NYT Connections for February 20, 2026 (Puzzle #985)
Today’s grid looks friendly at first glance, then it starts daring you to overthink. A few entries feel like “objects,” a few feel like “myth,” and a few feel like “nonsense” until you notice how the puzzle is playing with familiar phrases and costume cues. If you like solving cleanly, focus on what a word does in a common expression rather than what it is as a standalone thing.
If you want to play the official game, it’s on the New York Times Connections page. Below you’ll find plain-text hints, a mobile-friendly practice grid, and the full answers in tap-to-reveal.
How to approach this grid
Start by hunting for “locked” relationships: words that naturally travel together in everyday speech. If two or three jump out as belonging to a well-known phrase family, park them mentally and keep scanning for the fourth. When you’re stuck, try flipping your lens: are you grouping by category (like types of something), by role (what something is used for), or by the specific word that usually comes right before or after it?
Another useful move is to test one word against multiple possible groups. If an item fits two themes, it’s often bait. Let the rest of the board force the decision. In this puzzle, some entries look like they want to be “random stuff,” but the correct set is tighter and more language-based than it seems.
Plain-text hints for February 20
Yellow points to “instant fix” language. Think of phrases people use when they want a quick, neat solution to a messy problem. These are the kinds of answers that sound almost magical because they promise one step and you’re done.
Green is about things that are pulled by cycles rather than choice. Two of these are obvious natural events, and the others click once you think about how folklore and food language can mirror the same idea of “changing with the phase.”
Blue hides in plain sight if you imagine a stage performer. These are classic accessories you’d expect to see in a familiar look, and the set becomes easier when you picture them as costume pieces rather than “random nouns.”
Purple is the trickiest because it’s not asking what the words are. It’s asking how they behave in common phrasing. If you say each out loud and listen for what could come right after, you’ll hear the shared structure.
One-word clue from each group
If you want a small push without seeing the full solution, here is one complete word from each category :
- 🟨 Yellow: MAGIC WAND
- 🟩 Green: ECLIPSE
- 🟦 Blue: TOP HAT
- 🟪 Purple: DONKEY
Use these as anchors, then hunt for the three words that complete each set.
Practice mode
Tap words to select exactly four, then hit Check. If your set matches one of today’s groups, you’ll see which color it belongs to. This practice grid is designed to feel good on mobile, with big tap targets and quick resets.
Answers for NYT Connections February 20, 2026
Tap to reveal the four groups. The short explanation for each group is included inside the reveal sections only.
🟨 Yellow group
EASY ANSWER, SILVER BULLET, MAGIC WAND, PANACEA
These all point to an “instant solution” idea: the neat fix that supposedly solves everything at once.
🟩 Green group
ECLIPSE, WEREWOLF, GREEN CHEESE, TIDE
The connective tissue here is “moon-linked” thinking: natural cycles, folklore transformations, and the classic phrase about what the moon is “made of.”
🟦 Blue group
IRON, THIMBLE, BOOT, TOP HAT
These fit the “Monopoly tokens” vibe: iconic little objects you can picture as classic game pieces.
🟪 Purple group
PLAYING CARD, SOCKET, CHEESE, DONKEY
This set is about what each word commonly follows: jack (jack of cards, jack socket, jack cheese, jackass).
A quick, satisfying way to self-check
If you solved cleanly, you probably got the “instant fix” group early, then debated whether the costume-like items were truly a costume set or something more specific. The smartest final step is often the one that feels slightly punny: when the last four look unrelated, try asking what single word can sit in front of all of them without sounding forced.
