Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for Aug. 17, 2026, puzzle No. 693

August 17, 2026 - 03:36

If you are stuck on today's sports-themed word puzzle, you have come to the right place. Puzzle No. 693 for Saturday, August 17, is live, and it brings a fresh mix of team names, player terms, and athletic jargon that might trip you up. The goal is simple: sort sixteen words into four hidden groups of four. But the categories can be tricky, overlapping in ways that make you second-guess every pick.

Here are a few gentle hints before you scroll to the full answer. One group is all about scoring actions in different sports, not just goals or points. Another group might be tied to a specific league's division names, but not the ones you see every day. A third group could be nicknames for stadiums or venues, and the last one might be a set of retired jersey numbers that are famous across multiple teams. If you are still drawing a blank, think about common abbreviations or short forms that players use on the field.

Still stuck? No problem. The full solution is below, but try to solve it on your own first. The categories for puzzle No. 693 are: "Ways to put the ball in play," "NFL divisional round names," "Famous arena suffixes," and "Numbers retired by multiple MLB teams." The words break down as follows: for the first group, you have "kick," "punt," "serve," and "throw." For the second, "East," "North," "South," and "West" are the obvious picks, but watch out for duplicates. The third group uses "Coliseum," "Forum," "Garden," and "Dome." And the final group includes "42," "44," "3," and "20" - those are the numbers honored by more than one baseball club.

That wraps up today's puzzle. Come back tomorrow for a fresh set of clues and answers. And if you beat the game without any help, share your time in the comments. Good luck with the next one.