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NYT Connections Sports Edition · #681

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#681) — August 5, 2026

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“Lock in the thrown objects first — that group is the cleanest foothold, and clearing those four words stops them from muddying the rest of the grid.Today's puzzle has BASEBALL, which also appeared in Connections #665 (Jul 20, 2026). It was part of a category about types of gloves.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for August 5, 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 →

1

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 AUTOGRAPHA card signed by the athlete — the signature is embedded or on-card.
2 BASEBALLThe stitched sphere at the centre of America's pastime — and a pitcher's primary projectile.
3 BOARDScoreboard — the most familiar of the four, the big display showing the running tally.
4 BUGScorebug — the small on-screen score graphic during a live broadcast, not an insect.
5 DARTAimed at a circular board in pubs and competitions worldwide.
6 FRISBEEThe plastic disc that launched an entire family of throwing sports.
7 HAMMERA heavy metal sphere on a wire, spun and released in an Olympic throwing event.
8 LINEScoreline — the final result of a match, not a betting line or a straight mark.
9 MENDOZAA recent NFL Draft No. 1 pick — the name carries other sports associations, but here it belongs to the draft's top selection.
10 PARALLELA rarer variant of a base card, distinguished by different foil or color — nothing geometric.
11 PATCHContains a swatch of game-worn jersey or uniform, not a software fix.
12 ROOKIEA player's first officially licensed card, typically the most sought-after in any collection.
13 SHEETScoresheet — the official record of every point or goal in a game.
14 WARDA recent first overall NFL Draft selection sharing a surname with many famous athletes.
15 WILLIAMSOne of the most common surnames in sport — here it belongs to a top NFL Draft pick.
16 YOUNGAnother ubiquitous sports surname pinned here to a specific NFL Draft No. 1 selection.
2

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 Each one leaves your hand and travels through the air in competition.
See Group THINGS THAT ARE THROWN
See WordDART
See WordHAMMER
See WordBASEBALL
See WordFRISBEE
See Hint Four surnames called first on draft day in recent NFL history.
See Group LAST FOUR NFL DRAFT NO. 1 PICKS
See WordMENDOZA
See WordWARD
See WordWILLIAMS
See WordYOUNG
See Hint Collectors know these words decide how much a card is worth.
See Group DESCRIPTORS FOR TYPES OF TRADING CARDS
See WordAUTOGRAPH
See WordPATCH
See WordPARALLEL
See WordROOKIE
See Hint Attach each one to the end of a tally and something new appears.
See Group CAN FOLLOW "SCORE"
See WordBUG
See WordLINE
See WordSHEET
See WordBOARD
3

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 HAMMER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a carpentry tool — but here it's the heavy metal ball on a wire that athletes spin and release in track and field.
2 PARALLEL Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of geometry or ski runs — but in this puzzle it refers to a trading card variant printed with a different foil or color treatment.
3 BUG Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading this as an insect or a software glitch — but the puzzle is using it as a broadcasting term: the small on-screen graphic that shows the live score during a televised game.
4 LINE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a betting line or a straight mark — but the puzzle is using it as a sports result term: the final scoreline of a match, not anything numerical or geometric.

NYT Sports Connections answers for August 5, 2026

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

Y THINGS THAT ARE THROWN · Yellow · easiest
  • DART
  • HAMMER
  • BASEBALL
  • FRISBEE

DART, HAMMER, BASEBALL and FRISBEE are all objects that are thrown, either in formal sport or recreational play. HAMMER is the sneakiest — most solvers picture a tool shed before remembering it's also an Olympic track-and-field event.

G LAST FOUR NFL DRAFT NO. 1 PICKS · Green · easy
  • MENDOZA
  • WARD
  • WILLIAMS
  • YOUNG

MENDOZA, WARD, WILLIAMS and YOUNG are the surnames of the last four NFL Draft first overall picks, as confirmed by the puzzle's own category title. This group is pure trivia — knowing the recent draft order is the only reliable path through it.

B DESCRIPTORS FOR TYPES OF TRADING CARDS · Blue · medium
  • AUTOGRAPH
  • PATCH
  • PARALLEL
  • ROOKIE

AUTOGRAPH, PATCH, PARALLEL and ROOKIE are all descriptors for types or variants of trading cards. A ROOKIE card is a player's first, a PATCH card contains a piece of game-worn jersey, an AUTOGRAPH card is signed, and a PARALLEL is a rarer version of a base card with a different foil or color.

P CAN FOLLOW "SCORE" · Purple · hardest
  • BUG
  • LINE
  • SHEET
  • BOARD

BUG, LINE, SHEET and BOARD can all follow "score" to make a compound word or phrase: scorebug, scoreline, scoresheet and scoreboard. SCOREBUG is the least familiar — it's the small on-screen graphic showing the live score during a televised game.

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