NYT Connections February 13 challenges players with definite terms, pennants, cigarette brands, and tricky homophones.
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle blends brand names, wordplay, and subtle sound-alike clues into a satisfying mid-level challenge.
From “downright” synonyms to shrinking-sound homophones, the February 13 grid rewards careful thinking and pattern spotting.
NYT Connections February 13 grid is now live with a new challenge for players to overcome. An initial glance at words like Pure, Colours, Camel, Flag, and Lesson makes no sense. To reach the conclusion and find themes like ‘no doubt,’ ‘a country or team,’ ‘cigarette brands,’ and ‘sounds like small things,’ players need to give the grid a careful look.
The world of word puzzles is massive, but hardly any others compete with the puzzles that The New York Times presents. Whether it's NYT Strands, NYT Connections, or Wordle, each of these web-based word puzzles has its specific word-guessing method. In NYT Connections, the theme isn’t stated initially, but once players guess the right sets, the game reveals the themes:
This puzzle is tricky, but some clues may make things easier for gamers. Here are some hints to help players solve today’s puzzle. Let's start with the hints category-wise:
Easiest Group (Yellow): Today’s yellow group words refer to indicate something definite.
Moderate Group (Green): The green group consists of words that we either wave at or put on the wall.
Challenging Group (Blue): The blue group words are associated to cigarette.
Most Difficult Group (Purple): Finally, the purple category words that sound like shrinking in size.
If you are still a bit confused about the themes of today’s puzzle, below are the one-word hints. From every category, one word is listed below:
PURE
COLORS
PARLIAMENT
WAYNE
These one-word hints will help you identify what other words of the category may contain.
The given hints have hopefully resolved the confusion and helped players form the groups without many errors. However, if that’s not the case and some are still trying to figure out the word groups of today, here are the solutions to the NYT Connections of February 13, 2026.
Yellow Category (DOWNRIGHT): PURE, SHEER, STARK, UTTER
Green Category (PENNANT): BANNER, COLORS, FLAG, STANDARD
Blue Category (CIGARETTE BRANDS): CAMEL, KENT, PARLIAMENT, SALEM
Purple Category (HOMOPHONES OF WAYS TO GET SMALLER): LESSON, RESEED, SYNC, WAYNE
These are the four categories for today’s puzzle, and congratulations to those who have solved it without any help.
Also Read: Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Answers for February 12, 2026
NYT Connections differs from most NYT puzzles in that it highlights four distinct themes each day. Where most NYT puzzles present a single theme and all the words are related to that theme only, Connections sets a different standard with four distinct themes every day.
Without a sound knowledge of the connection between words, there’s no way one can guess the exact word groups without help. The solution not only provides players with a satisfying experience but also enriches their vocabulary.
Also Read: NYT Wordle Answer Today for February 12, 2026: Hints and Expert Walkthrough Revealed