A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #998
hints & answers for March 5, 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 March 5, 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, N, S and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOLT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BITS OF HARDWARE

Reveal all four words
  • BOLT
  • NUT
  • SCREW
  • WASHER

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

INCUBATOR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PLACES WHERE IDEAS ARE DEVELOPED

Reveal all four words
  • INCUBATOR
  • LAB
  • SANDBOX
  • TEST BED

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ALTERNATE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

GO BACK AND FORTH

Reveal all four words
  • ALTERNATE
  • SEESAW
  • SWITCH
  • TOGGLE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BELOW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WHAT "SUB" MIGHT REFER TO

Reveal all four words
  • BELOW
  • HERO
  • REPLACEMENT
  • SUBMARINE
Show categories only
  • Yellow: BITS OF HARDWARE
  • Green: PLACES WHERE IDEAS ARE DEVELOPED
  • Blue: GO BACK AND FORTH
  • Purple: WHAT "SUB" MIGHT REFER TO

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BITS OF HARDWARE

BOLT · NUT · SCREW · WASHER

Green

PLACES WHERE IDEAS ARE DEVELOPED

INCUBATOR · LAB · SANDBOX · TEST BED

Blue

GO BACK AND FORTH

ALTERNATE · SEESAW · SWITCH · TOGGLE

Purple

WHAT "SUB" MIGHT REFER TO

BELOW · HERO · REPLACEMENT · SUBMARINE

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.