Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Oh, that purple category in today’s Connections: Sports Edition was a brain-buster. I know all the teams in this particular league, but I would never think to just cut off the beginning of their team name and make words out of it. A real toughie today. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Just starting out.
Green group hint: Great White North.
Blue group hint: College team names.
Purple group hint: Football names.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Terms for a young athlete.
Green group: Canadian hockey teams.
Blue group: ACC teams.
Purple group: Last four letters of NFL team names.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is terms for a young athlete. The four answers are freshman, prospect, recruit and rookie.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is Canadian hockey teams. The four answers are Canucks, Flames, Jets and Oilers.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is ACC teams. The four answers are Cardinals, Hokies, Hurricanes and Panthers.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is last four letters of NFL team names. The four answers are boys, cons, ions and owns. (Cowboys, Falcons, Lions and Browns.)
Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.
#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.
