Hints, Clues, and Answers to Get the W in NYT Connections (#1,143) Today (July 28, 2026)

If you can’t find anything common among the words in today’s Connections puzzle, we’re here to help you out. We’ll get you started with some general hints to nudge you in the direction of the answers. Then, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. Finally, you can have the answers and their explanations. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections (#1,143, July 28, 2026).

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What is Connections?

The New York Times has a thriving online word game section, with Connections being the second-most-played title behind the crown jewel, Wordle. The rules of this game are simple – you need to find 4 groups comprising 4 words each in a 16-word grid. The words in each group are united by a common theme. The Yellow group is the easiest one to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple (toughest). Sometimes, there are red herrings and misdirects in the grid to throw you off your game, so don’t take your thinking cap off at any time! Ready to lock in? You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.

Some tips to solve Connections

Look for the obvious patterns: Not every category in the puzzle is confusing. The Yellow and Green category words are relatively easy to spot. However, if something seems too obvious, it could be a red herring. Typically, the first two categories comprise verbs and adjectives. The misdirects are often nouns.

Double-check your submissions: ‘Do not overthink’ is usually a good tip for solving most puzzles, but it doesn’t really apply to Connections. Before submitting a set of words, you should always check whether they fit somewhere else too.

Hit a dead end? Use the shuffle button: The shuffle button at the bottom of the grid exists for a reason. Placing the words in different positions can spark new connections. Think of it as a mental refresh. New patterns will emerge, and you may be able to find a breakthrough.

Tackle the Purple category with extra caution: The Connections team is known to serve up the toughest and most unexpected words for the Purple category. Here are some of the common tropes that you should look out for:

• Homophones (For example: ‘Where’, ‘Wear’, ‘Ware’, and ‘Weir’)
• Words within words (For example: ‘Slip’, ‘Hear’, ‘Keyes’, and ‘Undiagnosed’ could be ‘Words containing parts of the face’)
• Words minus a letter (For example: ‘Anther’, ‘Easel’, ‘Hark’, and ‘Lama’ could be ‘Animals minus starting letter’)
• Words preceded or followed by another word (For example: ‘Face’, ‘Sports’, ‘Note’, and ‘Year’ could be ‘____ Book’)

Here’s your grid for today

• CAPTAIN
• CLARKS
• OTTOMAN
• EMPIRE
• ANNAPOLIS
• BOBSLED
• CAMPER
• DIRECT
• EVEREST
• FUJI
• GALA
• HEAD
• CONVERSE
• LEAD
• HONEYCRISP
• CROCS

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,143) July 28, 2026

Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Take charge.
• 🟢Green Group: Different varieties of a common fruit.
• 🔵Blue Group: Footwear.
• 🟣Purple Group: Split the words and reverse them to see what unites them.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Captain.
• 🟢Green Group: Empire.
• 🔵Blue Group: Camper.
• 🟣Purple Group: Annapolis.

List of Themes (Major Spoilers)

Maybe getting to know the common themes among the words will help you spot them faster. Here are all the categories for today.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Command.
• 🟢Green Group: How Do You Like Them Apples.
• 🔵Blue Group: Shoe Brands Starting with ‘C’.
• 🟣Purple Group: Starting With Palindromic Names.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,143) Today (July 28, 2026)

Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Captain, Direct, Head, Lead. (Command)

Today’s Yellow group was easy to spot. These words are verbs used to describe the act of taking charge of an event, process, or a group of people.

• 🟢Green Group: Empire, Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp. (How Do You Like Them Apples)

These are different kinds of apples originating from different parts of the world. Empire – USA. Fuji – Japan. Gala – New Zealand. Honeycrisp – USA.

• 🔵Blue Group: Camper, Clarks, Converse, Crocs. (Shoe Brands Starting with ‘C’)

These are all famous footwear brands, but their starting letter is the key qualifier for this group. The sports brand ‘Head’ also makes shoes, but it does not belong in this group due to a different starting letter.

• 🟣Purple Group: Annapolis, Bobsled, Everest, Ottoman. (Starting With Palindromic Names)

Anna-polis. Bob-sled. Eve-rest. Otto-man.

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,142, July 27, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Beam, Horse, Rings, Vault. (Gymnastics Apparatus)
• 🟢Green Group: Carrot, Icicle, Knitting Needle, Stalactite. (Long Tapered Things)
• 🔵Blue Group: Doppler, Graveyard, Paradigm, Stick. (Kinds Of Shifts)
• 🟣Purple Group: Bell, Cart, Heart, Magnifying Glass. (Icons On A Shopping Site)

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,141) July 26, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Crawling, First Words, Rolling Over, Solid Food. (Baby Milestones)
• 🟢Green Group: Blackberry, Discman, DVD Player, Plasma TV. (Outmoded Consumer Tech) 
• 🔵Blue Group: April Showers, Liquid Sunshine, Scotch Mist, Wet Weather. (Expressions For Rain)
• 🟣Purple Group: Carapace, Gas Station, Pastry Crust, Rowing Boat. (What ‘Shell’ Might Refer To)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,140 (July 25, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Abuela, Hijo, Madre, Primo. (Spanish Relatives)
• 🟢Green Group: Choke, Mist, Tear, Well. (Start To Cry, With ‘Up’)
• 🔵Blue Group: Kwanza, Leone, Naira, Rand. (African Currencies)
• 🟣Purple Group: Club, Mall, Poker, Steak. (Strip ___)

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How did other solvers do today?

NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 1.7 out of 5. This puts it in the easy difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!