Looking for the answer to today's Connections puzzle #248 from February 14, the difficulty level for this puzzle on Connections Companion is 2.7 out of 5, the same as yesterday.

We update our Connections clues and hints daily. And if the hints aren't enough, you can see all four answers along with the category title and related words. In addition, for those of you reading this in another time zone, I've included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle, #247.

There are spoilers for connection 248. Only those who want to know the answer to today's connection should read on.

Alternatively, see our NYT Connections How to Play Guide for tips on how to solve the puzzle without our help.

While today's wordle solution guide recommends the best wordle starting words as a strategy, the Connections solution depends on identifying the categories that are connected from the 16 words. The difficulty of each category is represented by a color, with yellow being the easiest grouping and purple the most difficult. Hints are helpful as the answer is displayed after four wrong guesses.

If you need a hint to help you solve the groupings, here are each theme in order of difficulty:

If you read these hints, you should at least find the answer to today's connection. If not, please continue reading for larger hints. Also, if you just want the answer, scroll down further.

Now for a bigger hint: Today may be Valentine's Day, but don't be fooled into thinking that kissing and hugging go together. Instead, today's connection requires a light touch and a trip to your favorite Chinese restaurant.

Now for the answer to today's connection in game #248.

Drum roll please.

It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air. So my first thought was to combine Kiss, Hug, and XO as a way to send a message to my beloved.

But after failing to find a fourth expression of love to complete the set, I figured my matchmaking was off on this occasion. I quickly realized that, aside from the red rose, the kiss would be better aligned with the synonyms Graze, Brush, and Skim.

With the yellow category complete and one life lost, it didn't take long to find a connection to the blue category. Oyster, Soy, Plum, and Fruit were the first sauces I submitted, but after discovering that I was missing one, I realized that the sauce in question was specifically Chinese; the rich umami of the XO sauce proved a more suitable substitute for the fruit.

Math was never my strong suit, but the mind has a peculiar and cruel knack for remembering certain parts of life that I tended to struggle with as a student. And so, with memories of a panicked math teacher repeating useless instructions, the words prime, odd, perfect, and whole finally came to light in my mind. He would be very proud.

The remaining words were Claw, Fruit, Hug, and Witness, which I finally realized after a pause that these were the words that followed the bear. The match ended with one loss, and was a great success.

Read this later in the day. According to the Connections Companion, this is the Connections solution to game #247, which had a difficulty score of 2.7 out of 5.

Today's Connections puzzle should not be tackled on an empty stomach. Bananas, eggs, meatballs, mozzarella cheese ...... It's as if you're in a grocery store, stocking up.

And for that matter, one category seemed like it might be exactly that. Dairy, frozen foods, fish, and produce could all be aisles of our local stores. I duly submitted my choice and there was one more to go. Hmmm, let's clear out aisle 3.

As I often do, I stopped that line of thought in hopes of finding results elsewhere. And I was greatly encouraged when I found a connection between Spur, Urge, and Goad. The eggs earlier were not to be eaten, but to form a common phrase with the word "on." The yellow category is now complete.

I looked again at fish and mozzarella and wondered if food sticks could be a theme, but decided that banana or dairy sticks would not exist in a sane society, so I told myself to go for it. And just like that, I linked the word GO not only to Figure, but also to Bananas, Fish, and the tricky purple category Steady.

Fish was repositioned elsewhere, so now we returned to the grocery store theme, placing Snack alongside Dairy, Frozen, and Produce, finally getting the right combination. [Mozzarella, Orange, Joe Breaker, and Meatballs remained. Of course, to end today's game with only one incorrect answer, I listed the spherical foods. As a reward to myself, I suppose I deserve a snack.