clever twists.
Game Rules
16 Words Total: Arranged in a 4x4 grid
4 Categories: Each containing exactly 4 words
4 Mistakes Allowed: Game ends after 4 incorrect guesses
One Solution: Each word belongs to exactly one category
No Overlaps: Words won't fit multiple categories
Difficulty Color Guide
Yellow: Straightforward - common categories like types of animals or synonyms
Green: Moderate - requires more thought but still direct connections
Blue: Tricky - less obvious connections or specialized knowledge
Purple: Hardest - wordplay, puns, or very creative connections
Common Category Types
Synonyms: Words with similar meanings (BIG, LARGE, HUGE, MASSIVE)
___ + Word: Words that can follow or precede the same word (FIRE + WORK, FLY, PLACE, POWER)
Homophones: Words that sound like other words when spoken
Pop Culture: Movie titles, song lyrics, or famous quotes missing a word
Word Association: Things found in the same place or context
Technical Terms: Jargon from specific fields or hobbies
Frequently Asked Questions
A new Connections puzzle releases daily at midnight Eastern Time. The puzzle remains available for 24 hours, giving you plenty of time to solve it at your own pace throughout the day.
Limited free play is available, but full access requires an NYT Games subscription ($5/month or $40/year). Free users can play a selection of puzzles, while subscribers get unlimited access to the daily puzzle and archives.
You get 4 mistakes before the game ends. Each incorrect guess uses up one mistake, so you need to find all 4 categories with no more than 3 wrong attempts to win.
Yes, every Connections puzzle has exactly 4 categories with 4 words each. This consistent structure is part of the puzzle's design, making it predictable in format but challenging in execution.
Start by looking for the most obvious connections first (usually Yellow). Be aware of red herrings - words deliberately placed to seem like they belong together when they don't. Save your guesses for when you're confident about all 4 words.
Yes, there's a shuffle button that rearranges the 16 words on the grid. This can help you see new patterns and connections you might have missed in the original layout.
The puzzle is designed with intentional red herrings and overlapping themes. For example, you might see 5 words that could be types of birds, but only 4 belong to that category - the 5th fits somewhere else entirely.
If you select 3 correct words and 1 wrong word for a category, the game tells you you're "one away." This helpful hint lets you know you're on the right track without revealing which word is incorrect.
Yes, with an NYT Games subscription you can access the Connections archive and play any previous puzzle. This is great for practice or catching up on puzzles you missed.
Connections is edited by Wyna Liu, who joined the NYT Games team in 2022. She brings creativity and cleverness to each puzzle, often incorporating current events, wordplay, and pop culture references.
Yes, unlike some word games, Connections includes proper nouns. You'll find brand names, cities, celebrities, movie titles, and other proper nouns as part of the puzzle.
Purple categories typically involve wordplay, puns, or very abstract connections. They might be words that can precede the same word, parts of a phrase, or require reading the words in a special way.
The game provides a spoiler-free emoji grid showing your solving pattern without revealing the actual categories or words. Each row shows which category you found (by color) or if you made a mistake (shown in gray).
No, there's no time limit for solving Connections. You can take as long as you need within the 24-hour period before the next puzzle releases. This allows for thoughtful consideration of each category.
Don't worry! Connections can be quite challenging. You can try again tomorrow with a fresh puzzle, look up hints online, or review the solution after the game ends to learn the categories and improve your skills for next time.
