🧩 NYT Debuts Connections: Sports Edition — Here’s How to Compete and Triumph
The New York Times has unveiled a sporty variation of its beloved word puzzle with Connections: Sports Edition — a daily cognitive challenge crafted for sports enthusiasts. Created in partnership with The Athletic, this new format invites players to discover the shared link among groups of four words, all revolving around a sports theme.
Mirroring the original Connections and the viral favorite Wordle, this game resets every day at midnight, presenting a fresh set of 16 words to categorize into four themed groups. And indeed — the challenges become increasingly difficult as the week progresses.
If you find yourself in a bind and need a little assistance, we’ve prepared hints and tactics to guide you. Prefer to jump straight to the answers? Just scroll down for today’s solutions.
What Is Connections: Sports Edition?
Connections: Sports Edition is the newest entry in the NYT Games collection, accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. Each puzzle showcases 16 seemingly unrelated words, and your task is to organize them into four sets of four according to a common theme.
Themes can encompass sports vocabulary, renowned athletes, equipment, and team colors. But take caution — while several arrangements may appear correct, only one grouping is the official solution.
You have four chances to err before the game concludes, and each successfully formed group is removed from the board. To assist in recognizing patterns, you can also rearrange the words.
Each group is color-coded by level of difficulty:
– Yellow: Easiest
– Green: Moderate
– Blue: Challenging
– Purple: Most difficult
And yes, akin to Wordle, you can share your scores with friends via social media.
Need a Hint for Today’s Puzzle?
If you’re seeking a mild hint without revealing too much, here are some category clues for today’s challenge:
– Yellow: Common phrases used in tennis
– Green: Parts of football helmets
– Blue: Famous UCLA basketball graduates
– Purple: Sports-related items that are orange
Today’s Categories Unveiled
Still in need of assistance? Here are the confirmed categories for today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle:
– Yellow: Tennis Terms
– Green: Components of a Football Helmet
– Blue: UCLA Basketball Graduates
– Purple: Orange-Related Items
Final Solutions for Connections: Sports Edition #241
Ready for the final reveal? Here are today’s accurate groupings:
– Tennis Terms: ACE, DEUCE, FAULT, LET
– Components of a Football Helmet: CHIN STRAP, FACE MASK, PADS, SHELL
– UCLA Basketball Graduates: HOLIDAY, LAVINE, LOVE, WESTBROOK
– Orange-Related Items: BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL PYLON, NETHERLANDS, SYRACUSE
Didn’t succeed this time? Don’t fret — a new puzzle will be available tomorrow, and we’ll have additional hints and solutions ready to assist you.
Looking for More Word Games?
If you’re also enjoying NYT’s Strands, don’t miss today’s hints and solutions here. For even more puzzle excitement — including Mahjong, Sudoku, and crosswords — head over to Mashable’s Games Hub.
Missed yesterday’s Connections? You can find the May 21, 2025, solution right here.
Happy puzzling! 🧠🏀🎾