The New York Times released its daily Connections word puzzle for February 20, 2026. The puzzle, identified as game number 985, is available to solve on the publication’s online games platform. This release continues the newspaper’s daily schedule for one of its most popular digital word games.
Connections tasks players with grouping sixteen words into four secret categories based on a common theme. Each category contains four words, and players must identify all four groups to complete the puzzle. The game allows for a limited number of mistakes before the session ends.
Gameplay and Structure
The puzzle interface presents a grid of words. Players select words they believe belong together and submit them as a potential category. If correct, those words are removed from the board and the category is revealed. The challenge lies in deducing the often subtle or clever thematic links that connect the terms.
The game’s difficulty can vary daily, with some puzzles featuring more straightforward categories and others relying on wordplay or indirect associations. The puzzle for February 20, 2026, has been characterized as approachable, particularly for individuals familiar with group-based party games.
Popularity and Context
Since its launch, Connections has become a significant part of the New York Times’s portfolio of online games, which also includes the crossword and Wordle. Its core mechanic of finding common threads between words has attracted a wide audience, contributing to daily engagement on the newspaper’s website.
The game’s design encourages logical deduction and vocabulary skills. It does not require specialized knowledge but often rewards broad cultural awareness and lateral thinking. Success typically involves considering multiple meanings and contexts for each word presented.
Hints and community discussions about daily puzzles frequently circulate on social media and other online forums. Players often share their solving strategies and celebrate or lament the difficulty of the categories after completing the game.
Availability and Access
The New York Times makes Connections available through its dedicated games website and mobile applications. Access to the full suite of NYT games requires a subscription, though some limited access models may exist. The puzzle resets daily at midnight local time, following the same schedule as other daily games in the collection.
The consistent daily release of new puzzles provides a routine intellectual challenge for its player base. The game’s structure, with its defined number of categories and words, offers a contained problem-solving experience distinct from open-ended puzzles.
Looking ahead, the New York Times is expected to continue its daily publication of the Connections puzzle indefinitely. The game’s integration into the publication’s digital strategy appears stable, with ongoing updates to the platform likely focused on user experience rather than fundamental changes to the core gameplay that has garnered its popularity.
Source: New York Times
