Need a nudge on NYT Connections puzzle #986? Start with the four category clues below, arranged from easier to harder. The full answer key is farther down, so stop before the spoiler section if you want to solve it yourself. The date and answers here are reported by Nishadil’s February 21, 2026 article; an accessible primary NYT answer page was not available to verify them independently.
Hints for Connections #986
Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four. The cited article describes a limit of four mistakes. These clues progress from easier to harder:
- Getting Higher
- Sounding It Out
- Who’s in Charge?
- It All Starts with…
Answers for February 21, 2026
Spoilers below: The following groupings and words are the answer set reported by Nishadil for puzzle #986.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Things that go up | BOOST, ELEVATE, PUSH, SOAR |
| Green | Musical scale notes | DO, RE, MI, FA |
| Blue | Types of “head” | BOSS, CHIEF, FOREMAN, MAJOR |
| Purple | Words that start with “up” | UPLIFT, UPROAR, UPSTART, UPTAKE |
A quick way to approach the puzzle
The source article’s general solving advice is to test obvious connections, check whether words have more than one meaning, listen for homophones, and consider parts of speech. For this board, the clues point toward several different kinds of links: upward movement or improvement, musical notes, leadership terms that can mean a “head,” and words sharing the starting letters “up.”
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