NYT Connections: Sports Edition for Jan. 25 (#489)

Last Updated: Jan 25, 2026 (IST)
Looking for today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition answers? Below are the spoiler-light hints, followed by all four completed groups for Puzzle No. 489, published on January 25, 2026.

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✅ Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Answers (Quick View)

• Yellow: Disappointment
• Green: Sports, with “-ing”
• Blue: Hall of Fame NHL defensemen
• Purple: ____ star(s)

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🧩 Hints for Today’s Connections: Sports Edition

Hints are ordered from easiest (Yellow) to hardest (Purple):

• 🟡 Yellow hint: Bummer!
• 🟢 Green hint: Add three letters
• 🔵 Blue hint: Noted hockey players
• 🟣 Purple hint: Not the moon, but …

The opening message “SUPER BOWL ORR BUST” was your biggest clue—clever wordplay pointing to multiple categories.

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🟡 Yellow Group — Disappointment

Bust · Dud · Failure · Flop

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🟢 Green Group — Sports, with “-ing”

Bowl · Box · Curl · Surf

(Add -ing to each word to form a sport.)

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🔵 Blue Group — Hall of Fame NHL Defensemen

Bourque · Coffey · Leetch · Orr

All four are legendary defensemen inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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🟣 Purple Group — ____ star(s)

All · Chicago · Dallas · Super

Each word pairs naturally with “star(s)” (All-Stars, Chicago Stars, Dallas Stars, Superstars).

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🧠 Puzzle Notes

This puzzle leaned heavily on sports history and wordplay, especially in the Blue and Purple groups. If you spotted ORR early, the NHL category became much easier.

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Why Today’s Puzzle Was Tricky

The grid intentionally mixed sports terminology, athlete names, and wordplay. Many players spotted the NHL legends quickly but struggled with the Purple category, which required thinking in terms of phrases, not teams or players.

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What Is NYT Connections: Sports Edition?

Connections: Sports Edition is a daily puzzle published by The Athletic, owned by The New York Times. It follows the same rules as regular Connections but focuses entirely on sports vocabulary, teams, athletes, and history. The game can be played free online or through The Athletic app.

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FAQ – NYT Connections: Sports Edition (Jan 25, 2026)

❓ What is today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle number?

Today’s puzzle is #489, released on January 25, 2026.

❓ Where can I play Connections: Sports Edition?

You can play it for free online or in The Athletic app (not the NYT Games app).

❓ What was the hardest category today?

The Purple group (____ star[s]) confused many players due to its phrase-based logic.

❓ Is Connections: Sports Edition updated daily?

Yes, a new Sports Edition puzzle is released every day.