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Need help with NYT Connections #993? The Saturday, February 28, 2026 puzzle includes a straightforward craving group, traveling jobs, words that sound like names and astronomy terms hidden inside longer words. Start with the spoiler-controlled hints below, then continue for the complete answers and explanations.
Spoiler warning: Try to solve Connections #993 before reading beyond the hint section. The answers appear farther down the page.
NYT Connections #993 hints for Saturday, February 28
Need a nudge without giving away the board? Here are four hints, arranged from the least specific to the most revealing:
- Yellow: Think of a strong desire or longing.
- Green: These are jobs that take people from place to place.
- Blue: Say the words aloud; they sound like names.
- Purple: Look for astronomy terms with one extra letter attached.
If you are ready for the full solution, the category names and all 16 words are below.
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Connections #993 answers
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | CRAVING | DESIRE, ITCH, THIRST, URGE |
| Green | JOBS THAT INVOLVE TRAVELING | CRUISE DIRECTOR, PILOT, ROADIE, SALESMAN |
| Blue | NAME HOMOPHONES | EARNEST, KNEEL, RUSTLE, TAILOR |
| Purple | ASTRONOMICAL TERMS PLUS A LETTER | COMETH, NOVAK, START, SUNG |
How the Connections #993 groups work
Yellow: CRAVING
DESIRE, ITCH, THIRST and URGE can all describe an intense want. “Thirst” is the potential trap: it can refer to a literal physical need, but it can also mean a strong desire. “Itch” works in a similar way, describing either a physical sensation or a powerful wish to do something.
Green: JOBS THAT INVOLVE TRAVELING
CRUISE DIRECTOR, PILOT, ROADIE and SALESMAN are jobs in which traveling is part of the work. The category is not limited to people who operate vehicles. A roadie travels with a band or production, a cruise director works aboard traveling cruise ships, and a salesman may travel through a territory to meet customers.
Blue: NAME HOMOPHONES
These four ordinary words sound like first or last names when spoken:
Rank #2
- EARNEST sounds like Ernest.
- KNEEL sounds like Neil.
- RUSTLE sounds like Russell.
- TAILOR sounds like Taylor.
The key is pronunciation rather than spelling. Reading a suspicious group aloud is often useful when a Connections category appears to involve names.
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Purple: ASTRONOMICAL TERMS PLUS A LETTER
Each word begins with an astronomy-related term followed by one additional letter:
- COMETH = COMET + H
- NOVAK = NOVA + K
- START = STAR + T
- SUNG = SUN + G
This is the most technical wordplay in the puzzle. The astronomy terms are embedded at the start of longer words, rather than appearing as standalone answers.
How difficult is Connections #993?
The difficulty is subjective, but the yellow and green groups are more direct once their broad themes become visible. The blue and purple groups are more likely to cause hesitation: the blue set depends on hearing near-identical names, while the purple set requires spotting a space term and then accounting for the extra letter.
As always, the color order is a general guide, not a guarantee. In Connections, yellow is usually the easiest category and purple the trickiest, but misleading overlaps are part of the design. A word can seem to fit more than one idea even though the puzzle has one intended grouping.
How to play the NYT Connections game
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Each group shares a common property. You can select four words and submit a guess; the goal is to identify all four groups.
The daily puzzle is available through the New York Times Games website and app, and the daily game is free to play. The game is released at midnight in the player’s time zone, which means the date can appear differently in companion pages or discussion threads across regions. This guide uses the requested date: Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Readers who want to revisit older puzzles can consider an NYT Games subscription. The subscription is not presented as a requirement for solving the daily puzzle; its relevant benefit here is access to the Connections archive and additional account or gameplay features, subject to the availability and terms shown by the New York Times.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Want more Connections puzzles?
If you prefer solving away from a screen, the official New York Times Connections puzzle book is planned as a hardcover collection curated by Wyna Liu. The publisher describes it as containing more than 100 puzzles, including exclusive puzzles, variations on the standard 4-by-4 format and behind-the-scenes material.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The listed publication date is October 27, 2026, which is later than the date of this puzzle guide. Check the publisher or retailer listing for the current release status, price and stock before buying. There is no basis for assuming that the book contains puzzle #993.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NYT Connections free to play?
The daily Connections puzzle is free to play through the New York Times Games website and app. A Games subscription is relevant for features such as the Connections archive, but it is not described here as a requirement for the daily puzzle.
How does the NYT Connections game work?
Connections presents 16 words that must be divided into four groups of four. Each group has a shared property, and the colors generally progress from yellow, the easiest, to purple, the trickiest.
Why might the Connections date look different in another time zone?
The official companion page can use a date one day earlier because the game releases at midnight across time zones. This guide identifies puzzle #993 as the Saturday, February 28, 2026 puzzle.
The Bottom Line
The solution to NYT Connections #993 is CRAVING; JOBS THAT INVOLVE TRAVELING; NAME HOMOPHONES; and ASTRONOMICAL TERMS PLUS A LETTER. The blue and purple groups provide the puzzle’s main wordplay traps.
Quick Recap
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