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Need help with NYT Connections #982? These spoiler-safe hints escalate from gentle clues to the full Tuesday, February 17, 2026 answer.
Spoiler warning: This guide is for the standard New York Times Connections puzzle, #982, released Tuesday, February 17, 2026—not Connections: Sports Edition. Start with the light hints below; the category names and complete tile sets are further down.
Hints, from light to direct
- Yellow: Think rapid movement.
- Green: Think Chinese condiments.
- Blue: Think ways to look quickly through pages.
- Purple: Each answer begins with a synonym for “dud.”
Need a stronger nudge? One tile from each group is ZIP, PLUM, THUMB, and MISSUS.
Full answers for Connections #982
| Color | Category | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | ZOOM | DART, FLASH, SPEED, ZIP |
| Green | SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE | HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, SOY |
| Blue | RIFFLE (THROUGH) | FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, THUMB |
| Purple | STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR “DUD” | BOMBAY, BUSTLE, FLOPPY, MISSUS |
Why these groups work
The green category is a useful place to start: hoisin, oyster, plum, and soy are sauces used in Chinese cuisine.
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For blue, the connection is not books or reading materials. FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, and THUMB can all describe quickly looking through pages. The category is RIFFLE (THROUGH)—with two f’s—not “rifle.”
Yellow is the straightforward speed cluster: to dart, flash, speed, or zip is to move quickly.
Purple is the wordplay group. Each tile starts with a synonym for a dud: bombay, bustle, floppy, and missus. That prefix construction, rather than the complete words’ literal meanings, is the intended link.
Most tempting false connection
FLASH, FLOPPY, THUMB, and ZIP can initially look like a computer-related set. They are not a valid group here: FLASH belongs with fast movement, FLOPPY and THUMB belong to the page-browsing verbs, and ZIP completes yellow.
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Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to make four groups of four. There is one intended solution, but the game deliberately includes overlapping-looking possibilities. The colors conventionally progress from yellow (easiest) to purple (trickiest).
The daily puzzle releases at midnight in your local time zone and can be played free on the web and in NYT apps. If you are looking for this older puzzle rather than today’s game, distinguish daily access from archive access: the Connections Archive is offered through NYT Games or All Access subscription access and includes puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023; subscription terms may change.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The Bottom Line
For February 17, 2026, the key to #982 was separating the convincing computer-looking decoy from the real speed, sauce, page-browsing, and “dud” prefix groups.
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