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NYT Launches 'Connections: Sports Edition' Word Game
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NYT Launches 'Connections: Sports Edition' Word Game

WireByte Staff · June 11, 2026

The New York Times has launched Connections: Sports Edition, a new word game developed with its sports publication, The Athletic. The game challenges players to find common threads between 16 words, grouping them into four categories of four words each, similar to the original popular game.

Key points

  • The New York Times has released a new word game titled Connections: Sports Edition.
  • The game was developed in association with The Athletic, the NYT's sports journalism property.
  • Connections: Sports Edition requires players to group 16 words into four categories of four words.
  • The objective is to identify the common theme or 'common thread' connecting each set of words.
  • Like the original Connections game, it resets daily and is available on web browsers and mobile devices.

The New York Times has expanded its popular word game offerings with the launch of Connections: Sports Edition. This new iteration, created in partnership with The Athletic, the Times' dedicated sports journalism arm, aims to test the sports knowledge of players.

The game presents users with 16 words daily and tasks them with identifying four distinct categories, each containing four related words. Players must discover the underlying common theme that links the words within each group. Successful completion of a category removes those words from the board, progressing the player towards solving the entire puzzle.

Connections: Sports Edition follows the successful formula of the original Connections game, which challenges players to find thematic links between words. The new sports-focused version is accessible via web browsers and mobile devices, and like its predecessor, offers a fresh puzzle each day.

Sources

WireByte Staff — Editorial Team

The WireByte editorial team synthesises technology news from multiple primary sources, verifies the facts, and links every source. Articles are produced with AI assistance and reviewed under our editorial policy.