Connections answers for Feb. 9, 2026: Weaving tools, methods, author pay, and “Draw ___”

The Connections puzzle dated February 9, 2026 (ET) delivered a classic mix: two “straight definition” groups that most solvers could lock quickly, plus a pair of categories that punished overthinking. The grid played fair—no obscure words—but it tested whether you’d switch gears from synonyms to phrase patterns at the right moment.

Below are the completed groups and a breakdown of why this set felt approachable early and slippery late.

The full set of answers

Why “Used in weaving” popped first

The puzzle’s most concrete category was the weaving set. LOOM and YARN are immediate flags for textiles, and NEEDLE fits the broader craft umbrella even if you’re thinking knitting or sewing rather than weaving specifically. SCISSORS is the practical closer—an everyday tool that belongs in the same workspace.

This category is typical of Connections’ “anchor group” design: it rewards solvers who go for the literal, physical theme before chasing cleverer wordplay. Once those four were removed, the remaining words became more abstract and therefore easier to sort by function rather than by object.

“Method” as a clean synonym cluster

The METHOD group—APPROACH, MANNER, STYLE, WAY—is the kind of set that feels almost too obvious, which can oddly make it harder for some players. “STYLE,” for example, can pull your mind toward fashion, aesthetics, or design. Here, it’s used in the “style of doing something” sense: a style of writing, a style of coaching, a style of play.

This group also highlights a common Connections trap: broad words with multiple everyday meanings. The puzzle’s intent is usually revealed by whether all four can fit into the same sentence frame. In this case: “What is your ___ for solving it?” works for all four.

The publishing-money category that fooled non-writers

The author-payment set—ADVANCE, BONUS, FEE, ROYALTY—is straightforward if you’ve ever looked at publishing contracts, but it can feel niche if you haven’t. Each term points to a different way creators can be compensated:

• Advance: money paid up front against future earnings

• Royalty: ongoing earnings tied to sales or usage

• Fee: a flat payment for a specific deliverable

• Bonus: additional money beyond baseline terms

The trick is that each word is common in other contexts. “Royalty” can suggest nobility. “Advance” can suggest progress. “Fee” can suggest any service charge. The puzzle asks you to interpret them through a single professional lens—writing and publishing—rather than their most general meaning.

The real finisher: “Draw ___” phrase logic

The last group, DRAW ___, is where many grids turn from vocabulary to pattern recognition. None of these words are synonyms. They connect only when you prepend “draw” to form familiar phrases:

• draw near

• draw poker

• draw straws

• draw the line

This is a frequent late-game structure: a set that becomes obvious only after you have fewer words left. “NEAR” looks like a plain directional word. “POKER” looks like a gambling term. “THE LINE” looks like geometry or boundaries. The unifier is the shared phrase construction, not shared meaning.

How most solves likely unfolded

This puzzle was built for a “two easy, two brain-shift” arc. Many solvers likely cleared USED IN WEAVING and METHOD first, then faced a remaining board where both author pay and draw phrases felt less natural. The fastest path is to ask two questions:

1. Do any four words belong to the same professional world? (That points to author compensation.)

2. If not, can any words pair with a common verb to form idioms? (That points to “draw ___.”)

That second question is a reliable escape hatch any time the remaining words refuse to behave like a synonym family.

Sources consulted: The New York Times, Tom’s Guide, Forbes, TechRadar