A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #989
hints & answers for February 24, 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 24, 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 B, C, S and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BONES belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CALCIUM-BASED STRUCTURES

Reveal all four words
  • BONES
  • CORAL
  • SHELLS
  • TEETH

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BAGPIPES belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SYMBOLS OF SCOTLAND

Reveal all four words
  • BAGPIPES
  • SCOTTIE
  • TARTAN
  • THISTLE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHEKHOV belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS

Reveal all four words
  • CHEKHOV
  • COWARD
  • MILLER
  • SHAW

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BALANCE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ BEAM

Reveal all four words
  • BALANCE
  • JIM
  • LASER
  • TRACTOR

Each entry comes before "BEAM" to form a word, expression or name: BALANCE → BALANCE BEAM; JIM → JIM BEAM; LASER → LASER BEAM; TRACTOR → TRACTOR BEAM.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: CALCIUM-BASED STRUCTURES
  • Green: SYMBOLS OF SCOTLAND
  • Blue: FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS
  • Purple: ___ BEAM

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CALCIUM-BASED STRUCTURES

BONES · CORAL · SHELLS · TEETH

Green

SYMBOLS OF SCOTLAND

BAGPIPES · SCOTTIE · TARTAN · THISTLE

Blue

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS

CHEKHOV · COWARD · MILLER · SHAW

Purple

___ BEAM

BALANCE · JIM · LASER · TRACTOR

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.