Connections · Hints and answers

Connections #981 hints and answers for Monday, February 16, 2026

Edited by Wyna Liu · Groups listed easiest to hardest: yellow, green, blue, purple

Connections #981 puts four groups of four on the board, running from the yellow group through to purple. For each group below: read the hint first, then show the category name when you want it, then the four words.

Group 1 - Yellow

Hint: One thread ties these four together. It is a fair link, not a trick - think about what the words can all be or do.

KNEE-SLAPPER

HOOT · LAUGH · RIOT · SCREAM

Group 2 - Green

Hint: All four words start with the letter D - the real link runs deeper than that, but it is a place to start.

HOMOPHONES

DO · DOE · DOH · DOUGH

Group 3 - Blue

Hint: Four words, one thread. Say each of the four out loud - the link is usually plainer than it looks.

SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES

BUCK · CACKLE · CLUCK · SQUAWK

Group 4 - Purple

Hint: All four words start with the letter F - the real link runs deeper than that, but it is a place to start.

STRESS RESPONSES

FAWN · FIGHT · FLIGHT · FREEZE

Next on the board

Strands →

Theme clue: "The cutting edge"