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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallSpoilers: The NYT Connections puzzle for Sunday, February 8, 2026, is game #973. Its solution uses four groups: words meaning suppress, familiar repetitive patterns, strong-password features, and words that follow “two.”
NYT Connections #973 answers for February 8
| Color | Category | Tiles |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | SUPPRESS | GAG, INHIBIT, MUZZLE, SILENCE |
| Green | SAME OLD STUFF | DRILL, GRIND, HABIT, ROUTINE |
| Blue | FEATURES OF A STRONG PASSWORD | LENGTH, NUMBER, SYMBOL, UPPERCASE |
| Purple | WORDS AFTER “TWO” | BIT, CENTS, FACED, TIMER |
The complete 16-word grid
The puzzle’s tiles are:
- TIMER
- GAG
- DRILL
- BIT
- ROUTINE
- SYMBOL
- CENTS
- LENGTH
- NUMBER
- SILENCE
- GRIND
- MUZZLE
- HABIT
- FACED
- INHIBIT
- UPPERCASE
Why each group works
Yellow: SUPPRESS
To gag, inhibit, muzzle or silence something is to hold it back, quiet it or prevent it from being expressed.
Green: SAME OLD STUFF
A drill, grind, habit or routine describes something familiar and repetitive.
Blue: FEATURES OF A STRONG PASSWORD
Length, a number, a symbol and uppercase letters are common elements in password-strength rules. The exact requirements can vary by service, but each tile names a typical requirement.
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Purple: WORDS AFTER “TWO”
Add “two” to the front of each tile: two-bit, two cents, two-faced and two-timer.
The trickiest overlap in this puzzle
GAG, BIT, ROUTINE and NUMBER can initially look like a stand-up-comedy set: a gag, a bit, a routine and a number. That tempting connection is a decoy. FACED is the key that points toward the phrase-completion category, leaving the comedy-looking words to be separated among the intended groups.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How NYT Connections works
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Categories become progressively harder, and a relationship may depend on a phrase, word pairing or other indirect link rather than a straightforward definition.
- Select four tiles you believe share a category.
- Submit the group and use the result to reassess the remaining tiles.
- You have one solution and can make up to four mistakes.
The game is available through NYT Games. A subscription provides access to the full puzzle archive, according to the game guide. A new puzzle appears at midnight in each player’s time zone, as TechRadar contributor Johnny Dee explains.
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