The latest New York Times Connections puzzle, a Sports Edition, tested players today with its unique grouping challenges. This edition, published by The Athletic, requires a solid grasp of sports terminology and regional team knowledge. For those who struggled, here’s a breakdown of the hints and solutions.
Puzzle Overview
The Connections puzzle presents 16 words that fall into four distinct categories. The goal is to identify these categories, each containing four related terms. The difficulty increases from yellow (easiest) to purple (most challenging). This edition’s theme relies heavily on knowledge of both college and professional sports, as well as regional team affiliations.
Hints by Category
The puzzle’s groupings were particularly obscure today. Here’s a recap of the hints provided:
- Yellow: Lone Star State.
- Green: Think of the Arch.
- Blue: You put cereal in this.
- Purple: Not four or six.
Solutions Explained
The correct groupings for today’s Sports Edition are as follows:
Yellow Group: Texas College Teams
The yellow category centers around college sports teams from Texas:
- Aggies
- Cougars
- Horned Frogs
- Longhorns
Green Group: St. Louis Teams
The green grouping focuses on sports teams from St. Louis:
- Billikens
- Blues
- Cardinals
- St. Louis City
Blue Group: Followed by “Bowl”
The blue category consists of terms that precede the word “bowl” in sports contexts:
- Pro
- Senior
- Shrine
- Super
Purple Group: ____ Five
The most difficult purple group contains terms that can precede the number five:
- Fab
- Fierce
- High
- Starting
Where to Play
The Sports Edition Connections puzzle is available through The Athletic app or website. It is not integrated into the main NYT Games app, but can be played online for free.
The puzzle’s difficulty today highlights the increasing complexity of the Connections series, pushing players to think outside conventional associations. This edition’s success depended on deep sports knowledge and clever pattern recognition.
