NYT’s Connections puzzle for 15 February 2026 leans into wordplay, psychology, and a touch of circus flair, with one group built around beloved reference shelves and another sneaky set hiding phone-related puns.
NYT Connections Puzzle Overview: 15 February 2026
Today’s grid mixes concrete objects, emotional vocabulary, and clever title-style wordplay. One group is a straightforward set of reference tools, another deals with memory cues, a third dives into classic psychology, and the last hides circus and performance roles behind misleading “phone” phrasing. The difficulty curve is gentle at first but ramps up quickly once you move beyond the obvious books.
NYT Connections Hints: 15 February 2026
Use these graded hints if you want a nudge without seeing the full answers right away.
Category 1
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Think of books you might pull off a library reference shelf.
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Each one helps you look something up rather than read straight through.
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One focuses on maps, another on word meanings, another on broad topics.
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Picture a heavy shelf in a school library or study room.
Category 2
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These are all things that can spark or stand in for a memory.
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Some are physical signs, others are more like impressions or feelings.
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One suggests a sound bouncing back to you.
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Another is something you might set on your phone so you don’t forget a task.
Category 3
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All of these are “complexes” you might hear about in psychology.
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Two are tied to famous names from Greek mythology.
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The other two describe how you might feel about yourself.
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You might encounter these terms in intro psych or pop-psych articles.
Category 4
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Each word can be preceded by something you’d use to contact someone by phone.
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Think of what you dial, speak, or otherwise use to reach a person.
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The full phrases sound like circus or performance-related terms.
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One involves a bird, another a musical instrument.
NYT Connections Answers: 15 February 2026
When you’re ready to confirm your grid (or rescue a nearly-lost streak), here are the full solutions.
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How Hard Was the 15 February 2026 Puzzle?
If you spotted the reference books early, this grid probably started out smooth before the blue and purple groups turned trickier. The psychological complexes required either textbook familiarity or good pattern recognition, while the final “phone” wordplay demanded a sideways look at what “starting with ways to reach someone via phone” really meant — perfect for a satisfying weekend solve.
