NYT Connections #988 for Monday, February 23, 2026, groups the words into EAT VORACIOUSLY, CONICAL THINGS, POSE, and SETTINGS FOR A KISS. Hints come first, followed by the full solution and explanations for the trickier entries.
Need the answer to NYT Connections #988? The four groups for Monday, February 23, 2026, are EAT VORACIOUSLY, CONICAL THINGS, POSE, and SETTINGS FOR A KISS.
Spoiler warning: The complete word list and answers appear below the hints.
Hints for Connections #988 on Monday, February 23
Try these clues before looking at the solution:
- Yellow: Food may not have time to get cold.
- Green: Round, but only up to a point; think funnel-shaped or conical.
- Blue: Something a person may do in an interview when presenting a false image.
- Purple: Places or occasions associated with kissing.
In shorter form, the clues are: Chow down, Dunce-cap-shaped, Fake it, maybe, and Smooch site.
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Today’s 16 Connections words
The grid for puzzle #988 contains:
NEW YEAR’S EVE, VOLCANO, MASQUERADE, PARTY HAT, CHRISTMAS TREE, MISTLETOE, GORGE, BLUFF, POSTURE, CONE, WEDDING, BOLT, SCARF, BLARNEY STONE, INHALE, FRONT
NYT Connections #988 answers
Yellow: EAT VORACIOUSLY
BOLT, GORGE, INHALE, SCARF
These are all informal ways to describe eating quickly or consuming a large amount of food. Gorge and scarf are the most immediately recognizable food-related verbs. Bolt can mean to eat quickly, while inhale works figuratively for consuming food at great speed.
Green: CONICAL THINGS
CHRISTMAS TREE, CONE, PARTY HAT, VOLCANO
A cone is the direct entry, while a decorated party hat and many Christmas trees have a broadly conical shape. Volcanoes are not all cone-shaped, but the familiar image of a volcano—and especially a volcanic mountain—is commonly represented that way.
Rank #2
Some versions of online coverage may display CHRISTMAS TREE as two separate grid entries because of page formatting. It is one phrase and belongs in this group.
Blue: POSE
BLUFF, FRONT, MASQUERADE, POSTURE
Here, pose means to adopt a false appearance, attitude, or identity. Posture can describe the stance a person takes, while a front is a façade. To bluff is to pretend to have a stronger position than you really do, and to masquerade can mean to pose as someone or something else.
Purple: SETTINGS FOR A KISS
BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR’S EVE, WEDDING
The Blarney Stone is traditionally kissed by visitors to Blarney Castle. Mistletoe is associated with kissing during the Christmas season, while a midnight kiss is a familiar New Year’s Eve tradition. A wedding conventionally includes a kiss between the newly married couple.
This group is more specific than simply “celebrations” or “holidays”: each entry points to a setting, occasion, or tradition associated with a kiss.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallWhy this puzzle was tricky
Several entries invite tempting but incorrect groupings. NEW YEAR’S EVE, CHRISTMAS TREE, PARTY HAT, MISTLETOE, and WEDDING all suggest holidays, parties, or celebrations. But the puzzle uses those words in two different ways: CHRISTMAS TREE and PARTY HAT describe conical objects, while NEW YEAR’S EVE and WEDDING complete the kissing group with MISTLETOE and BLARNEY STONE.
BLUFF, FRONT, VOLCANO, and GORGE can also evoke geographic features or landscapes. Only the first two belong together, and they do so through the idea of a façade or false display. VOLCANO is needed for the conical group, while GORGE is one of the four fast-eating verbs.
MASQUERADE is another deliberate distraction: it can describe a party, but in this grid it is being used as a verb meaning to pose as something else.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Want more Connections puzzles?
For readers who prefer solving away from a screen, the publisher has announced Connections by The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu, a physical collection containing more than 100 puzzles. The listed hardcover release date is October 27, 2026, so availability and retailer details should be checked before buying. It is a collection for additional play, not a claim that puzzle #988 appears in the book.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The word list and solution for Connections #988 are consistent with contemporary answer guides, including Forbes’ clues and answers guide and its answer explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the NYT Connections answers for Monday, February 23, 2026?
The answers are EAT VORACIOUSLY: BOLT, GORGE, INHALE, SCARF; CONICAL THINGS: CHRISTMAS TREE, CONE, PARTY HAT, VOLCANO; POSE: BLUFF, FRONT, MASQUERADE, POSTURE; and SETTINGS FOR A KISS: BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR’S EVE, WEDDING.
Why are BOLT and INHALE in the EAT VORACIOUSLY group?
BOLT and INHALE can both describe eating quickly in an informal, figurative sense. GORGE and SCARF are more direct synonyms for eating a lot or eating rapidly.
Why is the Blarney Stone part of the purple group?
The Blarney Stone is traditionally kissed, mistletoe is associated with kissing, New Year’s Eve commonly includes a midnight kiss, and weddings conventionally include a kiss between the newly married couple.
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The Bottom Line
Connections #988: BOLT, GORGE, INHALE, SCARF; CHRISTMAS TREE, CONE, PARTY HAT, VOLCANO; BLUFF, FRONT, MASQUERADE, POSTURE; and BLARNEY STONE, MISTLETOE, NEW YEAR’S EVE, WEDDING.
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