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Hints for Connections Sports Edition #485
The puzzle asks players to group sports terms that share a common thread, according to the NYT game instructions reproduced by Parade’s January 21 guide. It has 16 words divided into four groups of four.
- Yellow: Don’t lose!
- Green: Double you.
- Blue: Slang for certain sports teams.
- Purple: Meet at the quarterback.
Categories and answers
Yellow: VICTORY
DUB, TRIUMPH, W, WIN
Green: Pro teams whose names start with W
WARRIORS, WHITE SOX, WILD, WIZARDS
Blue: Colloquial nicknames for college teams
CATS, HOOS, VOLS, ZAGS
Purple: Players with 20-plus sacks in a season
GARRETT, HOUSTON, WARE, WATT
The answer sets and date are also reported in Yahoo Sports’ January 21 coverage. One Parade answer list prints “TRIUMP”; the yellow group is given here as TRIUMPH, matching the corroborating answer reporting.
How to use the hints without spoiling the grid
- Start with the four short hints above and look for a shared meaning or naming pattern among the 16 words.
- If you are stuck, reveal only the category labels. The green group is about professional team names beginning with W, while blue uses familiar short names for college teams.
- Check the four-word sets only when you are ready to see the complete solution.
This is the January 21, 2026 Sports Edition puzzle, #485—not the standard NYT Connections puzzle for that date.
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