April 8, 2026 NYT Connections Sports Edition #562 Hints and Answers

Connections Sports Edition #562 is live for April 8, 2026, and today’s puzzle leans on sports knowledge across a pretty wide range — from the weight room to the Hall of Fame. If you’re stuck, you’re in the right place. This guide walks through vague hints, category names, and full answers in order, so you can stop exactly where you need to.

Play the puzzle directly at New York Times word games.

What Is NYT Connections: Sports Edition?

NYT Connections: Sports Edition is a daily word grouping game developed in partnership with The Athletic. It uses the same format as the original Connections but focuses entirely on sports knowledge. Each puzzle presents 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four. Every group shares a common theme — but the trick is that many words seem to fit multiple categories, and only one arrangement is correct.

The categories are color-coded by difficulty: 🟨 Yellow is the easiest, followed by 🟩 Green, 🟦 Blue, and 🟪 Purple as the hardest. Players get up to four incorrect guesses before the game ends, and the board can be shuffled to help spot patterns. Like Wordle, results can be shared on social media.

How to Play

Look at all 16 words before guessing — patterns become clearer with the full picture.
Start with the group you’re most confident about to eliminate words and narrow down the rest.
Wrong guesses count as mistakes — you get four total before the game is over.
Use the shuffle button if you’re stuck; a fresh arrangement can reveal connections your brain missed.

🟨🟩🟦🟪 Category Hints — No Answers Yet

Not ready for the full reveal? Here are vague hints to point you in the right direction without spoiling anything:

🟨 Yellow: These are things you do at the gym — one rep at a time.
🟩 Green: These athletes all wear something over their face during competition.
🟦 Blue: These are legendary pass rushers who made it all the way to Canton.
🟪 Purple: Fill in the blank: ____ Jump.

Category Names — Getting Warmer

Still need a push? Here are the official category names for today’s puzzle:

🟨 EXERCISES, IN SINGULAR FORM
🟩 SPORTING ROLES THAT REQUIRE MASKS
🟦 HALL OF FAME DEFENSIVE ENDS
🟪 ____ JUMP

Full Answers for Connections Sports Edition #562

Ready for everything? Here are the complete answers for April 8, 2026:

🟨 EXERCISES, IN SINGULAR FORM — CRUNCH, PLANK, SITUP, SQUAT
🟩 SPORTING ROLES THAT REQUIRE MASKS — CATCHER, FENCER, FOOTBALL PLAYER, GOALTENDER
🟦 HALL OF FAME DEFENSIVE ENDS — DENT, PEPPERS, STRAHAN, YOUNGBLOOD
🟪 ____ JUMP — BROAD, HIGH, LONG, TRIPLE

What Made Today’s Puzzle Tricky

The 🟨 Yellow group looks easy at first — exercises like CRUNCH and SQUAT are obvious. But PLANK sits in a strange spot because it’s also a piece of wood, a pirate punishment, and a political position. The key is the “singular form” qualifier, which rules out PLANKS and confirms PLANK belongs here alongside SITUP.

The 🟩 Green category trips people up because FOOTBALL PLAYER feels too broad — not every football player wears a face mask, after all. But in the context of this puzzle, it refers to the sport’s standard equipment, so it qualifies alongside CATCHER (baseball), FENCER (fencing), and GOALTENDER (hockey or soccer).

The 🟦 Blue group requires genuine NFL knowledge. DENT is Richard Dent of the Bears, PEPPERS is Julius Peppers, STRAHAN is Michael Strahan, and YOUNGBLOOD is Jack Youngblood of the Rams — all Pro Football Hall of Famers who played defensive end. If you’re not deep into NFL history, this one could cost you a mistake.

The 🟪 Purple group is the sneakiest. BROAD, HIGH, LONG, and TRIPLE are all types of jumps in track and field — BROAD JUMP, HIGH JUMP, LONG JUMP, TRIPLE JUMP. The difficulty is that HIGH and LONG do heavy lifting in everyday language, so it takes a second to recognize them as jump types.

Tips for Today’s Puzzle

Lock in the exercises first. CRUNCH, PLANK, SITUP, and SQUAT are all single-rep exercises, which the category title signals directly. Don’t be confused by PLANK’s other meanings.
Think about equipment, not just sport. For the mask category, ask yourself: does this role require protective face gear as part of standard play? CATCHER, FENCER, FOOTBALL PLAYER, and GOALTENDER all do.
Know your NFL Hall of Famers. STRAHAN is probably the most recognizable name here thanks to his media career, but DENT, PEPPERS, and YOUNGBLOOD are all legitimate Canton inductees who played defensive end.
For the Purple group, add “jump” to every word. BROAD JUMP, HIGH JUMP, LONG JUMP, TRIPLE JUMP — they all click into place once you apply the fill-in-the-blank trick.

More Daily Puzzle Help

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Shahid Maqsood

Shahid Maqsood is a digital entrepreneur and SEO specialist focused on building engaging web experiences. He is the creator of DotWordle, combining creativity with smart, user-friendly design.