Here are the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle #986 today, released on February 21st, 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:
- LATE
- GREAT
- PAST
- LIFE
- PRESENT
- MINION
- INFINITIVE
- PERFECT
- SOLID
- DODGERS
- EXCUSED
- BACKGROUND
- ABSENT
- AUDITS
- HISTORY
- PHEW
Connections 986 Group Hints Today (February 21st, 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 “CAR BRANDS PLUS TWO LETTERS“.
- Hint 2: BACKGROUND and HISTORY 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 “COMMENTARY ABOUT YOUR CONNECTIONS RESULTS“.
What are the Connections 986 Answers Today? (2/21/26)
Here are the answers to NYT Connections puzzle 986 released on 20th February 2026:
- EXPERIENCE – BACKGROUND, HISTORY, LIFE, PAST
- ATTENDANCE STATUS – ABSENT, EXCUSED, LATE, PRESENT
- COMMENTARY ABOUT YOUR CONNECTIONS RESULTS – GREAT, PERFECT, PHEW, SOLID
- CAR BRANDS PLUS TWO LETTERS – AUDITS, DODGERS, INFINITIVE, MINION
If you would like us to cover any other puzzles, let us know in the comments section below.
