NYT Connections #969: today’s groups, answers, and why it fooled players
Wednesday’s edition of NYT Connections (Puzzle #969) leaned into misdirection: everyday words that feel like they belong together at first glance, then snap into place only after you spot a couple of “gotcha” overlaps. The result was a grid that played fair, but punished quick assumptions—especially in the final, theme-y category.
Today’s NYT Connections answers (Puzzle #969)
Here are the four completed categories for February 4, 2026 (ET), from easiest to hardest.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | CONTENTION | CONFLICT, DISCORD, FRICTION, RIVALRY |
| Green | GAMES OF CHANCE | BINGO, CRAPS, LOTTERY, WAR |
| Blue | MORE OR LESS, COLLOQUIALLY | APPROX, BOUT, LIKE, ROUND |
| Purple | STARTING WITH NBA TEAMS | BULLSEYE, HEATED, MAGICAL, NETSCAPE |
Why this puzzle tripped people up
The grid was packed with words that can “pair” in multiple ways:
-
RIVALRY pulls you toward sports or teams, but it belongs with broader conflict terms.
-
WAR looks like it fits with contention (or “heated rivalry”), but it’s actually a classic card game.
-
LIKE is the real trap: it’s versatile enough to match with comparisons, social media, or even “preference” groupings, yet here it’s strictly part of “more or less” slang.
The build was designed to tempt players into forming a plausible-but-wrong set early, then burn a life when one word (often WAR or LIKE) refuses to belong.
The purple category explained in plain English
“STARTING WITH NBA TEAMS” means each answer begins with a nickname from the league:
-
BULLseye (Bulls)
-
HEATed (Heat)
-
MAGICal (Magic)
-
NETscape (Nets)
It’s clever because the full words are completely ordinary, and none of them scream “sports” on their own. The trick is spotting the prefix pattern rather than a meaning-based connection.
When the puzzle updates and how people play it
Connections runs as a daily 16-word sorting challenge: you’re trying to find four sets of four that share a theme. You typically get four mistakes before the game ends, and the category colors reflect difficulty (yellow easiest through purple hardest).
If you’re trying to avoid spoilers in the future, the safest approach is to play before checking social feeds in the morning—because completed grids spread fast.
What to watch for next
This puzzle’s structure hints at a style trend that shows up regularly: one category based on wordplay (prefixes, homophones, abbreviations) paired with three that feel more “definition-driven.” If you hit a wall, a good late-game strategy is to ask: Is any group here about how the words are built, not what they mean?
With the next puzzle arriving early Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 (ET), expect another mix of one “technical” category and a couple of deceptively simple-looking sets.
Sources consulted: The New York Times, Forbes, TechRadar, Parade
