NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Monday, February 23, 2026 (#988)
Puzzle #988. 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 Monday, February 23, 2026 (puzzle #988) is: YELLOW — EAT VORACIOUSLY: BOLT, GORGE, INHALE, SCARF. GREEN — CONICAL THINGS: CHRISTMAS TREE, CONE, PARTY HAT, VOLCANO. BLUE — POSE: BLUFF, FRONT, MASQUERADE, POSTURE. PURPLE — SETTINGS FOR A KISS: BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR'S EVE, WEDDING.
Today's 16 words
The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Monday, February 23, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.
NEW YEAR'S EVE
VOLCANO
MASQUERADE
PARTY HAT
CHRISTMAS TREE
MISTLETOE
GORGE
BLUFF
POSTURE
CONE
WEDDING
BOLT
SCARF
BLARNEY STONE
INHALE
FRONT
How hard is Connections #988?
Easy35/100
• 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 Monday, February 23, 2026
Four levels, each giving away a little more. Open only as many as you need.
yellow(the most straightforward group — start here) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about voraciously.
green(a little trickier, but still direct) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about things.
blue(where the misdirection usually starts) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — the category is a single word beginning with "P".
purple(the wordplay group, and almost always the last to fall) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about kiss.
yellow4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
green4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
blue4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
purple4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
yellowOne member is
greenOne member is
blueOne member is
purpleOne member is
yellow
green
blue
purple
NYT Connections answers for Monday, February 23, 2026
yellow — Easiest
EAT VORACIOUSLY
BOLT · GORGE · INHALE · SCARF
green — Easy
CONICAL THINGS
CHRISTMAS TREE · CONE · PARTY HAT · VOLCANO
blue — Tricky
POSE
BLUFF · FRONT · MASQUERADE · POSTURE
purple — Trickiest
SETTINGS FOR A KISS
BLARNEY STONE · MISTLETOE · NEW YEAR'S EVE · WEDDING
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Common questions
What is the NYT Connections answer for Monday, February 23, 2026?
The NYT Connections answer for Monday, February 23, 2026 (puzzle #988) is: YELLOW — EAT VORACIOUSLY: BOLT, GORGE, INHALE, SCARF. GREEN — CONICAL THINGS: CHRISTMAS TREE, CONE, PARTY HAT, VOLCANO. BLUE — POSE: BLUFF, FRONT, MASQUERADE, POSTURE. PURPLE — SETTINGS FOR A KISS: BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR'S EVE, WEDDING.
What is the purple group in Connections #988?
The purple (hardest) group is "SETTINGS FOR A KISS": BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR'S EVE, WEDDING.
What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?
The yellow group is the most straightforward: "EAT VORACIOUSLY" — BOLT, GORGE, INHALE, SCARF. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.
What number is today's Connections puzzle?
Monday, February 23, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #988. 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.