Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle will feel more approachable if you follow hockey. As noted in previous hint guides, this daily word game from The New York Times — developed in partnership with The Athletic — tests sports knowledge by challenging players to find common threads among 16 words. Like the original Connections and Wordle, the puzzle resets after midnight, with each new set growing progressively trickier.
If you only want the solution, scroll to the end. Otherwise, read on for clues, tips, and strategies to solve it yourself.
What Is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT’s latest daily word game launches in association with The Athletic, the Times’ sports coverage vertical. Playable on web browsers and mobile devices, Connections: Sports Edition tasks players with grouping four words that share a common theme. Each puzzle presents 16 words divided into four categories — ranging from team abbreviations and fantasy positions to championship winners and colloquial phrases. Only one correct grouping exists per category, even if multiple words appear to fit together.
Correct guesses remove those words from the board. Players may make up to four mistakes before the game ends. The board can be rearranged and shuffled to help spot connections, and each category is color-coded by difficulty: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (hardest). Results can be shared on social media, much like Wordle.
Related: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable
Hint for Today’s Categories
Want a nudge without revealing the categories outright? Consider these clues:
- Yellow: NHL abbreviations
- Green: Fantasy roster spots
- Blue: Grand Slam winners
- Purple: JR
Today’s Categories Revealed
Need a little extra help? Here are the exact categories for today’s puzzle:
- Yellow: NHL Teams, On Scoreboards
- Green: Positions in Fantasy Football
- Blue: US Open Men’s Singles Winners
- Purple: Junior___
Also try: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition #714 Solution
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve the puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to Connections: Sports Edition #714 is:
- NHL Teams, On Scoreboards: CAR, EDM, OTT, VAN
- Positions in Fantasy Football: D/ST, FLEX, RB, TE
- US Open Men’s Singles Winners: ASHE, LAVER, RAFTER, SINNER
- Junior___: CAMINERO, COLLEGE, SEAU, VARSITY
Don’t feel down if you didn’t guess it this time. A new sports Connections puzzle arrives tomorrow, and we’ll be back with more helpful hints.
More Puzzle Resources
- Playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
- Looking for more puzzles? Mashable’s games hub offers Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
- Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to the latest Connections.

