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Assistance is available for those tackling the daily Connections: Sports Edition puzzle. This guide serves as a central hub for gathering clues, engaging in discussion, and sharing results.
Before proceeding, a crucial note: the solutions and category hints are located at the bottom of this page. Players wishing to attempt the board without any assistance are advised to complete the puzzle first before scrolling further.
The game can be accessed directly through the provided link. After finishing, an optional limited-edition Connections: Soccer Edition offers an additional challenge for enthusiasts.
Hints for Puzzle No. 680
For each of the four categories, one answer is revealed as a teaser: Yellow (OPENER), Green (DUCKS), Blue (WINGS), and Purple (QUEEN). These hints are designed to nudge solvers in the right direction without giving away the entire grouping.
Full Answers for August 4, 2026
The complete solutions are as follows: Yellow category focuses on baseball pitching roles, comprising ACE, CLOSER, OPENER, and SETUP. The Green category lists Big Ten teams: BADGERS, DUCKS, GOLDEN GOPHERS, and HUSKIES. Blue category identifies second words in NHL team names: JACKETS, KNIGHTS, LEAFS, and WINGS. Finally, the Purple category highlights Pittsburgh Steelers players: HIGHSMITH, METCALF, QUEEN, and WATT.
Connections: Sports Edition, The Athletic's inaugural game, challenges players to identify links among 16 words displayed on a board. The objective is to sort these words into four groups of four based on shared traits, all while avoiding more than three mistakes. Each puzzle has a unique solution, and some words may fit into multiple categories, adding to the complexity.
Categories are color-coded by difficulty, ranging from yellow (easiest) to green (moderate), blue (challenging), and purple (most difficult). The puzzles are crafted by Mark Cooper, who serves as a managing editor for college sports at The Athletic, with prior experience as the managing editor for breaking news.
A new puzzle is released daily at midnight local time. Players are encouraged to share their scores in the comments section.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.