NYT Connections Answers – Sunday, February 1, 2026 (#966)

NYT Connections Answers – Sunday, February 1, 2026 (Puzzle #966)

Need today’s NYT Connections answers for February 1, 2026 (#966)? Here are progressive hints, the full solutions for all four categories, clear explanations, and strategies so you can nudge your solve or confirm your perfect game!

Today’s puzzle featured another “twisty” purple category with hidden words inside other words — a classic Connections brain-bender!

Puzzle date: Sunday, February 1, 2026
Connections number: 966
Play free: nytimes.com/games/connections (or in the NYT Games app)

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Progressive Hints for Today’s Connections (#966)

Ranked easiest (yellow) to hardest (purple):

1. Yellow – Make something widely known → promote or advertise.
2. Green – Footwear → different styles of shoes.
3. Blue – Countries have national ones → slang for a great song/track.
4. Purple – Like clarinets, pianos and more, but with a twist to the words → musical instruments hidden at the end of longer words (with the starting letter changed/added).

Still working? Scroll for the full answers.

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Full Answers – NYT Connections #966 (Feb 1, 2026)

🟨 Yellow – Publicize

• BOOST
• HYPE
• PITCH
• PLUG

(Synonyms for promoting/advertising something — give it a boost, hype it up, pitch an idea, plug a product)

🟩 Green – Kinds of shoes

• CLOG
• FLAT
• MULE
• WEDGE

(Common shoe styles/types — wooden clog, ballet flat, backless mule, wedge heel)

🟦 Blue – Anthem

• BANGER
• BOP
• HEATER
• JAM

(Slang for an excellent song — “that’s a banger!”, “absolute bop”, “this track is a heater/jam”)

🟪 Purple – Musical instruments plus starting letter

• GLUTE (lute → glute)
• MORGAN (organ → morgan)
• SHARP (harp → sharp)
• THORN (horn → thorn)

(Each word contains a musical instrument at the end, but starts with an extra letter: glute, morgan, sharp, thorn)

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Today’s 16 Words (for reference)

BOOST, BANGER, BOP, CLOG, FLAT, GLUTE, HEATER, HYPE, JAM, MORGAN, MULE, PITCH, PLUG, SHARP, THORN, WEDGE

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Quick Solving Tips & Why It Was Tricky

• Purple twist — The hidden instruments (lute, organ, harp, horn) are at the end of longer words — very easy to miss until you spot the pattern.
• Blue slang — All music slang terms; “anthem” is the connecting word meaning a standout song.
• Overlaps — “plug” could almost fit shoes (electrical plug?), “sharp” could mislead to music notes — classic misdirection.
• Average difficulty — Medium-high; purple usually takes the most guesses. Many players got yellow/green fast, then struggled on blue/purple.

Pro strategy — Start with concrete categories (shoes: CLOG + FLAT + MULE + WEDGE), then promotion words (BOOST + HYPE + PITCH + PLUG), then look for slang (music terms), and finally scan for hidden instruments in purple.

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FAQ – NYT Connections February 1, 2026 (#966)

Q: What are the answers for Connections puzzle #966 (Feb 1, 2026)?
A:
🟨 Publicize: BOOST, HYPE, PITCH, PLUG
🟩 Kinds of shoes: CLOG, FLAT, MULE, WEDGE
🟦 Anthem: BANGER, BOP, HEATER, JAM
🟪 Musical instruments + starting letter: GLUTE, MORGAN, SHARP, THORN

Q: Why is “GLUTE” in the purple group?
A: It ends with lute (musical instrument) — the pattern is instrument name with one extra starting letter added.

Q: What does “anthem” mean in the blue category?
A: Slang for a really good song/track — “that’s an anthem!”, same as banger, bop, heater, jam.

Q: Where can I play today’s Connections?
A: Free at nytimes.com/games/connections or in the NYT Games mobile app (no subscription needed for daily play).

Q: How many mistakes can I make?
A: Four lives — after that the puzzle ends. Use “one away” clues wisely!

Q: Was today’s Connections harder than usual?
A: Yes — the purple hidden-word twist and slang-heavy blue category made it tricky for many solvers.

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Got it in one go? Share your score in the comments!
🟨🟩🟦🟪 Perfect game? You’re crushing it. Four mistakes on purple? Very common today — streak still alive!

Bookmark for daily NYT Connections hints & answers. See you tomorrow for #967. Happy connecting!