NYT Connections Sports Edition · #695

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#695) — August 19, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·August 19, 2026

“When two words look almost identical, treat them as suspects — assume they are in different groups and work outward from there.Today's puzzle has GRIZZLIES, PAIGE and SAN SIRO, all carrying history. GRIZZLIES appeared in Connections #669 (Jul 24, 2026) as part of 1990s NBA expansion franchises. PAIGE appeared in Connections #670 (Jul 25, 2026) among Hall of Fame pitchers. SAN SIRO appeared in Connections #649 (Jul 4, 2026) as a famous soccer venue — the same role it plays today.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for August 19, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 A&MTexas A&M, which joined the SEC in 2012 after leaving the Big 12.

2 ARIKEFirst name of Arike Ogunbowale, one of the Wings' most recognizable stars.

3 AZZIFirst name of guard Azzi Fudd — almost identical to AZZURRI, which is the trap the puzzle is setting.

4 AZZURRIItaly's national team nickname, meaning 'the blues' — one letter longer than AZZI and a completely different world.

5 BAMAShorthand for Alabama — one of the most recognizable abbreviations in all of college sports.

6 GRIZZLIESMemphis's NBA franchise — one of the few major pro teams not in a state's largest city.

7 MIZZOUFan nickname for the University of Missouri Tigers.

8 NASHVILLE SCTennessee's MLS club — easy to overlook as a 'pro team' alongside the bigger-name franchises, but it counts.

9 ODYSSEYFirst name of guard Odyssey Sims — the most unusual name of the four and the one least likely to suggest a WNBA player.

10 PAIGEFirst name of Paige Bueckers, the high-profile guard who joined the Wings — not the Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige, who appeared in a recent puzzle.

11 PREDATORSNashville's NHL team, named for the prehistoric saber-toothed cats whose fossils were found during arena construction.

12 ROSSONERIAC Milan's nickname, Italian for 'the red-and-blacks', referring to the club's famous striped kit.

13 SAN SIROMilan's famous stadium, shared by AC Milan and Inter Milan — it appeared in a July 2026 puzzle as a famous soccer venue.

14 SCUDETTOThe small shield awarded to the Serie A champion each season — not a player name, though it reads like one.

15 TITANSTennessee's NFL team, relocated from Houston in 1997 and rebranded from the Oilers.

16 VANDYLooks like a person's name but it's the everyday nickname for Vanderbilt, the SEC's private university.

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint

Four franchises that all call the Volunteer State home.

See Group

TENNESSEE PRO TEAMS

See Word

GRIZZLIES

See Word

PREDATORS

See Word

TITANS

See Word

NASHVILLE SC

See Hint

What fans shout when they skip the full school name.

See Group

SEC TEAMS, FAMILIARLY

See Word

MIZZOU

See Word

BAMA

See Word

A&M

See Word

VANDY

See Hint

Four women whose last names you might know better than their firsts.

See Group

FIRST NAMES OF DALLAS WINGS PLAYERS

See Word

AZZI

See Word

PAIGE

See Word

ARIKE

See Word

ODYSSEY

See Hint

You need Serie A knowledge to feel at home here.

See Group

ASSOCIATED WITH ITALIAN SOCCER

See Word

AZZURRI

See Word

SAN SIRO

See Word

SCUDETTO

See Word

ROSSONERI

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 AZZI Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as a fragment of an Italian word — it looks and sounds almost exactly like AZZURRI. But this is a first name, not an Italian soccer term.

2 NASHVILLE SC Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of it as a soccer club separate from the city's hockey and football teams, but the puzzle groups it with all Tennessee pro franchises regardless of sport.

3 VANDY Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as a person's nickname or slang, but it's a college team's informal name used by fans and sports media.

4 SCUDETTO Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably unsure whether this is a player surname or a team nickname — it's neither; it's a specific Italian soccer competition term.

NYT Sports Connections answers for August 19, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y TENNESSEE PRO TEAMS · Yellow · easiest

GRIZZLIES
PREDATORS
TITANS
NASHVILLE SC

GRIZZLIES, PREDATORS, TITANS and NASHVILLE SC are all professional sports teams based in Tennessee. The Grizzlies play in Memphis while the other three are Nashville-based, but all four represent Tennessee at the pro level.

G SEC TEAMS, FAMILIARLY · Green · easy

MIZZOU
BAMA
A&M
VANDY

MIZZOU, BAMA, A&M and VANDY are all informal shorthand names for SEC college programs. These nicknames are so embedded in college sports culture that broadcasters and fans use them almost exclusively.

B FIRST NAMES OF DALLAS WINGS PLAYERS · Blue · medium

AZZI
PAIGE
ARIKE
ODYSSEY

AZZI, PAIGE, ARIKE and ODYSSEY are the first names of Dallas Wings WNBA players — Azzi Fudd, Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale and Odyssey Sims. AZZI is the cruelest entry here because it sits one letter away from AZZURRI and will pull solvers toward the wrong group.

P ASSOCIATED WITH ITALIAN SOCCER · Purple · hardest

AZZURRI
SAN SIRO
SCUDETTO
ROSSONERI

AZZURRI, SAN SIRO, SCUDETTO and ROSSONERI are all terms woven into Italian soccer culture. AZZURRI is Italy's national team nickname, SAN SIRO is Milan's iconic stadium, SCUDETTO is the Serie A title shield, and ROSSONERI is AC Milan's nickname meaning 'the red-and-blacks'.

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