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NYT Connections puzzle #986, for Saturday, February 21, 2026, asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. Start with the spoiler-light category hints below; the complete groupings and answers are farther down. The game releases at midnight in each player’s timezone, so “today’s” puzzle can differ by location.
Spoiler-light hints for Connections #986
These clues point toward each group without revealing its four words:
- Yellow: Heritage
- Green: Marks in a register
- Blue: Encouragement after completing this game
- Purple: Beginning with automobiles
Yellow is the easiest category and Purple the trickiest, according to the NYT Help Center. Words can seem to fit more than one theme, so consider the whole set before locking in a group.
All 16 words
Read the word bank before opening the solutions:
LATE · GREAT · PAST · LIFE · PRESENT · MINION · INFINITIVE · PERFECT · SOLID · DODGERS · EXCUSED · BACKGROUND · ABSENT · AUDITS · HISTORY · PHEW
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Answers for February 21, 2026
Spoilers below: each line gives the category and its four words.
- Yellow — EXPERIENCE: BACKGROUND, HISTORY, LIFE, PAST
- Green — ATTENDANCE STATUS: ABSENT, EXCUSED, LATE, PRESENT
- Blue — COMMENTARY ABOUT YOUR CONNECTIONS RESULTS: GREAT, PERFECT, PHEW, SOLID
- Purple — CAR BRANDS PLUS TWO LETTERS: AUDITS, DODGERS, INFINITIVE, MINION
Why the purple group fits
Each word contains a car brand with two letters added: AUDI becomes AUDITS, DODGE becomes DODGERS, INFINITI becomes INFINITIVE, and MINI becomes MINION.
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How Connections works
The New York Times describes Connections as a word game in which players find four sets of four items that share something in common. Each set is assigned a color, from Yellow as the easiest to Purple as the trickiest; editors curate the words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary.
Where to play and what account access changes
The game is free on the NYT Games website, Games app, NYT News app, and nytimes.com/theathletic, without registration or sign-in. Using a NYT account lets you carry progress across devices.
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Archive and Connections Bot access
The puzzle archive is available to All Access and Games subscribers and goes back to June 12, 2023. Archive play counts toward puzzle statistics but not streaks, and a completed archive puzzle cannot be replayed. Connections Bot, which reports player-specific statistics and category and mistake information, is available to All Access, Home Delivery, and Games subscribers.
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