NYT Connections Hints and Answers Today — Wednesday, February 25, 2026 (Puzzle #990)
Today's NYT Connections puzzle #990 is live for Wednesday, February 25, 2026. The 16-word grid blends caregiving language, education vocabulary, celebrity first names, and clever hidden word patterns. Here are your hints — and full answers below.
Today's 16 Words on the Board
The full board for puzzle #990 reads: NAPKIN, COOK, BABY, PRINCIPAL, DEAN, NURSE, KEY, MOTHER, BASIC, ALKALINE, HARDEN, FOSTER, DIATRIBE, PRIMARY, BROWN, DECLAN.
Hints by Category — No Spoilers Yet
Before the full answers, here are your nudges by difficulty level.
The four category themes for today are: To Give Attention To, The Most Simple, Common First Name Of Celebrities, and Contains "Lineage." Start with the category that feels most obvious to you and work outward from there.
The Yellow category nudge: think about nurturing roles and caregiving positions. The Green category clue: consider foundational or essential concepts in education. The Blue category hint: look for surnames that double as common English words. The Purple category teaser: focus on words that end with sounds suggesting family relationships.
Watch Out for the Tricky Decoys
A common mistake is thinking that DEAN, PRIMARY, and PRINCIPAL all belong together in the same leader-based group. The puzzle is designed to misdirect you. Do not assume every word is being used in its most obvious sense — the NYT Connections puzzle frequently uses alternate meanings to throw solvers off.
Full NYT Connections Answers for February 25, 2026
Here are the four confirmed answer groups for puzzle #990:
Yellow (CARE FOR): BABY, FOSTER, MOTHER, NURSE
Green (ELEMENTARY): BASIC, KEY, PRIMARY, PRINCIPAL
Blue (JAMESES): BROWN, COOK, DEAN, HARDEN
Purple (words containing a family term): ALKALINE, DECLAN, DIATRIBE, NAPKIN
How to Read the Purple Category
The last required spotting a hidden letter pattern — one of the puzzle's trickiest devices this week. If you look closely at the Purple words, each one contains a hidden family relationship word buried inside the letters. ALKALINE contains KIN, DECLAN contains CLAN, DIATRIBE contains TRIBE, and NAPKIN contains KIN in a different form — all words meaning lineage or family group.
