The latest addition to your word game lineup has arrived – welcome to New York Times’ Connections Sports Edition. For those of us who are already obsessed with Wordle, Connections, Strands, and the Mini Crossword, this new game is the perfect way to challenge ourselves.
Today, on January 22, 2026, it’s all about cracking the code on Connections Sports Edition. This sports-specific version of the game, created as a collaboration between The New York Times and The Athletic, brings a fresh twist to the classic word puzzle format.
Connections Sports Edition follows the same rules as its predecessor, with the game resetting daily at 12 a.m. EST and featuring 16 words to decipher. Your task is to group together words that share a common thread within each of the four categories presented.
Looking for a hint to kick-start your solving skills for today? Here are some clues for the four categories you’ll encounter:
– Yellow: Not lazy.
– Green: Pete Carroll is another one.
– Blue: Turn on the TV.
– Purple: Hidden team names.
And if you’re ready to dive in and uncover the categories themselves, here they are:
– Yellow: AN ENERGETIC PERSON
– Green: HEAD COACHES WHO WON A SUPER BOWL
– Blue: FORMER ESPN SHOWS
– Purple: ENDS IN AN NBA TEAM, IN SINGULAR FORM
If you’re itching to know the answers, look no further. The solutions for today’s Connections Sports Edition #486 are:
– AN ENERGETIC PERSON: DYNAMO, FIREBALL, GO-GETTER, SPARK PLUG
– HEAD COACHES WHO WON A SUPER BOWL: DON SHULA, JOHN MADDEN, MIKE TOMLIN, SEAN PAYTON
– FORMER ESPN SHOWS: AROUND THE HORN, DREAM JOB, PLAYMAKERS, STUMP THE SCHWAB
– ENDS IN AN NBA TEAM, IN SINGULAR FORM: EMPTY NET, JOE BUCK, THE YANKEE CLIPPER, TONY HAWK
Whether you cracked the code or not this time, don’t worry – we’ve all been there. Keep challenging yourself and having fun with these daily word puzzles.
And if you’re hungry for more brain teasers, be sure to check out past Wordle puzzles for a different kind of wordy challenge. Enjoy the thrill of solving each day’s puzzle and sharpening your mind along the way.
Peace Nero is a writer and blogger who loves to explore different topics of self-development. She shares her personal experiences in order to help people discover their true purpose in life.