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Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. One of the words --"fronton" -- might not be known to all the people who attempt the puzzle. There's also a heavy focus on one specific team, which can be tough if you don't know that roster well. If today's puzzle has you stuck but you still want to crack it, keep reading for hints and answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn't appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic's own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Nice victory!
Green group hint: I'll give you that guy for this guy.
Blue group hint: Where to play.
Purple group hint: Florida hoops.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Win smoothly.
Green group: Fantasy sports trade options.
Blue group: Areas of play, in different sports.
Purple group: Members of the Orlando Magic.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 4, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is win smoothly. The four answers are breeze, coast, cruise and waltz.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is fantasy sports trade options. The four answers are accept, counter, propose and reject.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is areas of play, in different sports. The four answers are course, court, fronton and rink.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is members of the Orlando Magic. The four answers are Banchero, Bane, Black and Suggs.
Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it's hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing.
#1: Serie A Clubs. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.
