Spoilers ahead, but you can stop after the hint you need. This page covers the historical NYT Connections puzzle for Monday, March 2, 2026, game #995—not the current daily puzzle. Start with broad clues, reveal category names next, and open the full answer groups only if you want them.
Connections presents 16 words to sort into four groups of four. The puzzle appears at midnight in each time zone, so “today” can refer to different editions depending on where you are. TechRadar’s March 2 guide and the Connection Hints archive identify this edition as #995.
Hints for Connections #995
Try these broad nudges before looking at the category labels:
- One group consists of things you might see in a gymnastics competition.
- One group uses words for a person’s standing or place.
- One group contains calls an umpire can make in baseball.
- For the last group, try adding the same animal word after each answer.
TechRadar rated this puzzle “Easy”; that is the contributor’s subjective assessment, not a measure of how every player will find it.
Category answers
Spoiler warning: The category names below reveal the four connections, though not yet which words belong to each one.
- Gymnastics apparatus
- Status
- Baseball calls
- ___ chicken
Full answer groups
Full spoilers below.
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Gymnastics apparatus | BEAM, HORSE, RINGS, VAULT |
| Status | POSITION, RANK, STANDING, STATION |
| Baseball calls | BALL, FOUL, SAFE, STRIKE |
| ___ chicken | FUNKY, POPCORN, RUBBER, SPRING |
The last set completes familiar phrases when “chicken” follows each word: funky chicken, popcorn chicken, rubber chicken, and spring chicken. The date, puzzle number, category labels, and sets are also recorded by the Connection Hints archive.
Rank #2
Why the words fit
Gymnastics apparatus
BEAM, HORSE, RINGS, and VAULT are apparatus or events associated with gymnastics.
Status
POSITION, RANK, STANDING, and STATION can each refer to a person’s status or place in a hierarchy.
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Baseball calls
BALL, FOUL, SAFE, and STRIKE are calls used in baseball.
Words before “chicken”
FUNKY, POPCORN, RUBBER, and SPRING each form a phrase when followed by “chicken.”
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The date and answers are corroborated by TechRadar’s March 2, 2026 guide and the Connection Hints archive. Neither is the official New York Times puzzle page.
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