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Today’s Connections puzzle is #969, for Wednesday, February 4, 2026. If you’re stuck, start with the category hints below; the full groups and answers follow in the spoiler section.
Hints for Connections #969
The puzzle asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared connection. The category labels are hidden until you solve a group.
- One group is about disagreement or opposition.
- One contains games of chance.
- One groups informal ways to say “approximately.”
- For the last group, look for words that begin with NBA team names.
Answers for February 4, 2026
Spoilers ahead: The category labels and all 16 words are listed below.
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Contention | conflict, discord, friction, rivalry |
| Games of chance | bingo, craps, lottery, war |
| More or less, colloquially | approx, bout, like, round |
| Starting with NBA teams | bullseye, heated, magical, netscape |
Why the NBA-team group fits
Each word in the final group starts with the name of an NBA team: Bulls in bullseye, Heat in heated, Magic in magical, and Nets in netscape. The team name is the beginning of a longer word, rather than a standalone team reference.
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How to use “one away” and other solving cues
Yahoo Tech’s February 4 guide recommends treating “one away” feedback as a reason to revisit a nearly complete group: one selected word may be the decoy, or the category may be narrower than it first appeared. It also suggests shuffling the grid to make different word combinations stand out, solving a more obvious group while keeping possible overlaps in mind, and taking a break before returning if you are stuck.
The guide describes the game as a daily 4-by-4 grid with four mistakes allowed before the answers are revealed. These gameplay details are attributed to that guide; the puzzle answers above are specific to February 4, 2026.
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