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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those crazy-fun purple categories, where you need to hunt inside words for other words. If you’re struggling with the puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the 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.
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: Three points.
Green group hint: Light the cauldron.
Blue group hint: Minor leagues.
Purple group hint: Find a player’s hidden name.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Actions on a field goal attempt.
Green group: U.S. Olympic host cities.
Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.
Purple group: Ends in an NFL QB.
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What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for May 20, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is actions on a field goal attempt. The four answers are block, hold, kick and snap.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is U.S. Olympic host cities. The four answers are Atlanta, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and St. Louis.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Bats, Express, IronPigs and Jumbo Shrimp.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ends in an NFL QB. The four answers are clove (Jordan Love), fallen (Josh Allen), Phoenix (Bo Nix) and Squidward (Cam Ward).
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.
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