Looking for today's Connections answers? The Connections answers on February 16 for puzzle #250 are about as challenging as yesterday's, with the Connections Companion rating this puzzle's difficulty at 3.3 out of 5.
Every day, we update this article with Connections hints and tips to help you find all 4 of today's answers. And if the hints aren't enough, you'll find all 4 answers below, with the category titles and the correlating words. Plus, we're including a reflection on yesterday's puzzle, #249, in case you're reading this in a different time zone.
Spoilers lie ahead for Connections #250. Only read on if you want to know today's Connections answers.
Alternatively, visit our how to play NYT Connections guide for tips on how to solve the puzzle without our help.
Today's Connections answer — hints to help you solve it
Unlike our guide to today's Wordle answer, where we recommend the best Wordle start words as your strategy, solving Connections relies on identifying connecting categories among 16 words. Each category's difficulty level is represented by a color; yellow is the easiest grouping, and purple is the most challenging. Once you've made 4 mistakes in your guesses, the answers will be revealed, so hints can be helpful.
If you need hints to solve the groupings, then here are the themes of each, based on the order of difficulty:
- 🟨 Yellow: Slip into something more comfortable
- 🟩 Green: Birds of a feather
- 🟦 Blue: Not-so-secret code
- 🟪 Purple: Got a match?
These hints should get you at least some of the way towards finding today's Connections answers. If not, then you can read on for bigger clues; or, if you just want to know the answer, then scroll down further.
Alright then, here's a larger hint: Beware the serpent's hiss, for not all is as it seems. Creatures of scale and fang may lead you astray. Instead, look to the comfort of home and hearth. In the soft embrace of feathers and the click-clack of keyboards, you'll find the right moment to strike.
Today's Connections answers
So, what are today's Connections answers for game #250?
Drumroll, please...
- 🟨 Comfy shoes: Croc, loafer, moccasin, slipper
- 🟩 Things made with feathers: Boa, headdress, pillow, shuttlecock
- 🟦 Programming languages: Basic, Java, Python, Ruby
- 🟪 Things that can strike: Cobra, inspiration, lightning, union
The game today was strewn with potential perils at every turn, and I unwittingly fell for the serpent's snare right out of the gate! With Cobra, Croc, Boa, and Python all slithering across the board, I couldn't help but get bitten by the idea that they shared a venomous connection. The Connections boards hissed back at me. "SSssucker!" A slippery distraction, but I wasn't going to let it shed my confidence.
Shoe-gazing brought more success, with Moccasin, Croc, Slipper, and Loafer the cozy companions I needed to make the yellow category, a comfy fit indeed.
As for Headdress, it stood out like a feathered headpiece at a minimalist art gala. I thought I could maybe pair it with a Boa, Ruby, and er, a Python, to make some kind of burlesque snake charmer's ensemble, but ultimately thought against it. That would be a costume too esoteric for this puzzle.
Then my techie instincts kicked in—Python wasn't just a snake, it was a programming language, sharing bytes and bits with Java, Basic, and Ruby. I'd cracked the blue category like Hugh Jackman in Swordfish.
Pondering my Pillow, I considered its typical stuffing. Feathers next took flight, with Boa, Headdress, Pillow, and Shuttlecock proving to be more than just soft touches; they were the green group today.
Now, only the purple puzzle pieces remained: Cobra, Inspiration, Lightning, and Union. Inspiration and Lighting suggested—a spark? A flash? I didn't see how a Cobra or Union did either of these things, though.
Then, like a bolt from the blue, it struck me. Each could strike in its own way: Cobra with a deadly kiss, Inspiration with a sudden jolt of creativity, Lightning with its electric dance, and Union with the power of collective action.
With all categories neatly sorted, I leaned back, visions of serpents fading into the rearview mirror. It was a game that had coiled around my confidence, but it was nothing a comfy pair of slippers couldn't soothe away.
Yesterday's Connections answers
Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Connections answers for game #249, which had a difficulty rating of 3.4 out of 5, according to the Connections Companion.
Today's puzzle had me dusting off my old Britpop records, but let’s not jump the gun. I first faced an array of words that felt like a mystifying mix of timekeeping and baking—a mix as odd as pineapple on pizza, in my humble opinion.
The word Watch caught my eye first, and I couldn't help but think of timepieces, ticking away the seconds. Hourglass agreed with this theme, as did Timer, but alas, it wasn't to be a perfect match. The fourth eluded me like a long-forgotten watch in a drawer. With a bit of a pivot, I lined up Watch with Monitor, Survey, and Track, and there I had it—four old stalwarts keeping tabs on everything!
Then, thoughts of summer vacations filled my mind and I reminisced about beautiful beaches and the inevitability of still finding sand in my shoes weeks later. Hourglass again seemed to fit this sandy category, joining Beach, Desert, and Playground for a splash in the waves.
- 🟨 Follow attentively: Monitor, survey, track, watch
- 🟩 Where you might find sand: Beach, desert, hourglass, playground
- 🟦 Oven buttons: Bake, broil, light, timer
- 🟪 Britpop bands: Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Suede
This left Bake, Broil, and Timer, which I immediately recognized as buttons you might find on an oven. I hesitated with Light, unsure if it was part of this team, but I chanced it. And, like that perfectly timed soufflé, it didn't fall flat.
The remaining Britpop bands were like old friends at a reunion for me. Pulp, Oasis, Blur and Suede were all musical icons of my teenage years back in Britain. I even got to see Oasis at Loch Lomond back in the day. Too easy, game!
So, four categories neatly wrapped up. Now, where did I put that Definitely Maybe cassette?
