NYT Connections Sports Edition: Hints and Answers for January 20 (Puzzle #484)

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you remember your childhood games. As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. What is Connections: Sports Edition? The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common. Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends. Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media. Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try: Yellow: Enemy Green: Mistake Blue: Abbreviations Purple: W players Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories: Yellow: Adversary Green: Mess Up Blue: NL East Teams, on Scoreboards Purple: Nicknames of WNBA Players Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle. Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions. Drumroll, please! The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #484 is... What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today? Adversary - CHALLENGER, FOE, OPPONENT, RIVAL Mess Up - BOTCH, ERR, FLUB, FUMBLE NL East Teams, on Scoreboards - ATL, MIA, NYM, PHI Nicknames of WNBA Players - KFC, PHEE, POINT GAWD, STEWIE Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands. If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more. Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.