NYT Connections hints for Feb 12 are all over the place today. If you've opened the app and felt that immediate "what on earth am I looking at" sensation, you aren't alone. Wyna Liu, the puzzle's editor, has a specific way of messing with our heads. She loves a good red herring. Honestly, she's a master at it.
You see words like "Bridge" and "Draft" and your brain immediately goes to architecture or maybe card games. But that's the trap. That is always the trap. This game isn't just about what words mean; it’s about how they are used.
The February 12 puzzle is particularly devious because it relies on some very specific niche knowledge. If you aren't a fan of a certain type of beverage or a particular era of television, you might find yourself staring at a wall of text that refuses to make sense. Let’s break it down before you lose your streak.
Why Today’s Connections Is Tripping Everyone Up
Most people approach Connections by looking for the "easy" group first. Usually, that's the Yellow group. It's meant to be straightforward. But today? Today it’s a bit of a toss-up.
The biggest hurdle for the February 12 grid is the crossover. There are words that fit into three different potential categories. It’s a mess. If you’ve ever played a game of "The Floor is Lava," that’s basically what your cursor is doing right now. You’re afraid to click.
One of the groups involves things that are literally "under" something else. Think about things you’d find on the bottom of a structure. Another group is purely linguistic—words that share a prefix or a suffix that isn't actually written there. Those are the worst. They require a leap of logic that usually only hits you after three cups of coffee.
The Art of the Red Herring
Let's talk about the word "Check." It shows up in so many puzzles. It could be a bill at a restaurant. It could be a tick mark. It could be a chess move. In the context of Feb 12, "Check" is a nightmare. It sits there, mocking you, because it fits with at least two other words that have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
If you are looking at "Draft," "Check," and "Bill," you might think you’ve found a financial or banking category. You haven't. Don't fall for it.
Direct Hints for Feb 12 Groups
If you want to solve this without seeing the answers yet, here are some nudges.
The Yellow Category is about things that are basically synonyms for "Precursor" or "Preliminary." If you were writing a book or building a house, you’d start here. It's the "rough" version of things.
The Green Category is all about a specific type of location. Or rather, a part of a location. If you’re standing in a room, look down. Not at the floor, but at the things that define the boundaries of the space.
The Blue Category is the one that usually frustrates people. It’s about a specific brand or a specific set of items that share a common name. Today, it’s about something you’d find in a bar. Specifically, brands of a very popular, light-colored beverage.
The Purple Category is the "blank" category. This is the hardest one. You have to put a word before or after these words to make a common phrase. Think about things you can "make" or "draw."
Looking for Patterns?
Look at the words STUD, JOIST, and BEAM. If you’ve ever done any DIY home renovation or if you’ve just watched enough HGTV, those should scream at you. They are structural. They are what keep your ceiling from hitting your head.
But what’s the fourth word? Is it POST? Is it SILL? This is where the difficulty spikes. You have to be careful not to waste your guesses on structural elements that don't belong in Wyna's specific vision for today.
The February 12 Solution Breakdown
Okay, let's get into the actual answers. If you don't want the spoilers, stop scrolling. Seriously. Close the tab. Go take a walk. Still here? Fine.
Yellow: Preliminary Versions
- DRAFT
- OUTLINE
- PLAN
- SKETCH
This is the most logical group in the bunch. These are all things you do before the final product is finished. A writer makes a draft. An artist makes a sketch. An architect makes a plan. It's clean. It's simple. It's the "straight A student" of categories.
Green: Structural Supports
- BEAM
- COLUMN
- POST
- STUD
I mentioned these earlier. These are the vertical and horizontal supports in a building. If you’ve ever tried to hang a heavy TV on a wall, you were desperately looking for a stud. If you’re in an old basement, you’re probably dodging a column or a post.
Blue: Beer Brands
- BUD
- COORS
- MILLER
- STELLA
This is where people get stuck. If you aren't a beer drinker, "Stella" might look like a name (maybe A Streetcar Named Desire?). "Miller" could be a profession or a last name. "Bud" could be a friend or a flower. But together? They are the giants of the beverage aisle.
Purple: Words After "DRAWING"
- BOARD
- BLOOD
- PIN
- ROOM
This is the classic Purple difficulty. "Drawing board," "Drawing blood," "Drawing pin," and "Drawing room." They have nothing in common except for that one invisible word. It's brilliant. It's annoying. It's why we play this game.
Strategy for Future Puzzles
Connections is a game of patience. The NYT doesn't want you to solve it in thirty seconds. They want you to struggle. They want you to almost give up.
One trick I’ve found is to look for the most "unique" word. A word that can only mean one or two things. In today's puzzle, JOIST (if it had been in there) or COORS are pretty specific. Once you identify a "lock," you can build around it.
If you see a word like "BUD," don't immediately think "flower." Think of every possible iteration of that word. Is it a nickname? A brand? A stage of growth? A verb?
Don't Guess Until You Have Two Groups
Seriously. The biggest mistake people make is clicking as soon as they see three words that fit. The game always provides a fourth word that almost fits, just to burn your lives.
Try to find two complete groups of four on your screen before you click a single thing. If you can't find two, you haven't looked hard enough at the red herrings. Look at the words that feel out of place. Why is "BLOOD" there? It doesn't fit with "BEER" or "STRUCTURES" or "DRAFTS." That tells you it's likely part of the Purple "blank" group.
Practical Next Steps for Your NYT Streak
If you managed to save your streak today, congrats. It wasn't an easy one. If you failed, don't sweat it. Tomorrow is a new grid and a new set of headaches.
To get better, try these steps:
- Read the words out loud. Sometimes hearing the word helps you associate it with a phrase you’ve heard but haven't seen written down in a while.
- Use the Shuffle button. It sounds stupid, but your brain gets "locked" into the positions of the words on the grid. Shuffling them physically breaks those mental associations.
- Step away. If you have two lives left and no groups, put your phone down. Come back in an hour. Your subconscious will keep working on it while you’re doing laundry or driving.
The February 12 Connections puzzle is a reminder that the English language is a chaotic mess of homonyms and brand names. But that’s what makes the win feel so good. Go grab a coffee (or a Miller, I guess) and get ready for tomorrow's grid.
Check your logic one last time. Did you mistake a structural post for a mail post? Did you think "Board" was part of a committee instead of a drawing board? If you caught those errors before hitting "Submit," you're already playing at a high level. Keep that momentum going into the rest of the week's puzzles.