The latest New York Times Connections puzzle, published via The Athletic, tested players on their sports knowledge today. This edition, numbered #420, challenges participants to group sixteen words into four categories of four. If you’re stuck, here’s a breakdown of the hints and solutions.
Puzzle Overview
Connections is a word-association game where the goal is to identify four groups of four related terms. The difficulty varies, with categories ranging from straightforward to surprisingly obscure. This edition leans into basketball, hockey, college sports, and team mascots.
Hints by Difficulty
The puzzle is designed to be solved progressively. Here’s a breakdown of hints, ordered from easiest to hardest:
- Yellow (Easiest): Think about where players stand on a basketball court.
- Green: Consider the different ways a puck can be propelled toward the net.
- Blue: This group requires knowledge of major college sports locations.
- Purple (Hardest): Focus on teams that share a specific animal mascot.
Complete Solutions
Here are the answers, categorized for clarity:
- Yellow Group: Basketball Court Locations
- Baseline
- Elbow
- Paint
-
Wing
-
Green Group: Hockey Shot Types
- Backhand
- Slap
- Snap
-
Wrist
-
Blue Group: Big Ten Cities
- Ann Arbor
- Bloomington
- Eugene
-
Seattle
-
Purple Group: Teams with Lion Mascots
- Columbia
- Detroit
- England
- Penn State
Where to Play
Connections: Sports Edition is available through The Athletic app or online for free. It’s distinct from the standard NYT Games suite, not appearing in the main New York Times Games application.
The puzzle provides a daily mental challenge, testing vocabulary and associative thinking skills. Players who enjoy word games and sports trivia will find it engaging, although some categories require niche knowledge to solve.
