What is the NYT Connections answer for August 28 (#1174)?

The four groups are BEDTIME PARTING WORDS (NIGHT, REST EASY, SLEEP TIGHT, SWEET DREAMS); PALINDROMES (MOM, NOON, SIS, TOP SPOT); MODERN ADD-ONS/COMBINING FORMS (BRO, CODED, ERA, MAXXING); TOP OF THE ___ (HOUR, LINE, MORNING, POPS).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "TOP OF THE ___" — 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.

Friday, August 28, 2026#1174

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, August 28

DailyWordHints Editorial August 28

BEDTIME PARTING WORDS

Easiest

PALINDROMES

Easy

MODERN ADD-ONS/COMBINING FORMS

Tricky

TOP OF THE ___

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are BEDTIME PARTING WORDS (yellow), PALINDROMES (green), MODERN ADD-ONS/COMBINING FORMS (blue), TOP OF THE ___ (purple).

MORNING

SWEET DREAMS

TOP SPOT

ERA

POPS

NOON

HOUR

BRO

NIGHT

MOM

MAXXING

LINE

SIS

REST EASY

CODED

SLEEP TIGHT

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 #1174, Friday, August 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 August 28 (#1174)?: The four groups are BEDTIME PARTING WORDS (NIGHT, REST EASY, SLEEP TIGHT, SWEET DREAMS); PALINDROMES (MOM, NOON, SIS, TOP SPOT); MODERN ADD-ONS/COMBINING FORMS (BRO, CODED, ERA, MAXXING); TOP OF THE ___ (HOUR, LINE, MORNING, POPS).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "TOP OF THE ___" — 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.