For Sunday, February 8, 2026, NYT Connections puzzle #973 groups TIMER, GAG, DRILL, BIT, ROUTINE, SYMBOL, CENTS, LENGTH, NUMBER, SILENCE, GRIND, MUZZLE, HABIT, FACED, INHIBIT, and UPPERCASE into four sets. Start with the spoiler-light nudges below; the category names and full answer groups follow.
Hints for Connections #973
These nudges point toward each group without naming its category:
- Keep someone quiet.
- A familiar story or pattern.
- A code used to gain entry.
- Begin with a low number.
For a little more direction, think censorship, account security, a daily slog, and words that can follow a number.
Category names
Spoilers begin here: the four categories are SUPPRESS, SAME OLD STUFF, FEATURES OF A STRONG PASSWORD, and WORDS AFTER “TWO.”
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Full answers for February 8, 2026
The board’s sixteen tiles divide into four groups of four:
- SUPPRESS: GAG, INHIBIT, MUZZLE, SILENCE.
- SAME OLD STUFF: DRILL, GRIND, HABIT, ROUTINE.
- FEATURES OF A STRONG PASSWORD: LENGTH, NUMBER, SYMBOL, UPPERCASE.
- WORDS AFTER “TWO”: BIT, CENTS, FACED, TIMER.
Why “two” is the tricky connection
The purple group completes four familiar phrases: two-bit, two cents, two-faced, and two-timer. FACED and TIMER can help reveal the pattern: once paired with “two,” each points toward one of those expressions. Forbes writer Erik Kain describes noticing the association between “two-faced” and “two-timer” while identifying the group.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.About this puzzle
Connections is a digital word-grouping game available through NYT Games on desktop and mobile, according to TechRadar. Forbes reports that access to the full archive of past puzzles requires an NYT Games subscription. The answer groups above are corroborated by TechRadar, Forbes, and Word Cheats; an accessible official NYT solution page for this specific board was not available, so these are not presented as an official NYT confirmation.
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Sources
- TechRadar: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, February 8 (game #973).
- Forbes: NYT Connections Hints Today: Sunday, February 8 Clues And Answers (#973).
- Word Cheats: Connections Answers for Feb 8.
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