NYT Connections Sports Version: Clues and Solutions for January 14, 2026

The Connections: Sports Edition for today will be simpler if you’re familiar with west coast institutions.

This edition of the well-known New York Times word challenge tests the knowledge of sports enthusiasts.

<p Similar to the classic Connections, the gameplay consists of identifying “shared themes among words.” Like Wordle, Connections resets at midnight, with each new word set increasing in difficulty — thus we’ve compiled some hints and strategies for your assistance.

If you seek the solution to today’s puzzle, skip to the conclusion of this article. If you prefer to tackle it on your own, keep reading for hints, suggestions, and tactics.

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What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT’s newest daily word challenge, introduced in collaboration with The Athletic, the sports journalism arm of the New York Times. Players can engage in Connections via web browsers and mobile devices, where they must categorize four words linked by a common theme.

Each challenge consists of 16 words organized into four categories. These groups might feature book titles, software names, country names, etc. Even though several words might appear to connect, there is only one accurate grouping.

When a player successfully identifies all four words in a category, those words vanish from the board. An incorrect guess counts as a failure — players are allowed up to four wrong guesses before the game concludes.

Players can rearrange and remix the board to discover connections more readily. Each cluster is color-coded: yellow is the simplest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Similar to Wordle, players can share their outcomes with friends across social media.