Bold summary: This piece recaps today’s NYT Connections hints, answers, and related context with a friendly, beginner-friendly tone, and it leans into a few provocative angles to spark discussion.
But here’s where it gets controversial... the article sometimes blends puzzle solutions with promotional links and celebrity trivia in a way that can feel more like clickbait than a straight puzzle guide. And this is the part most people miss: the value lies in the puzzle strategies and cross-reference hints, not just listing answers. Let’s rewrite for clarity, depth, and lasting usefulness while preserving all key information from the original.
Rewritten content:
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers, and Help for February 14, 2026 (Puzzle #979)
In this update, you’ll find the four hints and the solutions for the New York Times Connections puzzle dated February 14, 2026 (Puzzle #979).
About the editor and contributors
- Gael Cooper: CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is a journalist and pop-culture enthusiast. She co-authored two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedias for Penguin Books and has written extensively across lifestyle, entertainment, technology, and history topics. Her career spans the Minneapolis area press landscape and NBC News Digital, highlighting a long-standing commitment to timely, engaging storytelling. She’s also known for her lighthearted stance on favorite snacks—if Marathon candy bars ever return, she’ll be first in line.
What you’ll find here
- Quick access to today’s Connections answers and hints, along with related puzzles (The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, and a “Sports Edition” of Connections, plus Strands).
- A note about the Times Games feature: The NYT Connections Bot is now available in the Games section to score your performance and analyze your answers. Registered players can track progress, win rate, perfect scores, and win streaks through the Connections stats page.
Today’s puzzle overview
- The puzzle for February 14, 2026, offers a playful mix of categories, with a nod to a well-known actor’s career. If you’re familiar with that actor, you’ll spot the thematic cues quickly. Read on for clues and the day’s Connections solutions.
Helpful tools
- The Times has introduced a Connections Bot (similar to the Wordle bot) to provide numeric scores and answer analysis after you play. If you’re a Times Games member, you can also monitor your progress, including the number of puzzles completed, your win rate, perfect scores, and your current win streak.
Guidance and tips
- If you want extra guidance, you can check our hints, tips, and strategies aimed at improving your performance in NYT Connections over time.
Today’s Connections group hints (ranked by ease from easiest yellow to the tougher, sometimes quirky purple):
- Yellow group hint: Not going down
- Green group hint: Sticks out
- Blue group hint: He starred in Big, too
- Purple group hint: Common toothpaste flavor
Today’s Connections group solutions:
- Yellow group: Uptick (theme: uptick). The four answers are hike, jump, rise, spike.
- Green group: Protuberance (theme: protuberance). The four answers are bump, hump, lump, mound.
- Blue group: Tom Hanks roles (theme: Tom Hanks roles). The four answers are Gump, Phillips, Sully, Woody.
- Purple group: Words before "mint" (theme: words before mint). The four answers are breath, junior, pepper, spear.
Further reading and context
- For puzzle lovers seeking patterns and broader context, we’ve noted some of the toughest Connections puzzles to date. These examples can help you recognize recurring structures and strategies across future puzzles.
- Examples of previously highlighted tough puzzles include themes and clues such as: things you can set (mood, record, table, volleyball), one in a dozen (egg, juror, month, rose), streets on screen (Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame), power ___ (nap, plant, Ranger, trip), and things that can run (candidate, faucet, mascara, nose).
Related reading
- If you’re curious about underlying patterns or want to improve your approach, explore our additional resources on NYT Connections strategies and popular letters in English word construction.
Bottom line
- Today’s Connections puzzle blends familiar word-grouping mechanics with pop-culture nods and clever associations. The four group themes and their answers offer a satisfying mix of direct connections and more playful, lateral thinking. Have you spotted the recurring patterns behind these groups, or do you have a favorite clue from today’s set?
Would you like this rewritten to emphasize a more formal editorial tone, or keep the conversational, reader-friendly vibe with optional additional example clues for each group? If you’d prefer, I can tailor the rewrite to a specific audience (beginners, puzzle veterans, or social media readers) and adjust the level of detail accordingly.
