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Need help with the Thursday, March 5, 2026, NYT Connections puzzle? This is puzzle #998. Start with the spoiler-free hints below, then open the solution when you’re ready.
Hints for Connections #998
Warning: Spoilers follow. The clues below point toward the four categories without listing their answer words.
- Look for four fastening items.
- Find places where ideas can be explored or developed.
- Think of verbs or objects associated with moving between states or positions.
- Consider several meanings of “sub.”
Full solution for March 5
Spoilers: the category names and all 16 answers are below.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Bits of hardware | BOLT, NUT, SCREW, WASHER |
| Green | Places where ideas are developed | INCUBATOR, LAB, SANDBOX, TEST BED |
| Blue | Go back and forth | ALTERNATE, SEESAW, SWITCH, TOGGLE |
| Purple | What “sub” might refer to | BELOW, HERO, REPLACEMENT, SUBMARINE |
Why the groupings can be tricky
Hardware and development settings
The yellow set is the most literal: each word names a piece of hardware. The green set shifts from physical or organizational settings to places where ideas can be tested or developed, including a sandbox and a test bed.
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Back-and-forth movement versus “sub”
ALTERNATE can suggest a substitute, which makes REPLACEMENT a tempting connection. In this puzzle, ALTERNATE belongs with SEESAW, SWITCH, and TOGGLE: each is associated with going back and forth or changing between states. REPLACEMENT belongs in the purple group instead. There, HERO means a submarine sandwich, not a person celebrated for bravery; the other words point to different senses or referents of “sub.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.About this puzzle’s date and difficulty
This answer set is for March 5, 2026, puzzle #998—not a live daily answer page. PC Guide reported a 2/5 difficulty rating attributed to NYT, but that rating was not independently confirmed against an official NYT page. Yahoo/TechRadar described its own experience as easy; that is a subjective assessment, not an official rating.
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