NYT Connections · #1143

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1143) — July 28, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·July 28, 2026

“Work from the most concrete, recognizable things first — if a word makes you think of something you can hold or eat, trust that instinct before anything else.Today's puzzle includes LEAD, a word with a long Connections history — it has shown up in several past puzzles in very different roles. Today it plays a straightforward part, but its baggage makes it easy to overthink.”

NYT Connections hints for July 28, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 ANNAPOLISThe Maryland capital opens with ANNA — a palindromic name that reads the same in both directions.

2 BOBSLEDThe winter racing sled opens with BOB — easy to spot once you know what to look for.

3 CAMPERNot a tent-dweller — a Spanish shoe brand known for its chunky, colourful designs.

4 CAPTAINTo captain a team means to lead it — the rank sense is the bait, but the verb sense is what counts here.

5 CLARKSThe British heritage brand best known for its desert boots and school shoes.

6 CONVERSELooks like a verb meaning to chat; it's the American brand behind the iconic Chuck Taylor sneaker.

7 CROCSThe foam clogs that divided the fashion world — named for the reptile, worn by millions.

8 DIRECTNot about giving someone turn-by-turn instructions — here it means to be in overall command of an operation or group.

9 EMPIRESounds like a seat of power; it's actually a deep-red apple developed in New York state.

10 EVERESTThe world's tallest mountain opens with EVE — the mountain is the distraction, the name is the answer.

11 FUJINamed after the Japanese mountain, this sweet apple is one of the world's most widely grown.

12 GALASounds like a fancy event; it's a mild, striped apple popular in lunchboxes everywhere.

13 HEADTo head an organisation is to run it — one of the most versatile words in the puzzle's history.

14 HONEYCRISPThe most self-explanatory of the four — sweet, crunchy, and famously expensive at the checkout.

15 LEADNot the metal and not a dog's leash — here it's the plain verb meaning to be out front and in charge.

16 OTTOMANThe padded footstool — or the empire — opens with OTTO, a palindromic name hiding in plain sight.

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint

Four words that all mean the same thing when you're running the show.

See Group

COMMAND

See Word

CAPTAIN

See Word

DIRECT

See Word

HEAD

See Word

LEAD

See Hint

You'd find all four of these in the produce aisle, not the history books.

See Group

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES

See Word

EMPIRE

See Word

FUJI

See Word

GALA

See Word

HONEYCRISP

See Hint

Four labels you might spot on a shoebox, all sharing the same first letter.

See Group

SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C"

See Word

CAMPER

See Word

CLARKS

See Word

CONVERSE

See Word

CROCS

See Hint

Each word secretly opens with a name that reads the same forwards and back.

See Group

STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES

See Word

ANNAPOLIS

See Word

BOBSLED

See Word

EVEREST

See Word

OTTOMAN

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 EMPIRE Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of a vast kingdom or a seat of power — that's the bait. Here the puzzle is using it in a much more domestic, grocery-store sense.

2 OTTOMAN Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably picturing the padded footstool or the historical empire — but the puzzle cares only about the first few letters, not the word as a whole.

3 EVEREST Tap to see why this word traps.

You're almost certainly thinking of the mountain — that's the obvious read. But the puzzle cares only about what's hiding at the very start of the word.

4 CAMPER Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as someone who pitches a tent or a camping van — but it's a proper noun here, a footwear label from Spain.

5 LEAD Tap to see why this word traps.

You're likely thinking of the heavy metal or a dog's leash — both are real meanings, but here the puzzle wants the plain verb sense, the one about being out front.

NYT Connections answers for July 28, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y COMMAND · Yellow · easiest

CAPTAIN
DIRECT
HEAD
LEAD

CAPTAIN, DIRECT, HEAD and LEAD all mean to be in charge or to run something. DIRECT is the sneakiest — most solvers think of film credits or giving directions before the plain 'to command' sense clicks.

G HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES · Green · easy

EMPIRE
FUJI
GALA
HONEYCRISP

EMPIRE, FUJI, GALA and HONEYCRISP are all varieties of apple. EMPIRE is the trickiest — its association with power and dominion makes it easy to miss as a crisp, red fruit.

B SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C" · Blue · medium

CAMPER
CLARKS
CONVERSE
CROCS

CAMPER, CLARKS, CONVERSE and CROCS are all footwear brands whose names begin with C. CAMPER and CONVERSE are the traps — both read as ordinary English words before the brand reading kicks in.

P STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES · Purple · hardest

ANNAPOLIS
BOBSLED
EVEREST
OTTOMAN

ANNAPOLIS, BOBSLED, EVEREST and OTTOMAN each begin with a palindromic first name: ANNA, BOB, EVE and OTTO respectively. OTTOMAN is the most disorienting — solvers see furniture or history, not a man named OTTO hiding at the front.

Try another puzzle

Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.

Wordle

Today's hint ladder & answer

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Spelling Bee

Answers, pangram & word list

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