Looking for today's Connections answers? The Connections answers on February 7 for puzzle #241 are trickier than yesterday's, with the Connections Companion rating this puzzle's difficulty at 2.8 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, #240, in case you're reading this in a different time zone.
Spoilers lie ahead for Connections #241. 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: Dive into the deep blue
- 🟩 Green: Geometry 101
- 🟦 Blue: In the ring
- 🟪 Purple: Dress to impress
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: Don't let Bikini Bottom's most famous resident lead you astray; the true treasures are hidden deeper than a pineapple under the sea. And when you're ready to throw in the towel, don't – instead, put on your finest and step into the ring where the fancy footwork happens.
Today's Connections answers
So, what are today's Connections answers for game #241?
Drumroll, please...
- 🟨 Sea creatures: Crab, ray, sponge, squid
- 🟩 Basic two-dimensional shapes: Circle, diamond, square, triangle
- 🟦 Boxing maneuvers: Bob, cross, hook, weave
- 🟪 Fancy ____: Feast, free, pants, that
Today's NYT Connections puzzle had me chuckling immediately. Right there, in the puzzle grid, were Sponge, Bob, Square, and Pants, all lined up like the intro to my kid's favorite cartoon. But that was too obvious - I wasn't about to be bamboozled by Plankton's tricks today.
Like a jellyfishing expedition, I started by casting my net over Square, Circle, Triangle, and Diamond, all shapes. But Cross was still a possibility, so I moved on.
There, amidst the vibrant coral and bubbling sea vents, I found Sponge chilling with Ray, Squid, and Crab – a group of sea critters ready to party in the Pacific. That was the yellow category, as bright as the sun above Bikini Bottom.
Then it hit me like a Krusty Krab pizza delivery. Bob, Weave, Cross, and Hook – Sandy Cheeks could have told me these were boxing maneuvers. With this blue category down, I was ready to rumble.
With Cross out for the count, the rest of the shapes were next, and I confidently matched up Square with Circle, Triangle, and Diamond.
Left with the remnants of a Bikini Bottom bash, I realized that Feast, Pants, That, and the elusive Free all had one thing in common: they could all be served with a side of Fancy. And just like that, the purple category was as neatly wrapped as a gift from Grandma SquarePants.
I had conquered the grid like SpongeBob conquered his fears of the Hash-Slinging Slasher. The residents of Bikini Bottom would be proud.
Yesterday's Connections answers
Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Connections answers for game #240, which had a difficulty rating of 2.1 out of 5, according to the Connections Companion.
No doubt inspired by the humor often demonstrated by my children, I was quick to spot a possible trend for Stinker, Toot, and Wind. After a chuckle at what I was certain must be a little in-joke from the Connections gamesmasters, I quickly moved on, fairly certain that my puerile mind would not be rewarded.
The word Zero made me briefly consider whether Strawberry and Honey could be limited edition versions of a popular soft drink (anybody for Honey Coke?), but when that didn't fizz, I moved on again, yet to make a single submission.
Perhaps with Madonna fresh in my mind from yesterday's grid, I finally found the link between the four types of blond: Dirty, Honey, Platinum, and Strawberry.
- 🟨 Ostentatious, as an outfit: Bright, Flashy, Garish, Loud
- 🟩 Euphemisms for flatulence: Gas, Stinker, Toot, Wind
- 🟦 Kinds of blond: Dirty, Honey, Platinum, Strawberry
- 🟪 What "O" might mean: Hug, Of, Oxygen, Zero
Bright, Flashy and Loud made me think of how one might describe a concert, but with Garish nearby it was clear we were talking about outfits here. Blue category complete.
Zero and Oxygen had an obvious O in common, so as I explored this theme I can be thankful for the old-school way that my mother signs off her text messages: xoxo. Of joined Hug to complete the purple O theme.
Rather improbably, the remaining words were Gas, Stinker, Toot, and Wind, leaving me to deduce that my initial - and what I assumed was rather infantile - reasoning was, in fact, entirely correct: Euphemisms for flatulence. Next time I need to trust my instincts and let it rip!
