The latest New York Times Connections puzzle, the Sports Edition for January 19th, has tested players with a mix of athletic knowledge and word association. This edition, published through The Athletic (a Times -owned sports site), requires a bit of focused thinking to crack. Here’s a breakdown of the groups and their answers, for those who want a helping hand.
The Puzzle’s Structure
Connections presents four groups of four words. The challenge lies in identifying the common theme connecting each set. Groups are categorized by difficulty: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (most difficult).
Group Solutions
The key to success is recognizing the connections. Here’s how today’s puzzle broke down:
- Yellow Group: The words four square, hopscotch, kickball, and tag all represent playground games. These are childhood classics, making this the most straightforward grouping.
- Green Group: Hoosiers, Invictus, Rudy, and Seabiscuit are all one-word sports movies. The puzzle relies on familiarity with film titles rather than athletic terms.
- Blue Group: This set – Hall of Fame, Hurricanes, Ravens, and safety – is linked to Ed Reed, the NFL star. Hall of Fame refers to his induction, Hurricanes to his University of Miami football career, Ravens to his time with the Baltimore team, and safety to his position.
- Purple Group: The hardest set is golden boot, golden goal, Golden Knights, and golden sombrero. The theme is golden [word]. This requires lateral thinking, as each phrase is a well-known expression.
Why This Matters
The Connections puzzle has become a daily ritual for many NYT Games subscribers. Its difficulty varies, but it consistently challenges players to think critically and creatively. The Sports Edition adds an extra layer of complexity, requiring familiarity with both athletic terms and cultural references.
The puzzle’s creators intentionally introduce challenging groups like the purple one to push players beyond simple associations. This keeps the game engaging and prevents easy solutions.
If you struggled with today’s puzzle, don’t worry – it was designed to be difficult. The key is to approach each group from multiple angles and consider unconventional connections.
