A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #980
hints & answers for February 15, 2026

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows February 15, 2026. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, D, E and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ATLAS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

REFERENCE BOOKS

Reveal all four words
  • ATLAS
  • DICTIONARY
  • ENCYCLOPEDIA
  • THESAURUS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with E, R, T and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ECHO belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SOMETHING THAT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

Reveal all four words
  • ECHO
  • REMINDER
  • TRACE
  • VESTIGE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with E, I, O and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ELECTRA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF COMPLEXES

Reveal all four words
  • ELECTRA
  • INFERIORITY
  • OEDIPUS
  • SUPERIORITY

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, C, D and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BUZZARD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STARTING WITH WAYS TO REACH SOMEONE VIA PHONE

Reveal all four words
  • BUZZARD
  • CALLIOPE
  • DIALECT
  • RINGMASTER
Show categories only
  • Yellow: REFERENCE BOOKS
  • Green: SOMETHING THAT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES
  • Blue: KINDS OF COMPLEXES
  • Purple: STARTING WITH WAYS TO REACH SOMEONE VIA PHONE

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

REFERENCE BOOKS

ATLAS · DICTIONARY · ENCYCLOPEDIA · THESAURUS

Green

SOMETHING THAT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

ECHO · REMINDER · TRACE · VESTIGE

Blue

KINDS OF COMPLEXES

ELECTRA · INFERIORITY · OEDIPUS · SUPERIORITY

Purple

STARTING WITH WAYS TO REACH SOMEONE VIA PHONE

BUZZARD · CALLIOPE · DIALECT · RINGMASTER

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.