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Need help with the Sunday, February 15, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle? This is game #980. Start with the gentle hints, then reveal category labels, and only open the final section if you want the complete solution.
Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. You can make four mistakes before the game ends.
Gentle hints for Connections #980
These clues point toward each group without listing the category names or answers.
- Yellow: Think of books you use to look up information.
- Green: These are remnants or signs that bring something back to mind.
- Blue: Look for familiar names associated with psychological complexes.
- Purple: Each answer begins with a different way to contact someone by phone.
Category-level clues
Yellow
Informative reference volumes.
Green
Something that can revive a memory.
Blue
Types of psychological complexes.
Purple
Words beginning with phone-contact methods.
Spoiler warning: the answers
The complete answer key for puzzle #980 is below.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Reference books | ATLAS, DICTIONARY, THESAURUS, ENCYCLOPEDIA |
| Green | Something that brings back memories | ECHO, TRACE, REMINDER, VESTIGE |
| Blue | Kinds of complexes | SUPERIORITY, OEDIPUS, ELECTRA, INFERIORITY |
| Purple | Starting with ways to reach someone via phone | CALLIOPE, RINGMASTER, BUZZARD, DIALECT |
How the purple group works
The purple set is based on wordplay rather than a shared definition. Each word starts with a way to reach someone by phone:
#1 Best Overall
- CALL + IOPE = CALLIOPE
- RING + MASTER = RINGMASTER
- BUZZ + ARD = BUZZARD
- DIAL + ECT = DIALECT
Why this puzzle can be tricky
The first three groups are primarily semantic: reference works, memory-related remnants and psychological complexes. The final group asks you to notice beginnings inside otherwise unrelated words, so familiar vocabulary can conceal the pattern. If you are solving without spoilers, test a possible category against all four words before submitting it; a tempting three-word connection may be a deliberate decoy.
About the puzzle format
Connections presents 16 terms and asks players to find four sets of four. The dated puzzle covered here is the archived February 15, 2026 game, not necessarily the puzzle available on the current day.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Connections research benchmark context
A 2024 academic preprint created a benchmark from 358 archived Connections puzzles and evaluated 100 selected puzzles. In its Full Hints condition, human participants achieved 60.67% accuracy, while Claude 3.5 achieved 40.25%. Those figures describe that experiment, not general player success and not the performance of either group on puzzle #980.
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