Sports Connections Hints Today: Check the Latest Answers

Sports Connections is a deceptively challenging game, and one that can have you questioning your own sporting nous. The Sports Edition of NYT’s Connections puzzler grabs terms from the most popular US sports and groups them in increasingly difficult categories. Today’s puzzle is moderately tricky, with the third group being a real head-scratcher. Rest assured, you’re in the right place, as here we’ll go over today’s Sports Connections hints and answers for game #474 on January 10, 2026.

Sports Connections Hints and Answers Today

Sports Connections features four different categories, each growing in difficulty. We start with the easiest in yellow before the difficult spike gets steeper as we approach Green and Blue, and finally, it culminates in purple, which is the toughest of them all.

The difficulty of each section is based on the connection strength of the words, similar to the NYT Connections game. This means directly connected words, such as the names of skill moves in soccer, are placed in the easier categories, while loosely connected or most specifically associated words, such as the names of Knicks Hall of Famers, sit in the difficult sections.

If you’re looking to learn more about the game, including useful tips and strategies, be sure to check out our deep dive on how to play Sports Connections.

Also, if you haven’t yet checked out other NYT puzzle games, we have got you covered with today’s Strands hints right here.

With all that out of the way, here are the NYT Sports Connections hints and answers for January 10, 2026:

Difficulty Level for Today’s Connections Sports Edition

Based on my experience, the difficulty level for Today’s Sports Connections was a 4 out of 5.

The difficulty for most puzzle games is subjective, but Sports Connections, in particular, is trickier to classify since most people specialize in different sports. If you disagree with my difficulty rating, feel free to check out my Sports Connections hints for how I reached the solution for today. While you’re at it, also check out today’s Wordle hints for another brain-teaser.

How to Find NYT Sports Connections Answers

Here’s how I narrowed down and rated the difficulty of each section (from easiest to the most tricky) in today’s Sports Connections:

• Green Category: The association between SGA, AD, and KD was obvious from the jump.
• Purple Category: The word ‘Pack’ instantly had me thinking about the Packers, and my hunch eventually turned out correct.
• Blue Category: Evidently, it was abbreviation day at the Athletic, and this category had me stumped for a good while.
• Yellow Category: My NHL knowledge isn’t exactly sound, so I only managed to complete this through the process of elimination.

Yesterday’s Sports Connections Hints

If this isn’t the puzzle you required assistance with, then you’re likely looking for yesterday’s Sports Connection hints. Yesterday’s puzzle landed at ‘average’ on the difficulty scale, requiring knowledge of standard sporting terminology.

How to Play NYT Sports Connections?

Whether you’re new to the game or a veteran struggling with an especially tricky category, here are some tips and tricks to help you solve the puzzle without requiring a Connections Sports hint:

• Look for the bigger play: Just like in sports, don’t focus on a single player (or word) too early. Sometimes multiple words seem like they belong to one category, but the correct connection might involve a completely different set. Check all possible ‘lineups’ before locking in your picks.
• Pay attention to the scoreboard: Sports Connections gives you limited mistakes, just like a team only has so many timeouts or turnovers before it’s too late. If you get a grouping wrong, look for hints from the remaining words, as they can point you toward the categories you missed.
• Switch up your strategy: The game lets you shuffle the words in the grid, which is like changing formations mid-game. Seeing the words in a new order can help you spot patterns or connections you missed before.

That’s all for today’s Sports Connections hints and answers guide. If you struggled with the puzzle, remember that you can always start anew the next day, and we’ll be back with simple hints to help you out.