Are you on the hunt for the latest set of regular Connections puzzle solutions? If so, you’ve come to the ideal destination. By clicking here, you can access an up-to-date collection of hints specifically designed for today’s edition of the Connections game. Alongside these clues, you will also find the daily answers and hints for several other popular and intellectually stimulating word games from The New York Times, including the much-loved Mini Crossword, the viral global phenomenon Wordle, and the visually creative Strands puzzles.
Today’s featured challenge, titled **Connections: Sports Edition**, presents a particularly demanding test of reasoning and knowledge. This version offers a more specialized theme than the standard Connections puzzle and may pose a few extra hurdles, especially for those not deeply acquainted with the landscape of American sports. In this edition, familiarity with a certain U.S. state—along with the names and identities of its prominent sports teams—could prove to be a decisive advantage. If you find yourself struggling with today’s complex set of relationships yet still wish to preserve the joy of solving before peeking at the final answers, continue reading to explore a series of progressively helpful hints and, ultimately, a full set of solutions.
It is worth noting that **Connections: Sports Edition** is a special release from *The Athletic*, the renowned online publication that focuses on in-depth sports journalism, known for its subscription-based model and high editorial standards. This version of the game is owned and distributed by *The New York Times* through its association with *The Athletic*. Despite this connection, the puzzle does not currently appear in the official NYT Games mobile app. Instead, players can conveniently access it through *The Athletic*’s dedicated app, which provides an equally polished gaming experience. For those who prefer open and immediate access, the puzzle is also freely available to play online without requiring a subscription.
For those interested in further background, you may wish to read the article titled **‘NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta,’** which explores how this specialized version evolved from a limited experimental release into a broader public offering.
Moving into the heart of today’s challenge, here are four carefully designed hints for the thematic groupings hidden within this Sports Edition puzzle. These hints are arranged in order of ascending difficulty, beginning with the approachable **yellow group**, progressing through the moderately challenging **green** and **blue groups**, and culminating in the often surprising and paradoxical **purple group**, which is typically the trickiest to decipher.
– **Yellow group hint:** Think of something that can be launched, thrown, tossed, or struck—objects that travel through the air as part of athletic play.
– **Green group hint:** A clue rooted in geography—consider the phrase, “Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain,” which nods unmistakably to one central U.S. state.
– **Blue group hint:** The place is unmistakably frigid—think of surfaces covered in ice and the athletes who glide across them with speed and grace.
– **Purple group hint:** The opposite of emptiness—consider what it means when something, an activity, or even a metaphorical concept is described as being *full.*
Having reflected on these prompts, you can now compare your deductions to the definitive answers for today’s groupings:
– **Yellow group:** This category revolves around *sports projectiles*—the physical objects that players propel through space to compete or score. The correct words are *ball*, *Frisbee*, *puck*, and *shuttlecock*. Each of these represents a distinct type of projectile associated with specific sports such as baseball, ultimate, hockey, and badminton respectively.
– **Green group:** This grouping pays homage to *Oklahoma sports teams*. The fitting answers are *Cowboys*, *Golden Hurricane*, *Sooners*, and *Thunder*. Collectively, they represent various collegiate and professional teams hailing from Oklahoma’s rich sporting tradition.
– **Blue group:** Here the focus is on *PWHL teams*—the professional women’s hockey league franchises that bring elite-level athleticism to the rink. The four answers are *Frost*, *Goldeneyes*, *Sceptres*, and *Victoire.* Each team contributes to the growing prominence of women’s professional hockey worldwide.
– **Purple group:** The final and most enigmatic category is *Full ____*, a word-association exercise focused on the idea of completion. The correct answers are *back*, *count*, *house*, and *time.* Each can logically pair with “full” to create a common phrase or expression, such as “full house” or “full-time.”
The completed **NYT Connections: Sports Edition** puzzle for December 21, 2025, can be viewed in its entirety, as shown in the NYT/Screenshot by CNET image. If you have worked through these hints and compared your discoveries to the solutions, you’ve likely gained a deeper appreciation for how creativity and knowledge intertwine in each carefully curated puzzle grouping.
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Sourse: https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/todays-nyt-connections-sports-edition-hints-and-answers-for-dec-21-454/#ftag=CAD590a51e
