NYT Connections #982 (Feb 17) — Stepwise Hints and Full Solutions

NYT Connections #982 (Feb 17): Hints, Stepwise Help and Full Solutions

This caught my attention because today’s Connections puzzle leaned on simple category recognition and a small bit of wordplay – the kind that rewards a quick pivot from synonyms to word parts. If you were stuck, the quick hints below move from discreet nudges to full reveals so you can learn the pattern without spoiling the fun too early.

Key takeaways

• Four groups for puzzle #982: synonyms for “zoom,” common Chinese sauces, verbs for riffling through, and words that begin with synonyms for “dud.”
• Hints progress from broad clues to targeted nudges – use parts-of-word recognition for the final group.
• Full solutions below if you want to check your grid or regroup after getting stuck.
• Difficulty rating for the day: 2.8/5 – approachable if you spot a single strong category early.

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Publisher|wepc-com
Release Date|2026-02-17T10:43:23
Category|Hints & Answers
Platform|web, mobile, social
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The official hints (quick reference)

• Light’s pace
• Savory takeout additions
• What you might do with a magazine
• Swing and a….

Stepwise hints + full solutions

Below each category I give a short stack of hints (gentle → specific) and then the four words that form that Connections group.

1) Light’s pace — think “zoom”

• Easy nudge: These are quick-action words — movement or speed.
• Closer: Short single-word synonyms like “dart” or “zip” fit here.
• Final hint: All four are common one-word ways to describe moving fast.

Solutions: DART, FLASH, SPEED, ZIP

2) Savory takeout additions — Chinese sauces

• Easy nudge: Food-related and specifically condiments you’d add to Asian takeout.
• Closer: Think of the little packets or bottles — soy is the obvious starter.
• Final hint: These are named sauces used in Chinese or Chinese-style cooking.

Solutions: HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, SOY

3) What you might do with a magazine — riffling through

• Easy nudge: Actions you take when browsing reading material.
• Closer: Short verbs — flip or skim are likely.
• Final hint: All four are small verbs that describe quickly moving through pages.

Solutions: FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, THUMB

4) Swing and a… — words that begin with synonyms for “dud”

• Easy nudge: The hint evokes “swing and a miss.” Look at the start of the words for a clue.
• Closer: Think synonyms for a flop or failure: bomb, bust, flop, miss.
• Final hint: Each answer is a complete word that starts with one of those synonyms (bomb-, bust-, flop-, miss-).

Solutions: BOMBAY (bomb + ay), BUSTLE (bust + le), FLOPPY (flop + py), MISSUS (miss + us)

Why these groupings work (and how to spot them faster)

The puzzle mixes straightforward semantic groups (sauces, speed words, browsing verbs) with a small wordplay twist for the last group. That last category is a classic Connections trick: instead of all words sharing a final meaning, they share a morpheme — the leading chunk is itself a synonym. When you see one or two answers that clearly form a tight semantic cluster, pivot to the remaining words and test morphological links (prefixes, shared roots, or letter sequences).

• Scan for an obvious category first — that often unlocks the rest.
• For the leftover words, look for common prefixes or unusual letter patterns.
• Common categories to consider quickly: food items, verbs of action, synonyms for speed, and wordplay around prefixes/suffixes.

What this means for solvers

At 2.8/5 difficulty, this grid rewards quick pattern recognition and a last-step morphological check. If you struggle, don’t be shy about isolating any obvious group first — once you lock one category, the remaining words are far easier to sort. The final group is a reminder that Connections often hides its trick in word structure rather than surface meaning.

TL;DR

Hints → Solutions: Light’s pace: DART, FLASH, SPEED, ZIP. Savory takeout additions: HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, SOY. What you might do with a magazine: FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, THUMB. Swing and a…: BOMBAY, BUSTLE, FLOPPY, MISSUS. Use obvious semantic clusters first, then check word parts for the trickier groupings.