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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one, with some odd words and bizarre categories. If you’re struggling with it but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
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: Don’t get hurt!
Green group hint: Exaggerated language.
Blue group hint: Ouch!
Purple group hint: Not northern.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Protective gear.
Green group: Hype.
Blue group: Sharp things.
Purple group: “Southern ____” schools.
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What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 16, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is protective gear. The four answers are gloves, helmet, mouth guard and shoulder pads.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is hype. The four answers are anticipation, ballyhoo, buildup and buzz.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is sharp things. The four answers are dart, hairpin turn, ice skate and javelin.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is “Southern ____” schools. The four answers are California, Illinois, Methodist and Miss.
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Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition
#1: Don’t grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?
#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.
#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it’s also the last name of at least one pro athlete.
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