NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Thursday, February 12, 2026 (#977)

Puzzle #977. 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 Thursday, February 12, 2026 (puzzle #977) is: YELLOW — CONSTRUCT: FORM, MAKE, MOLD, PRODUCE. GREEN — FIXED IN PLACE: FAST, FIRM, FROZEN, TIGHT. BLUE — MLB PLAYER, FOR SHORT: A, CARD, JAY, YANK. PURPLE — ___ QUEEN: DAIRY, DANCING, DRAG, MAY.

Today's 16 words

The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Thursday, February 12, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.

MAY
YANK
A
CARD
FROZEN
PRODUCE
DANCING
DAIRY
MAKE
JAY
FAST
FORM
DRAG
FIRM
MOLD
TIGHT

How hard is Connections #977?

Medium52/100
  • One category runs on wordplay rather than meaning.
  • Lots of very short words, which carry more possible meanings.

Where to start: Look for the four words that combine with "Queen" — locking that group down removes four red herrings from the rest of the grid.

Connections hints for Thursday, February 12, 2026

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

NYT Connections answers for Thursday, February 12, 2026

Keep playing

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Common questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for Thursday, February 12, 2026?

The NYT Connections answer for Thursday, February 12, 2026 (puzzle #977) is: YELLOW — CONSTRUCT: FORM, MAKE, MOLD, PRODUCE. GREEN — FIXED IN PLACE: FAST, FIRM, FROZEN, TIGHT. BLUE — MLB PLAYER, FOR SHORT: A, CARD, JAY, YANK. PURPLE — ___ QUEEN: DAIRY, DANCING, DRAG, MAY.

What is the purple group in Connections #977?

The purple (hardest) group is "___ QUEEN": DAIRY, DANCING, DRAG, MAY.

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

The yellow group is the most straightforward: "CONSTRUCT" — FORM, MAKE, MOLD, PRODUCE. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.

What number is today's Connections puzzle?

Thursday, February 12, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #977. 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.