The Wednesday edition of NYT Connections Sports Edition arrives with puzzle #772, serving up a grid that spans ballparks, fairways, and some mischievous vocabulary. Sports knowledge gets you started, but flexible reading finishes the job.
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 #772:
PITCHING | CHANGE | SINGLE | OUT
DOUBLE | DRIVE | GAP | TINKER
SAND | CORKBALL | LOB | TRIPLE
HOME RUN | GLIDER | BUTTER | JUDGE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about what a batter can achieve at the plate.
Green Category Clue: Consider the equipment choices a golfer makes near the green.
Blue Category Hint: Try placing the same short word before several entries.
Purple Category Teaser: Read familiar sports vocabulary with a playful eye for spelling.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Parts Of A Cycle): DOUBLE, HOME RUN, SINGLE, TRIPLE
SINGLE, DOUBLE, TRIPLE, and HOME RUN are the hits a batter needs to complete a cycle in one game. DRIVE offers a tempting baseball association through “line drive,” but it describes a batted ball rather than a distinct hit value.
Green (Golf Wedges): GAP, LOB, PITCHING, SAND
GAP, LOB, PITCHING, and SAND each name a type of golf wedge. PITCHING is the useful pivot here, because its baseball meaning can keep your attention on the diamond after the yellow group is settled.
Blue (Line _____): CHANGE, DRIVE, JUDGE, OUT
Put LINE before CHANGE, DRIVE, JUDGE, and OUT to get line change, line drive, line judge, and lineout. Those terms span hockey, baseball, officiating, and rugby, so the shared wording matters more than finding one sport that contains them all.
Purple (Baseball Pitches, With The First Letter Changed): BUTTER, CORKBALL, GLIDER, TINKER
Replace the first letter of each entry to recover a baseball pitch. GLIDER becomes SLIDER, TINKER becomes SINKER, BUTTER becomes CUTTER, and CORKBALL becomes FORKBALL.
The Verdict
Yellow is the clearest opening, with a familiar baseball achievement giving its four entries a precise connection. The real trap is letting that baseball frame absorb PITCHING and DRIVE, which belong to green and blue.
Purple is the streak-deciding group because its entries conceal their sports meanings behind altered initials. Recognizing GLIDER as a disguised SLIDER gives you a concrete rule to test against TINKER, BUTTER, and CORKBALL.
Reset and Repeat
Today's altered initials make a useful reminder to test spelling as well as meaning when a sports connection stalls. Come back tomorrow for a fresh grid and another chance to spot the trick.
For now, puzzle #772 is solved. See you at midnight for the next round.