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Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 16 Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Extra man on different sports teams

• Green: Where to sit

• Blue: Creators of collectibles

• Purple: Played by comedian & singer behind 'Eight Crazy Nights'

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Bench player

• Green: Stadium seating sections

• Blue: Sports card brands

• Purple: Adam Sandler characters in sports films

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #84 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Bench player - PINCH HITTER, RESERVE, SIXTH MAN, SUB

• Stadium seating sections - BLEACHERS, MEZZANINE, SUITE, UPPER DECK

• Sports card brands - BOWMAN, LEAF, PANINI, TOPPS

• Adam Sandler characters in sports films - BOUCHER, CREWE, GILMORE, SUGARMAN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for December 16 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 16 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Loud and excessively prideful.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

BOAST.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 16

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 16 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 16 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Crossed words

These words are combined.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words are made up of a crossover of two other words.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Portmanteaux.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for December 16

• Smog

• Brunch

• Zorse

• Spork

• Anklet

• Athleisure

• Portmanteaux

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

The field of politics has become even more complicated for women leaders, with the rise of generative AI posing an even greater risk for female politicians than men, according to a report released this week.

The analysis, published by disinformation think tank the American Sunlight Project (ASP) via The 19th on Dec. 11, uncovered more than 35,000 pieces of digitally altered nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) depicting 26 members of Congress. ASP's numbers, when broken down, outline a stark reality for victims of NCII: Of those thousands of images, the organization found 25 women politicians depicted by AI. Only one man was the subject of such content.

Throughout the entire study, women members of Congress were 70 times more likely than men to be targeted by non-consensual synthetic images and 1 in 6 congresswomen (or 16 percent) are the victims of nonconsensual intimate imagery.

SEE ALSO: Defense Department going big on generative AI to 'meet critical warfighter problems'

Leaders across the political aisle have attempted to address the rise of both NCII and synthetic AI-generated images, but have been slow to reach consensus. In January, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (Defiance Act), intended to criminalize the act of spreading nonconsensual, sexualized "digital forgeries" made with AI. It was passed in July but is still being considered by the House.

Last week the Senate passed the Take It Down Act, introduced by Senator Ted Cruz in June. The bill similarly criminalizes the publishing of digitally manipulated deepfakes online but also metes out penalties for companies who fail to remove such content within 48 hours of it being reported.

But the gendered reality of AI-boosted images can't be understated, especially as women leaders navigate a precarious online environment putting them at greater risk for sexual abuse. In August, the Center for Countering Digital Hate published a study on the rise of online hate and negative engagement on the social profiles of women politicians. According to an analysis of the Instagram profiles of 10 female incumbents, one in 25 comments was "highly likely" to be toxic. Instagram failed to act on 93 percent of reported abusive comments targeting female politicians.

"We need to kind of reckon with this new environment and the fact that the internet has opened up so many of these harms that are disproportionately targeting women and marginalized communities," said American Sunlight Project founder and author Nina Jankowicz. "My hope here is that the members are pushed into action when they recognize not only that it’s affecting American women, but it’s affecting them. It’s affecting their own colleagues. And this is happening simply because they are in the public eye."

ASP informed the offices of affected politicians, alerting them to AI-generated NCII. The images were almost entirely removed following the notice, although the organization didn't receive any comments.

If you have had intimate images shared without your consent, call the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s 24/7 hotline at 844-878-2274 for free, confidential support. The CCRI website also includes helpful information as well as a list of international resources.

Brian Cox, Gaia Wise and Luca Pasqualino are joined by the filmmakers of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim to do a deep dive into how the prequel film sets the stage for the epic Peter Jackson trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is now in theaters.

Nothing makes our current reality feel more surreal than when Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update headlines are more truth than punchline.

SEE ALSO: Adam Sandler as a bloody surgery patient completely breaks 'SNL' cast

Co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che ran through several Trump-related headlines on this week's show, hosted by Chris Rock. The lineup included the president-elect being named TIME's Person of the Year, Elon Musk insinuating that Trump and late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were reproductive justice allies, and the leader's recent pledge to end Daylight Savings Time (Thanks, I guess?).

From the Starbucks-drinking United Healthcare CEO assassin to Amazon donating $1 million to Donald Trump's inauguration, this week has felt far too long.

How best to signal to an audience that a sketch is about to go off the walls? You throw Adam Sandler's sliced artery on the operating table. Literally.

In a surprise appearance on this week's episode, Sandler is the unfortunate, tropical shirt-wearing victim of a baffled surgical team led by Saturday Night Live host Chris Rock.

SEE ALSO: 'SNL' cold open questions why the internet finds Luigi Mangione so hot

There's blood everywhere, the fourth wall no longer exists, and just about everything in this operating room is going haywire, mostly due to an inept (but really hot) nurse named Leslie (Sarah Sherman). She's a Gen Z-coded, AirPod-wearing questionable medical professional who the doctors, and Sandler, keep sticking up for, because everybody needs that one coworker you can rag on. Where are Dr. Please and Jeffrey Thank You when you need them.

Nancy Grace is on the case of why the internet finds United Healthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione so hot, in this weekend's Saturday Night Live cold open.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 15

With questionable uses of the phrases "BDE" and "twunk," Sarah Sherman, donning a gravity-defying Nancy Grace wig and over-the-top accent, embraces the legal commentator's YouTube era, complete with annoying interrupting ads.

Sprinkle in appearances from a guy who was in the McDonald's where Mangione was arrested, and new cast member Emil Wakim finally fulfilling the internet's dream of seeing him play Mangione (or his lookalike... close enough), and the sketch is a quick rundown of the week's favorite, thirst-filled memes.

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The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday December 15, 2024:

AcrossHalloween costume with a bedsheet

• The answer is Ghost.

Role for Leonardo DiCaprio in a '90s romantic tragedy

• The answer is Romeo.

Thwart, as disaster

• The answer is Avert.

"Switching gears here ..." or "On a similar note ..."

• The answer is Segue.

British baby buggies

• The answer is Prams.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 15, 2024 DownWrap one's mind around

• The answer is Grasp.

Float like a hummingbird

• The answer is Hover.

Upscale Swiss watch that shares its name with a Greek letter

• The answer is Omega.

Truth ___

• The answer is Serum.

Slangy "For sure!"

• The answer is Totes.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.