NYT Connections Answer — February 12, 2026
Puzzle #977 · 16 words, 4 groups
Here is the full solution to the NYT Connections puzzle for Thursday, February 12, 2026 (#977). The 16-word board is below, followed by all four groups — in difficulty order from yellow (easiest) to purple (trickiest). Answers stay hidden until you tap Reveal, so you can peek at the board first.
Today's board
MAY
YANK
A
CARD
FROZEN
PRODUCE
DANCING
DAIRY
MAKE
JAY
FAST
FORM
DRAG
FIRM
MOLD
TIGHT
The four groups
Yellow · StraightforwardCONSTRUCT
FORM, MAKE, MOLD, PRODUCE
Green · ModerateFIXED IN PLACE
FAST, FIRM, FROZEN, TIGHT
Blue · TrickyMLB PLAYER, FOR SHORT
A, CARD, JAY, YANK
Purple · Trickiest___ QUEEN
DAIRY, DANCING, DRAG, MAY
No spoilers — tap to show the answers
Recent Connections puzzles
#1163
Aug 17, 2026
#1162
Aug 16, 2026
#1161
Aug 15, 2026
#1160
Aug 14, 2026
#1159
Aug 13, 2026
#1158
Aug 12, 2026
#1157
Aug 11, 2026
#1156
Aug 10, 2026
How Connections works
NYT Connections gives you a grid of 16 words. Your goal is to sort them into four groups of four, where each group shares a hidden connection. The groups are colour-coded by difficulty: yellow is the most straightforward, then green and blue, and purple is usually the trickiest — often a wordplay or category twist. You get four mistakes before the game ends, and words that could fit more than one group are the classic traps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are today's Connections answers?
Tap Reveal the 4 groups above to see all four categories and their words for #977, in difficulty order from yellow to purple.
What do the colours mean?
Yellow is the easiest group, followed by green and blue, and purple is the hardest — usually the one with a twist or wordplay.
When does the next Connections come out?
A new NYT Connections puzzle is released every day. We publish the verified answers each morning.
Where do I play Connections?
Play free at nytimes.com/games/connections or in the NYT Games app. This is an independent reference site, not affiliated with The New York Times.