Looking for a different day?
A new NEW Connections puzzle pops up at midnight every day for your time zone – meaning some people are always playing “today’s game” while others are playing “yesterday’s”. If you’re looking for the Sunday puzzle instead then click here: NEW Connections Hints and Answers for Sunday, February 22nd (Game #987).
Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers into different categories. It can be difficult, so read on if you need Connections tips.
SPOILER ALERT: Today’s NYT Connections information is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NEW Connections today (game #988) – word of the day
Today’s NEW Connections word is…
- NEW YEAR’S EVENING
- VOLCANO
- MASQUERADE
- PARTY HAT
- CHRISTMAS
- WOOD
- THE MISTLET
- GAP
- BLUFF
- POSE
- CONE
- WEDDING
- BOLT
- SCARF
- BLARNEY STONE
- INHALE
- FRONT
NEW Connections today (game #988) – tip #1 – group tip
What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- PURPLE: Smooch places
- BLUE: Pretentious
- YELLOW: Suck your food
- GREEN: Funnel shaped
Need more clues?
We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…
NEW Connections today (game #988) – tip #2 – group answer
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- PURPLE: SETTINGS FOR A KISS
- BLUE: POSING
- YELLOW: EAT GOUT
- GREEN: TAPERED THINGS
Okay, the answers are below, so DON’T SCROLL IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NEW Connections today (game #988) – the answers
The answers to today’s Connections, game #988, are…
- PURPLE: SETTINGS FOR A KISS BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR’S EVE, WEDDING
- BLUE: POSING BLUFF, FRONT, MASQUERADE, POSTURE
- YELLOW: EAT GOUT BOLT, GAP, INHALATION, TOWEL
- GREEN: TAPERED THINGS CHRISTMAS TREE, CONE, PARTY HAT, VOLCANO
- My assessment: Hard
- My score: 1 error
This game was full of traps and I managed to fall for one – I connect BLUFF, GORGE, VOLCANO and FRONT and thought we were looking for something geographical.
Fortunately, after this mistake, I landed the purple group for the first time in weeks – a triumph with its route in the half-remembered knowledge of how kissing the BLARNEY STONE (a mythical rock in Blarney Castle just outside Cork, Ireland) will grant the kisser the gift of the yawn. Performing the kiss means leaning over the side of a tall wall, so you have to be pretty determined to pull it off.
CONICAL THINGS eluded me because my idea of a PARTY HAT is a paper crown and not necessarily conical, but the tile CONE should have made this group more of a giveaway.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections Answer (Sunday, February 22nd, Game #987)
- YELLOW: ONE THAT DOESN’T FIT BLACK SHEEP, ERROR TO, PRINTED, REJECT
- GREEN: DESCRIPTION FOR GRAYING HAIR FINE, STAINED, SALT-AND-PEPPER, SILVER
- BLUE: CLASSIC CARTOONS BLONDIE, BLOOM COUNTY, PEANUDS, THE DAD SIDE
- PURPLE: ASSOCIATED WITH THEODORE ROOSEVELT LARGE STICK, BULL MOOSE, ROYERS, TEDDY TEDDY
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games created by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four elements that share something in common, and each group has a different degree of difficulty: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough, and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you technically don’t need to solve the last one, as you’ll be able to answer it by a process of elimination. Also, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It’s a bit more involved than something like Wordle, though, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to let you beat yourself up with tricks. For example, watch out for homophones and other puns that can hide the answers.
It can be played for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
