A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #985
hints & answers for February 20, 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 20, 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 E, M, P and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

EASY ANSWER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

QUICK FIX

Reveal all four words
  • EASY ANSWER
  • MAGIC WAND
  • PANACEA
  • SILVER BULLET

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ECLIPSE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOON

Reveal all four words
  • ECLIPSE
  • GREEN CHEESE
  • TIDE
  • WEREWOLF

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, I, T and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOOT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ORIGINAL MONOPOLY TOKENS

Reveal all four words
  • BOOT
  • IRON
  • THIMBLE
  • TOP HAT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHEESE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WHAT "JACK" MIGHT REFER TO

Reveal all four words
  • CHEESE
  • DONKEY
  • PLAYING CARD
  • SOCKET
Show categories only
  • Yellow: QUICK FIX
  • Green: ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOON
  • Blue: ORIGINAL MONOPOLY TOKENS
  • Purple: WHAT "JACK" MIGHT REFER TO

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

QUICK FIX

EASY ANSWER · MAGIC WAND · PANACEA · SILVER BULLET

Green

ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOON

ECLIPSE · GREEN CHEESE · TIDE · WEREWOLF

Blue

ORIGINAL MONOPOLY TOKENS

BOOT · IRON · THIMBLE · TOP HAT

Purple

WHAT "JACK" MIGHT REFER TO

CHEESE · DONKEY · PLAYING CARD · SOCKET

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.