The Monday edition of NYT Connections Sports Edition arrives with puzzle #770, serving up a mix of sporting vocabulary, athlete recognition and a wordplay test that rewards changing how you read familiar terms.
What Makes Connections Sports Edition Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections Sports Edition presents 16 sports-themed words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist? You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Connections Sports Edition brings the same addictive puzzle format to the world of athletics, featuring athletes, teams, sports terminology, and legendary moments. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple sports categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #770:
FIELD GOAL | ROLL | MOUTH | BASS
LOOP | LINE | BASKET | BOWL
LITTLE | CREASE | FLING | BUCKET
HURL | FOLK | POST | MAKE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about the reward for a successful attacking effort.
Green Category Clue: Read for physical actions rather than equipment or athletes.
Blue Category Hint: Some ordinary vocabulary deserves a second look as names on a team roster.
Purple Category Teaser: Try adding something before an entry and listen for a familiar sporting expression.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (A Score In Basketball): BASKET, BUCKET, FIELD GOAL, MAKE
BASKET, BUCKET, FIELD GOAL and MAKE all describe a successful shot in basketball. MAKE is the least overtly sporting term here, but a make is a shot that goes in.
FIELD GOAL creates a convincing distraction because it also belongs in football vocabulary, alongside the kickers represented elsewhere in the grid.
Green (Propel A Ball): BOWL, FLING, HURL, ROLL
BOWL, ROLL, HURL and FLING are all verbs for sending a ball into motion. BOWL can look like a container beside BASKET and BUCKET, so reading it as an action breaks that tempting connection.
Blue (NFL Kickers): BASS, FOLK, LITTLE, LOOP
BASS, LOOP, LITTLE and FOLK belong together as NFL kickers' surnames. Their everyday meanings disguise the connection, making recognition of the names the key step.
Purple (Goal _____): CREASE, LINE, MOUTH, POST
Put GOAL before MOUTH, LINE, POST and CREASE to get goalmouth, goal line, goalpost and goal crease. The shared prefix connects the entries across sporting expressions, rather than through their standalone meanings.
The Verdict
Green looks like the cleanest opening because its action verbs offer a direct connection. The sharper early trap is BOWL beside BASKET and BUCKET, which suggests containers until you test the full group.
Blue is the likely streak decider if the kicker surnames are unfamiliar, while purple rewards a change in reading strategy. FIELD GOAL adds another snag by inviting a football connection even though its answer group uses basketball vocabulary.
Reset and Repeat
Today's useful habit is to test familiar words with a shared prefix, as GOAL unlocks the purple set. Bring that flexibility back tomorrow, along with a fresh eye for words that double as surnames.
For now, puzzle #770 is solved. See you at midnight for the next round.