NYT Connections Answer

Happy Valentine’s Day, puzzle lovers! Whether you’re spending February 14th with a sweetheart or just your morning coffee, today’s NYT Connections puzzle offers a sweet little challenge to start your day.

If you’re finding yourself a bit stuck on the answer for 2026-02-14, don't worry. Today’s grid features a classic "red herring" trap involving words ending in "-UMP," but once you navigate past those, the categories fall into place beautifully.

Let’s break down the hints and solutions for today's puzzle.

Helpful Hints for Today's Connections

Before we reveal the full solution, here are a few NYT Connections hints to help you solve it on your own:

• Yellow Category: Think about a sudden surge or an increase in a chart.
• Green Category: These words all describe a small, physical swelling or a rounded elevation.
• Blue Category: If you’re a fan of cinema, look for names associated with one of Hollywood's most beloved actors.
• Purple Category: Every word in this group can be followed by a specific type of candy or herb.

Connections Answer for February 14, 2026

If you're ready for the full reveal, here are the four categories for today:

Yellow: UPTICK

• HIKE
• JUMP
• RISE
• SPIKE

Explanation: These four words are synonyms for a sudden or significant increase, often used when talking about data, prices, or statistics.

Green: PROTUBERANCE

• BUMP
• HUMP
• LUMP
• MOUND

Explanation: This category focuses on physical shapes. Whether it’s a small swelling on the skin or a physical landform, these words all describe something that sticks out or up from a surface.

Blue: TOM HANKS ROLES

• GUMP (Forrest Gump)
• PHILLIPS (Captain Phillips)
• SULLY (Sully)
• WOODY (Toy Story)

Explanation: This is a classic "Name" category. All four words refer to titular or iconic characters played by the legendary Tom Hanks. The trick here was separating "GUMP" from the other "-UMP" words in the green category!

Purple: WORDS BEFORE "MINT"

• BREATH (Breath mint)
• JUNIOR (Junior Mint)
• PEPPER (Peppermint)
• SPEAR (Spearmint)

Explanation: The trickiest category of the day! Each of these words forms a common compound word or phrase when you add "MINT" to the end.

How I Solved Today's Puzzle

When I first looked at the grid, the "-UMP" words jumped out immediately: BUMP, GUMP, HUMP, JUMP, LUMP. Since there were five of them, I knew at least one was a red herring.

I looked at GUMP and immediately thought of Forrest Gump. Looking for other movie characters, I spotted WOODY (Toy Story) and SULLY (from the movie Sully), and finally PHILLIPS (Captain Phillips). That locked in the Blue category.

With GUMP and JUMP out of the way, the other "-UMP" words (BUMP, HUMP, LUMP) paired perfectly with MOUND for the Green category.

The remaining words were HIKE, RISE, SPIKE, and JUMP. Since these all mean "to increase," that became the Yellow group.

Finally, I was left with BREATH, JUNIOR, PEPPER, and SPEAR. Adding "MINT" to the end of each made perfect sense (the candy Junior Mints being a personal favorite!), which rounded out the Purple category.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play NYT Connections?

The goal is to find groups of four items that share something in common. Select four items and tap "Submit" to see if your guess is correct. You have four mistakes before the game ends.

When does the NYT Connections puzzle reset?

The game resets every day at midnight in your local time zone.

What do the colors mean in Connections?

The colors represent the difficulty level:

• Yellow: Straightforward/Easiest
• Green: Common knowledge/Intermediate
• Blue: Specific trivia or deeper associations/Hard
• Purple: Wordplay or "fill-in-the-blank" clues/Tricky

Hopefully, this guide helped you keep your winning streak alive! See you tomorrow for more puzzle-solving fun.