Players attempting to solve the New York Times’ daily word game, Connections, found today’s puzzle, #974, presented a unique challenge, according to reports. The game, which tasks players with grouping four words based on a common thread, has become a popular fixture for many, alongside other New York Times games like Wordle and Spelling Bee.
Hints released by CNET and Mashable offered guidance for those struggling with the February 9, 2026, puzzle. The hints categorized the groupings by difficulty, starting with a “Valentine’s Day” theme for the easiest category, and progressing to a more obscure “On wheels” theme for the most challenging.
The solutions, as revealed by CNET, categorized the words as follows: the “act lovestruck” group comprised the words moon, pine, swoon, and yearn. “earnings” included gain, net, return, and yield; “compact mass” featured block, brick, cake, and puck; and finally, “roller ____” was completed with bag, coaster, derby, and rink.
The New York Times introduced Connections in 2014 as part of an expansion of its games offerings, following the success of The Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, and Tiles. The acquisition of Wordle and the subsequent addition of Connections and Strands further solidified the Times’ position in the puzzle game market, according to the New York Times Company website.
The game’s popularity has prompted the development of tools to analyze player performance. The Times now offers a Connections Bot, similar to its Wordle bot, providing players with a numeric score and analysis of their attempts. Registered users can also track their progress, including puzzle completion rates, perfect scores, and win streaks.
As of today, the New York Times has not released any official statement regarding the difficulty of puzzle #974 or player completion rates.
