NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Friday, February 6, 2026 (#971)

Puzzle #971. Start with a gentle nudge and work down — the full answers are at the bottom, hidden until you ask for them.

Just tell me the answer

The NYT Connections answer for Friday, February 6, 2026 (puzzle #971) is: YELLOW — ITEMS AT A COFFEE STATION: CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW. GREEN — THINGS WITH STRIPES: CANDY CANE, CROSSWALK, REFEREE, TIGER. BLUE — WORDS BEFORE "FLY" IN INSECT NAMES: BUTTER, DRAGON, FIRE, HORSE. PURPLE — HOMOPHONES OF GREETINGS: CHOW, HAY, HIGH, YEOH.

Today's 16 words

The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Friday, February 6, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.

CHOW
YEOH
TIGER
DRAGON
FIRE
HAY
HORSE
STRAW
HIGH
REFEREE
BUTTER
CUP
LID
CROSSWALK
STIRRER
CANDY CANE

How hard is Connections #971?

Medium57/100
  • One category runs on wordplay rather than meaning.
  • Lots of very short words, which carry more possible meanings.
  • At least one entry is a phrase rather than a single word.

Where to start: Every category here is meaning-based, so group by topic first and use the four-per-group constraint to settle any word that could go two ways.

Connections hints for Friday, February 6, 2026

Four levels, each giving away a little more. Open only as many as you need.

NYT Connections answers for Friday, February 6, 2026

Keep playing

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Common questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for Friday, February 6, 2026?

The NYT Connections answer for Friday, February 6, 2026 (puzzle #971) is: YELLOW — ITEMS AT A COFFEE STATION: CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW. GREEN — THINGS WITH STRIPES: CANDY CANE, CROSSWALK, REFEREE, TIGER. BLUE — WORDS BEFORE "FLY" IN INSECT NAMES: BUTTER, DRAGON, FIRE, HORSE. PURPLE — HOMOPHONES OF GREETINGS: CHOW, HAY, HIGH, YEOH.

What is the purple group in Connections #971?

The purple (hardest) group is "HOMOPHONES OF GREETINGS": CHOW, HAY, HIGH, YEOH.

What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?

The yellow group is the most straightforward: "ITEMS AT A COFFEE STATION" — CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.

What number is today's Connections puzzle?

Friday, February 6, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #971. Connections launched on 12 June 2023 with puzzle #1, and a new puzzle is published every day.

What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle come out?

A new Connections puzzle unlocks at midnight in your own local time zone, so the changeover happens at a different moment around the world. The puzzle itself is the same for everyone on a given date.