NYT Connections: clues and solutions for Friday, February 7.

      Connections is an excellent puzzle game offered by the New York Times. The objective is to categorize a set of 16 words into four secret groups by determining how the words are interconnected. Every night at midnight, the puzzle refreshes, presenting a range of difficulty levels for each new challenge. Similar to Wordle, you can track your winning streak and compare scores with friends.

      Some days present more challenges than others, much like other popular NYT Games such as The Mini and Strands. If you're having difficulty with today’s puzzle, you can refer to our Connections tips and tricks guide for helpful strategies, or check the hints for today’s puzzle below. If you're still stuck, we’ll provide today’s answers at the end.

      How to play Connections

      Connections is a daily game that involves finding common links among words. Players need to choose four groups of four words, ensuring that they do not make more than three mistakes. Start playing now at https://t.co/YITfSnqODb.

      You can access Connections either on the New York Times website or via the NYT Games app available on iOS or Android.

      In Connections, you'll see a grid made up of 16 words, and your task is to arrange these words into four groups of four by recognizing the relationships between them. The groups can include categories such as the names of video game series, sequels to book series, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc.

      There are often words that might fit into several categories, but only one answer is definitively correct. You can rearrange the words on the grid to help identify possible connections more clearly.

      Each group is color-coded: the yellow group is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple.

      Select four words and click Submit. If your selection is correct, those words will be removed from the grid, and the theme connecting them will be revealed. An incorrect guess counts as a mistake, and you have a maximum of four mistakes before the game ends.

      Hints for today’s Connections

      We can assist you in solving today's puzzle by revealing the four themes. If you need more help, one word from each group is provided below.

      Today’s themes:

      - BE IN CHARGE OF

      - THINGS MADE OF RUBBER

      - ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENIE IN “ALADDIN”

      - RED __

      One-answer reveals:

      - BE IN CHARGE OF – DIRECT

      - THINGS MADE OF RUBBER – BALLOON

      - ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENIE IN “ALADDIN” – BLUE

      - RED __ – BULL

      New York Times

      Today’s Connections answers

      Still struggling? That’s perfectly fine. This puzzle is intended to be challenging. If you just want to know today's Connections answers, they are as follows:

      - BE IN CHARGE OF – DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD, RUN

      - THINGS MADE OF RUBBER – BALLOON, ERASER, GALOSH, TIRE

      - ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENIE IN “ALADDIN” – BLUE, EARRING, LAMP, WISHES

      - RED __ – BULL, CROSS, HERRING, VELVET

      Connections grids are highly variable and change daily. If today's puzzle defeated you, make sure to come back tomorrow.

      NYT Connection FAQs

      What time does the Connections puzzle change?

      The puzzle updates every day at midnight local time.

      Who edits the NYT Connections game?

      Wyna Liu, an editor who has been working on puzzles for The New York Times since 2020, is responsible for editing Connections on a daily basis. In an article detailing her editing process from June 2024, Liu mentioned, “A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had just been approved and was looking for an editor.” She expressed her enthusiasm for the opportunity to work on a different type of puzzle, especially her enjoyment in learning how puzzle editing operates once a game is approved and seeing how the team contributes to a larger ecosystem.

      On the one-year anniversary of Connections' launch earlier this year, Liu shared a TikTok featuring her favorite puzzles to celebrate.