Today’s NYT Connections Sports Edition puzzle (#488) brings a fun twist with a childhood games theme that makes solving easier if you remember your playground days!
Quick Answer: Today’s puzzle categories are Hit, Sports Memorabilia, Former NHL Teams (in singular form), and words ending in synonyms for “throw.”
How to Play Connections Sports Edition
Connections Sports Edition is a daily word puzzle from the New York Times and The Athletic. Your goal is to group 16 words into four categories of four words each. Each category shares a common sports-related thread.
The difficulty increases with each category:
- Yellow = Easiest
- Green = Medium
- Blue = Harder
- Purple = Hardest
You get four mistakes before the game ends, so choose carefully!
Today’s Hints (January 24, 2026)
Need a nudge in the right direction? Here are subtle hints:
- Yellow: Wallop
- Green: Collectible
- Blue: Defunct
- Purple: Toss this
Category Reveals
Still stuck? Here are the actual categories:
- Yellow: Hit
- Green: Sports Memorabilia
- Blue: Former NHL Teams, In Singular Form
- Purple: Ends in a Synonym For Throw
Complete Answers for Connections Sports Edition #488
Ready for the solutions? Here they are:
- Hit: DECK, PUNCH, SLUG, STRIKE
- Sports Memorabilia: AUTOGRAPH, JERSEY, POSTER, TRADING CARD
- Former NHL Teams, In Singular Form: COYOTE, NORDIQUE, THRASHER, WHALER
- Ends in a Synonym For Throw: BLOB, SHUFFLING, SURPASS, WOODCHUCK
The purple category is particularly tricky—each word ends with a synonym for “throw” (lob, fling, pass, chuck).
Don’t worry if you didn’t solve it today! A new Connections Sports Edition puzzle drops tomorrow at midnight. Keep practicing to sharpen your sports knowledge and pattern recognition skills!