Looking for help with today’s NYT Connections puzzle? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve got all the hints, clues, and answers you need to solve Connections #978 for February 13, 2026.
What is NYT Connections?
Connections is a popular daily word puzzle from The New York Times. The game challenges players to find common threads between 16 words and group them into four categories.
Each puzzle gets progressively harder as you play. Categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (hardest).
How to Play Connections
The rules are simple but the puzzle can be tricky:
- Find groups of four words that share something in common
- You get four mistakes before the game ends
- Correct guesses remove those words from the board
- You can shuffle the board to spot connections easier
Hints for Today’s Connections Categories
Need a gentle push in the right direction? Here are some hints:
- Yellow: Think about words that mean “absolute”
- Green: Something that waves in the wind
- Blue: Time for a cigarette break
- Purple: Listen carefully to these words
Today’s Connections Categories Revealed
Still stuck? Here are the actual category names:
- Yellow: Downright
- Green: Pennant
- Blue: Cigarette brands
- Purple: Homophones of ways to get smaller
Connections #978 Answers for February 13, 2026
Ready for the complete solution? Here are all the answers:
Yellow – Downright
- PURE
- SHEER
- STARK
- UTTER
Green – Pennant
- BANNER
- COLORS
- FLAG
- STANDARD
Blue – Cigarette Brands
- CAMEL
- KENT
- PARLIAMENT
- SALEM
Purple – Homophones of Ways to Get Smaller
- LESSON (lessen)
- RESEED (recede)
- SYNC (sink)
- WAYNE (wane)