If you are looking for the January 23 Sports Edition, the answers are for Connections #128, not #122. In the puzzle archive we checked, #122 ran on January 17, 2025, and January 23, 2025 is #128. The answers for both days are below, so you can confirm which puzzle you are playing before you look at them.
These answer sets come from a secondary puzzle archive. An official New York Times listing confirming them was not available to check when this article was written.
Which puzzle matches your date
| Date (2025) | Connections number | The four groups |
|---|---|---|
| January 17 | #122 | FIGHT; shortened Boston team nicknames; Premier League team nicknames; Astros “Killer B’s” |
| January 23 | #128 | NFL teams in singular form; diving positions; famous Mikes; _____ race |
If your puzzle lists one of the first set of groups, you are on #122. If it lists NFL teams, diving positions, famous Mikes, or a “_____ race” category, you are on #128.
January 23, 2025 (#128): hints and answers
NFL teams, in singular form
Hint: Each answer is a familiar team nickname written without its plural ending.
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Answers: BEAR, BILL, DOLPHIN, PACKER
Diving positions
Hint: These describe the body shape a diver holds in the air.
Answers: FREE, PIKE, STRAIGHT, TUCK
Famous Mikes
Hint: Each answer is a surname of a well-known athlete whose first name is Mike.
Answers: BOSSY, EVANS, PIAZZA, TROUT
_____ race
Hint: Any of these words can precede “race” to form a familiar phrase.
Answers: HORSE, PENNANT, RELAY, ROAD
January 17, 2025 (#122): hints and answers
Fight
Hint: Each word means a contest of blows or a physical scuffle.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsAnswers: BATTLE, BOX, BRAWL, SPAR
Shortened Boston team nicknames
Hint: These are clipped forms of the city’s team names, covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox.
Answers: B’S, C’S, PATS, SOX
Premier League team nicknames
Hint: Two answers are animals, one is a fruit and one is a tool. They match Brentford, Leicester City, Bournemouth and West Ham United.
Answers: BEES, CHERRIES, FOXES, HAMMERS
Astros “Killer B’s”
Hint: Each answer is the surname of a Houston Astros player from the group nicknamed the “Killer B’s.” All four surnames begin with B.
Answers: BAGWELL, BELL, BERKMAN, BIGGIO
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.About the Sports Edition
The Sports Edition keeps the standard four-group Connections format but gives the groups a sports theme. It began as a beta in September 2024. Mark Cooper, in coverage from that launch period, described it as relying more on trivia than the original version, while keeping wordplay in the purple category, the hardest group.
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Tips for solving
- Confirm the date and number first, since #122 and #128 use different groups.
- Start with the group whose theme is easiest to name, such as the NFL or diving categories on #128, or the Boston nicknames on #122.
- Check whether a word fits two groups before you commit, especially when a word can be a team name, a position, or a player surname.
- Save the purple group for last, because it is the one that relies most on wordplay.
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