Here are the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle #981 today, released on February 16th, 2026, and some hints to help you solve them.
New York Times have a variety of puzzle games available for their readers and there are new puzzles to play on a daily basis. One of these games is called Connections.
The rules of the game are simple for Connections. There are sixteen words for players to sort into four groups of four words that share something in common.
Once you think you have figured out a group, simply click on the four words and click on submit to see if you got it right. You are allowed to get 4 mistakes to solve the puzzle.
Each group is assigned a colour, which shows how easy it should be to group it from yellow, being straightforward, to purple, tricky.
If you’re struggling with today’s NYT Connections answers, we’ve included some hints to help you out. If that’s not enough, we have the answers too.
There are sixteen words for the Connection puzzles, which are:
- BUCK
- SCREAM
- DO
- LAUGH
- FAWN
- DOE
- FLIGHT
- SQUAWK
- HOOT
- FIGHT
- RIOT
- DOUGH
- FREEZE
- CACKLE
- DOH
- CLUCK
Connections 981 Group Hints Today (February 16th, 2026)
We know some of you would prefer to have hints for the solution today instead of seeing the answer, so we’ve provided some below to help you out.
- Hint 1: One of the groups is “STRESS RESPONSES“.
- Hint 2: HOOT and SCREAM are in the same group.
- Hint 3: Here is an image that will help you solve one of the groups in today’s puzzle:
- Hint 4: One group of words is “HOMOPHONES“.
What are the Connections 981 Answers Today? (2/16/26)
Here are the answers to NYT Connections puzzle 981 released on 16th February 2026:
- KNEE SLAPPER – HOOT, LAUGH, RIOT, SCREAM
- HOMOPHONES – DO, DOE, DOH, DOUGH
- SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES – BUCK, CACKLE, CLUCK, SQUAWK
- STRESS RESPONSES – FAWN, FIGHT, FLIGHT, FREEZE
If you would like us to cover any other puzzles, let us know in the comments section below.
