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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Party time!
Green group hint: Vroom-vroom.
Blue group hint: T.C. Bear is one.
Purple group hint: Hoops at home.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Celebrate.
Green group: Parts of a racetrack.
Blue group: MLB mascots.
Purple group: NBA video games.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 9, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is celebrate. The four answers are cheer, clap, high-five and whistle.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is parts of a racetrack. The four answers are infield, pits, straightaway and turns.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is MLB mascots. The four answers are Dinger, Lou Seal, Orbit and Sluggerrr.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is NBA video games. The four answers are 2K, Jam, Live and Street
