Today's NYT Connections answers, hints, and clues on March 4 (#997)

We've put together a guide to hints and clues for the New York Times Connections puzzle #997 on March 4.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

If you're struggling with today's Connections, a popular word association game in the New York Times' repertoire of puzzles, this article provides hints, clues, and the full answers for puzzle #997 on March 4, 2026. The puzzle is rated 2 out of 5 for difficulty by the NYT.

Why it matters

Connections is a challenging brain teaser that requires players to sort a grid of 16 words into 4 different categories. Providing hints and clues can help players who are stuck on certain groups or lack the necessary knowledge to complete the full puzzle.

The details

The article breaks down the 4 groups in the #997 puzzle, providing starter words and hints for each category: 🟨 Follow or chase, 🟩 Keeping the game clean, 🟦 Present for a child, and 🟪 Goes before a young lady. It also reveals the full answers for each group once players have exhausted their own guesses.

  • The Connections puzzle #997 was published on March 4, 2026.

The players

New York Times

The publisher of the popular Connections word association puzzle.

Jack Goodall

The author of the article providing hints, clues, and answers for the Connections puzzle #997.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We'd say that the game progressively gets easier as you complete a category or two, since you're thinning out the words and can remove any potentially incorrect links (many words in the puzzle may seem to belong to a common theme, but end up acting as red herrings).”

— Jack Goodall, Author (pcguide.com)

What’s next

The next Connections puzzle will be published on March 5, 2026.

The takeaway

Connections is a challenging word association game that requires players to think critically and make connections between seemingly unrelated words. While the difficulty can vary, providing hints and clues can help players who are stuck, allowing them to complete the full puzzle.