Puzzle #989

NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Puzzle #989 · Tuesday, Feb 24, 2026

Stuck on Connections puzzle #989? Each group below starts with a gentle hint. Open a starter word, then the category, and only reveal the full answers when you are ready. Your progress is remembered on this device.

Nothing is revealed until you tap it.

Clues and hints for each group

Yellow group Straightforward

Hint: Four of the sixteen words share a link. The category name begins with the letter C.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: BONES

Show the category

Calcium-based Structures

Green group Moderate

Hint: Four of the sixteen words share a link. The category name begins with the letter S.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: BAGPIPES

Show the category

Symbols of Scotland

Blue group Tricky

Hint: These four are names or titles you may know from culture, sport or the news, so ask what they share.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: CHEKHOV

Show the category

Famous Playwrights

Purple group Hardest

Hint: Think of one short word that can follow each of the four to make a familiar phrase.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: BALANCE

Show the category

___ Beam

Full answers for puzzle #989

Reveal all four groups and their words

Calcium-based Structures

BONES CORAL SHELLS TEETH

Symbols of Scotland

BAGPIPES SCOTTIE TARTAN THISTLE

Famous Playwrights

CHEKHOV COWARD MILLER SHAW

___ Beam

BALANCE JIM LASER TRACTOR

More Connections hints

Other Tuesday puzzles

Questions people ask

How hard is NYT Connections puzzle #989?

Puzzle #989 from February 24, 2026 follows the usual pattern: yellow is the gentlest group and purple the trickiest.

How can I get a hint for the February 24, 2026 Connections puzzle without spoilers?

Every group on this page opens with a one-line hint. One word from the group and then the category name sit behind separate buttons, and the full answers stay hidden until you open them.

When does the new Connections puzzle come out?

A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight in your local time zone. We usually publish the next puzzle's hints the evening before, US time, so they are ready when your grid refreshes. See today's hints →

How many mistakes are you allowed in Connections?

You have four mistakes. The fourth wrong guess ends the game, so you can safely miss three times. If the game says you are "one away", three of your four words are correct.

Where can I find yesterday's Connections answers?

Open the Yesterday page for the previous puzzle, or search the archive by date, puzzle number, word or category. Yesterday's hints →