Today's NYT Connections Answers, Hints, and Clues on February 20 (#985)

We've put together a guide to hints and clues for the New York Times Connections puzzle #985 on February 20.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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Connections is a popular word association game in the New York Times' puzzle repertoire. Like Wordle, there's a new puzzle to play every day, but unlike Wordle, Connections is all about connecting an existing set of words through common themes. The February 20 puzzle (#985) is rated 3.5 out of 5 for difficulty by the NYT. This article provides hints, clues, and the full answers for the puzzle.

Why it matters

Connections can be a challenging brain teaser, especially if players are unfamiliar with the themes or topics involved. Providing hints, clues, and answers can help players make progress on the puzzle and enhance their enjoyment of the game.

The details

The February 20 Connections puzzle (#985) has four groups of four words each that need to be sorted into common categories. The hints provided include: 🟨 EASY ANSWER, 🟩 ECLIPSE, 🟦 BOOT, 🟪 CHEESE. The full answers reveal the four categories are: 🟨 Quick fix, 🟩 Associated with the moon, 🟦 Original Monopoly tokens, and 🟪 What 'Jack' might refer to.

  • The Connections puzzle is published daily in the New York Times.

The players

New York Times

The publisher of the Connections puzzle.

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What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

Providing hints, clues, and answers for the daily Connections puzzle can help players make progress on the challenging brain teaser and enhance their enjoyment of the game.