The latest New York Times Connections puzzle, Sports Edition, released on February 15, focuses on the Winter Olympics and related themes. This version, published by The Athletic, is accessible through their app or online – it’s not directly in the main NYT Games app. If you’re stuck, here’s a breakdown of the categories and answers.
Category Breakdown & Hints
The puzzle features four categories, ranging from straightforward to deceptively tricky.
- Yellow: This group centers on previous Winter Olympic host cities.
- Green: The theme here revolves around prominent Canadian men’s hockey players.
- Blue: This category spotlights snowboarding terminology.
- Purple: The most challenging group requires identifying words that contain the name of a piece of winter sports equipment.
Solutions Revealed
Here are the answers for each category:
Yellow Group: Winter Olympic Hosts
The correct answers are:
- Albertville
- Chamonix
- Oslo
- St. Moritz
Green Group: Canadian Hockey Stars
The grouping consists of:
- Celebrini
- Crosby
- Marner
- McDavid
Blue Group: Snowboarding Terms
The answers are:
- Cork
- Frontside
- Goofy
- McTwist
Purple Group: Equipment-Embedded Words
This category is the hardest. The solutions are:
- Cheapskate (skate )
- Chopstick (stick )
- Lipinski (ski )
- Milestone (stone )
The purple category is known for its difficulty, as it requires players to recognize hidden words within longer terms. This edition follows that trend, testing players’ ability to deconstruct words for embedded equipment names.
Solving Connections requires patience, pattern recognition, and sometimes a bit of luck. The purple category consistently presents the biggest challenge, forcing players to think outside conventional word associations.
The daily puzzle offers a unique mental workout for those who enjoy wordplay and sports trivia.
