A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #992
hints & answers for February 27, 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 27, 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 J, S, T and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

JUDAS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BACKSTABBER

Reveal all four words
  • JUDAS
  • SNAKE
  • TRAITOR
  • TURNCOAT

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, I, M and Q. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

AIR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

AURA

Reveal all four words
  • AIR
  • IMPRESSION
  • MANNER
  • QUALITY

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BUTTERFLY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF CHAIN REACTION "EFFECTS"

Reveal all four words
  • BUTTERFLY
  • DOMINO
  • RIPPLE
  • SNOWBALL

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BENCH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ PRESS

Reveal all four words
  • BENCH
  • DRILL
  • FRENCH
  • PRINTING

Each entry comes before "PRESS" to form a word, expression or name: BENCH → BENCH PRESS; DRILL → DRILL PRESS; FRENCH → FRENCH PRESS; PRINTING → PRINTING PRESS.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: BACKSTABBER
  • Green: AURA
  • Blue: KINDS OF CHAIN REACTION "EFFECTS"
  • Purple: ___ PRESS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BACKSTABBER

JUDAS · SNAKE · TRAITOR · TURNCOAT

Green

AURA

AIR · IMPRESSION · MANNER · QUALITY

Blue

KINDS OF CHAIN REACTION "EFFECTS"

BUTTERFLY · DOMINO · RIPPLE · SNOWBALL

Purple

___ PRESS

BENCH · DRILL · FRENCH · PRINTING

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.