Need help with NYT Connections: Sports Edition #328 for Sunday, August 17, 2025? Start with the spoiler-light clues below, then reveal the category names or full word groups when you’re ready.
Broad hints
- One group is about getting the ball to a teammate.
- One uses Canadian sports teams, but the names are made singular.
- One features notable athletes who attended Oregon.
- One turns golf-club names into different words by removing their first letters.
Category hints
These are alternate clue phrasings reported by answer pages, not confirmed official puzzle text.
- Passing: “Assist” or “Catch!”
- Canadian teams: “Teams in the Great White North” or “A singular team Vince Carter once played for.”
- Oregon: “Notable Oregon Ducks” or “The Duck.”
- Golf wordplay: “Misspelled golf clubs” or “Fore!”
Full answers for Connections #328
Spoilers below: the four category names and their words are shown in full.
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Deliver the Ball to a Teammate | DISH, DISTRIBUTE, GIVE, PASS |
| Canadian Teams, Minus the S | CANUCK, FLAME, RAPTOR, WHITECAP |
| Oregon Alumni | HERBERT, IONESCU, NIX, PRITCHARD |
| Golf Clubs Minus the First Letter | EDGE, RIVER, RON, UTTER |
The Canadian-team answers are the team names without their final “s”; the golf-related answers are formed by removing the first letter from golf-club names. Keep the printed forms singular: CANUCK, FLAME, RAPTOR, and WHITECAP.
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How Sports Edition Connections works
Connections: Sports Edition is a sports-focused version of Connections, described as a partnership between The New York Times and The Athletic. Players sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared connection. Correct groups disappear from the board; players can shuffle the words, and four incorrect guesses end the game. The game’s stated aim, as quoted by Parade, is to “group sports terms that share a common thread.”
A practical way to approach the board
- Look first for obvious literal relationships, such as synonyms or actions that do the same job. Here, several words describe delivering a ball to another player.
- Check whether team names have been altered. Singular forms can signal that a final letter has been removed.
- Consider whether names point to a school or team rather than a sport-specific action. The Oregon group is made up of alumni.
- Test word transformations, including removing a letter from the beginning. The golf-club group depends on that change.
- Before submitting a set, ask whether the words fit one precise connection and whether any could plausibly belong to another group.
Sources and date
The answer list and category names are reported consistently by FOGOLF/Mashable and Parade. The puzzle is dated Sunday, August 17, 2025, and numbered #328. The category clues above are paraphrased or alternate formulations from those answer pages, not verified official NYT hints.
Quick Recap
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