Need help with Connections Sports Edition #450? The December 17, 2025 puzzle’s hints are: “Put it on your noggin,” “Goes before a division of the year,” “French football,” and “Think Louisville Slugger.” Answers are below, with the full word groups kept behind a spoiler warning.
Hints for Connections Sports Edition #450
Try the clues before revealing the categories or word groups:
- Put it on your noggin.
- Goes before a division of the year.
- French football.
- Think Louisville Slugger.
These four clues are reported in Parade’s December 17, 2025 guide.
Category answers
Spoilers below. The four categories reported for this puzzle are headgear, words that come before “season,” Ligue 1 teams, and words that complete “batting.”
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Full word groups
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Headgear | CAP, HAT, MASK, VISOR |
| Prefixes to “season” | MID, OFF, POST, PRE |
| Ligue 1 teams | LENS, MARSEILLE, NICE, PSG |
| “Batting” completions | AVERAGE, GLOVES, PRACTICE, STANCE |
How the groups fit
Headgear
CAP, HAT, MASK, and VISOR are items worn on the head or face.
Words before “season”
MID, OFF, POST, and PRE make the familiar phrases midseason, offseason, postseason, and preseason.
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Ligue 1 teams
LENS, MARSEILLE, NICE, and PSG are the four French football clubs in the reported group.
“Batting” phrases
AVERAGE, GLOVES, PRACTICE, and STANCE each follow “batting” to form a baseball term.
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What to know about the puzzle
Connections Sports Edition presents 16 words to sort into four groups of four. The game is a collaboration between The New York Times and The Athletic, according to Parade’s guide. That guide reports the #450 answers, but the original archived NYT grid was not independently available for confirmation.
Quick Recap
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