Connections today answers for Feb. 9, 2026: Weaving tools, methods, author pay, and “Draw ___”
Monday’s Connections puzzle (dated February 9, 2026) leaned on two straightforward vocab groupings, then finished with a pair of categories that reward lateral thinking: one rooted in publishing economics and another built around a familiar phrase pattern. If you got stuck late, you weren’t alone—the final set is the kind that only snaps into place once you see the shared construction.
Connections answers (Feb. 9, 2026)
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| USED IN WEAVING | LOOM, NEEDLE, SCISSORS, YARN |
| METHOD | APPROACH, MANNER, STYLE, WAY |
| KINDS OF PAYMENT FOR AN AUTHOR | ADVANCE, BONUS, FEE, ROYALTY |
| DRAW ___ | NEAR, POKER, STRAWS, THE LINE |
Why “Used in weaving” was the easiest entry point
“LOOM,” “NEEDLE,” “SCISSORS,” and “YARN” form a clean, concrete set: physical items tied to making textiles. Even if you don’t weave, the words are common enough that the theme is recognizable without specialist knowledge.
This is the kind of group many solvers lock in first because it feels “real-world” and unambiguous. Once those four are removed from the grid, the remaining words become less cluttered, and the puzzle’s abstract categories stand out more clearly.
“Method” grouped familiar synonyms
“APPROACH,” “MANNER,” “STYLE,” and “WAY” are all everyday terms for how something is done. This grouping is classic Connections: the words overlap in meaning, but each carries a slightly different shade in normal speech.
The potential trap here is that “STYLE” can pull your mind toward fashion or aesthetics rather than process. In this grid, it’s best read as a way of doing something—a “style of play,” a “style of writing,” a “style of leadership.” That interpretation keeps the group tidy.
Author pay category: why it’s trickier than it looks
“ADVANCE,” “BONUS,” “FEE,” and “ROYALTY” reflect common ways writers can be compensated, depending on the contract and the project:
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Advance: upfront payment that is typically recouped against later earnings
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Royalty: ongoing payment tied to sales or usage
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Fee: flat payment for a specific work or service
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Bonus: additional payment beyond the baseline terms
This category can trip people because “advance” and “royalty” also appear in other contexts (business, weddings, rank, privilege). The key is that all four words make immediate sense inside the same sentence frame: “An author may receive an ___.”
The puzzle’s “aha”: phrases that follow “Draw”
The final group is construction-based rather than meaning-based. Each word completes a common phrase when paired with “draw”:
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draw near
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draw poker
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draw straws
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draw the line
This category tends to be the last solved because none of the words are synonyms, and several have strong alternate identities. “POKER” can lure you into gambling categories; “THE LINE” can suggest geometry or boundaries; “NEAR” feels like a simple location word. The linking idea is the shared prefix.
How the board typically gets solved
Most people will solve this puzzle in one of two arcs:
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Concrete-first route: “USED IN WEAVING” → “METHOD” → publishing payments → “DRAW ___”
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Phrase-first route: “USED IN WEAVING” → “DRAW ___” (if you spot it early) → “METHOD” → publishing payments
If you finished with “DRAW ___,” it’s because the puzzle intentionally hides that category in plain sight: the four answers don’t resemble each other until you apply the prompt word. When you’re stuck on a grid, it’s often worth testing a simple trick: see whether four remaining words can share a missing prefix (or suffix) that turns them into common phrases.
Sources consulted: Forbes, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, WordCheats
