Looking for help with today’s NYT Connections puzzle? You’re in the right place! Connections #969 for February 4, 2026 has a sports-friendly theme that makes it easier to crack if you know your NBA teams.
Today’s Puzzle Theme: The puzzle features categories around conflict, games of chance, approximations, and NBA team names hidden in words.
Quick Answer: The four categories are Contention, Games of Chance, Colloquial Phrases, and NBA Team Starters.
How to Play Connections
Connections is a popular word puzzle from the New York Times where you group 16 words into four categories of four words each. Each category shares a common theme, and you have four mistakes before the game ends. Categories are color-coded from easiest (yellow) to hardest (purple).
Today’s Hints
Need a gentle push? Here are the category hints:
- Yellow: A dispute
- Green: Possibility
- Blue: Estimated
- Purple: Basketball clubs
Category Names Revealed
- Yellow: Contention
- Green: Games of chance
- Blue: More or less, colloquially
- Purple: Starting with NBA teams
Complete Answers for Connections #969
Contention: CONFLICT, DISCORD, FRICTION, RIVALRY
Games of chance: BINGO, CRAPS, LOTTERY, WAR
More or less, colloquially: APPROX, BOUT, LIKE, ROUND
Starting with NBA teams: BULLSEYE, HEATED, MAGICAL, NETSCAPE
The purple category is the trickiest—it features words that start with NBA team names: BULL(s), HEAT(ed), MAGIC(al), and NET(s)cape.
Come back tomorrow for more Connections hints and answers!