What is the NYT Connections answer for July 28 (#1143)?

The four groups are COMMAND (CAPTAIN, DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD); HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES (EMPIRE, FUJI, GALA, HONEYCRISP); SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C" (CAMPER, CLARKS, CONVERSE, CROCS); STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES (ANNAPOLIS, BOBSLED, EVEREST, OTTOMAN).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Tuesday, July 28, 2026#1143

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Tuesday, July 28

DailyWordHints Editorial July 28

COMMAND

Easiest

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES

Easy

SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C"

Tricky

STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are COMMAND (yellow), HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES (green), SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C" (blue), STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES (purple).

CAPTAIN

CLARKS

OTTOMAN

EMPIRE

ANNAPOLIS

BOBSLED

CAMPER

DIRECT

EVEREST

FUJI

GALA

HEAD

CONVERSE

LEAD

HONEYCRISP

CROCS

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1143, Tuesday, July 28. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for July 28 (#1143)?: The four groups are COMMAND (CAPTAIN, DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD); HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES (EMPIRE, FUJI, GALA, HONEYCRISP); SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C" (CAMPER, CLARKS, CONVERSE, CROCS); STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES (ANNAPOLIS, BOBSLED, EVEREST, OTTOMAN).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.