NYT Connections puzzle #976 for Wednesday, February 11, 2026, groups its 16 words into ACT LOVESTRUCK, EARNINGS, COMPACT MASS, and ROLLER ____. Use the hint ladder below if you want help without immediately revealing every word, then check the complete solution and the hockey-themed red herring.
Hints for Connections #976 on February 11, 2026
Start with the broadest clue and move down only when you need more help. The final line in each section gives the four words in that group.
Yellow: act lovestruck
Look for verbs describing romantic longing or behaving as though you are infatuated.
Stronger hint: These words can describe yearning, pining or swooning.
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Green: earnings
Think about money made, received or produced by an investment or activity.
Stronger hint: One word means profit, while the others can describe money left after deductions or money returned.
Rank #2
Blue: compact mass
These are solid, dense objects or forms.
Stronger hint: Think of a construction unit, a pressed or molded food, a hockey object and a baked item.
Purple: roller ____
Each answer completes the phrase “roller ____.”
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Stronger hint: The four completed phrases include a rink, a coaster, a derby and a bag.
Connections #976 answers and categories
| Category | Words | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|
| ACT LOVESTRUCK | MOON, PINE, SWOON, YEARN | Each word describes romantic longing or an lovestruck state: you can moon over someone, pine for them, swoon, or yearn. |
| EARNINGS | GAIN, NET, RETURN, YIELD | Each can refer to money earned or generated. Gain and return describe financial profit, net can mean the amount remaining after deductions, and yield is the income or output produced. |
| COMPACT MASS | BLOCK, BRICK, CAKE, PUCK | All four can denote a compact, solid mass: a block, a brick, a cake as a molded mass, and a puck. |
| ROLLER ____ | BAG, COASTER, DERBY, RINK | Each follows “roller”: roller bag, roller coaster, roller derby and roller rink. |
The complete word grid
The 16 entries in puzzle #976 are:
- NET
- RINK
- MOON
- CAKE
- RETURN
- PUCK
- BLOCK
- GAIN
- PINE
- BRICK
- COASTER
- BAG
- DERBY
- SWOON
- YIELD
- YEARN
Why NET, RINK and PUCK are a trap
NET, RINK and PUCK immediately suggest hockey, making them look like the start of a sports category. That grouping cannot be completed with a fourth word, however. RINK belongs to the purple group because it forms “roller rink,” alongside BAG, COASTER and DERBY.
PUCK instead fits the blue group with BLOCK, BRICK and CAKE. The shared idea is a compact or dense mass, not a sport. Connections commonly uses these overlapping associations as red herrings: a word may have a tempting relationship with several entries, but only one arrangement completes all four groups.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the daily Connections game works
Connections presents 16 words and asks you to arrange them into four groups of four. There is one correct solution, and the puzzle can include misleading associations. You have up to four incorrect guesses; a fourth incorrect guess ends the game.
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The daily puzzle becomes available at midnight in your local time. It is a free New York Times word game playable on the NYT website or in the Games app.
A spoiler-safe way to solve this puzzle
- Scan for an unmistakable phrase pattern. “Roller ____” quickly identifies BAG, COASTER, DERBY and RINK once you notice the shared completion.
- Set aside words with several plausible meanings, especially NET, RINK and PUCK. Do not lock in a sports theory until it produces four entries.
- Look for the emotional verbs. MOON, PINE, SWOON and YEARN form a clean lovestruck set.
- Test the remaining financial meanings. GAIN, NET, RETURN and YIELD all describe earnings or money generated.
- Place the four leftover solid objects—BLOCK, BRICK, CAKE and PUCK—into COMPACT MASS.
Final solution
For Wednesday, February 11, 2026, Connections #976 resolves to:
Quick Recap
- Yellow: MOON, PINE, SWOON, YEARN — ACT LOVESTRUCK
- Green: GAIN, NET, RETURN, YIELD — EARNINGS
- Blue: BLOCK, BRICK, CAKE, PUCK — COMPACT MASS
- Purple: BAG, COASTER, DERBY, RINK — ROLLER ____
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