NYT Connections · #1113

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1113) — June 28, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·June 28, 2026

“Work out the purple group last — it requires a specific word that pairs with each member, and rushing it will cost you a guess. Lock in the two easiest groups first to shrink the grid.PICK and SLIDE both carry history here. PICK has appeared several times before — as an orchard-harvesting word in Connections #652 (Feb 21, 2025), and as a guitarist's tool in an earlier puzzle. SLIDE appeared as playground equipment in Connections #467 (Aug 28, 2024), and later as a guitarist's technique in Connections #748 (May 27, 2025).”

NYT Connections hints for June 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 BEGINThe most formal of the four — no double meaning to worry about here.

2 CAPOSounds like a mob rank; it's actually a small clamp that raises a guitar's pitch by pressing across the frets.

3 CHESSHas a checkered board — and also appeared in previous puzzles as a pie type and a speed sport, so don't let old associations pull you away.

4 CHOICEUsually a noun for a decision, but here it's an adjective — USDA CHOICE is the official grade just below prime beef.

5 CORPORATIONIts board sits in a conference room, not a sports hall — the most abstract of the four.

6 DARTSThe dartboard is one word here — the circular target hanging on the pub wall.

7 FINECan mean a penalty or just okay, but here it means genuinely excellent — fine dining, fine craftsmanship.

8 GOAlso the name of an ancient strategy board game, which makes it a convincing lure for the purple group — but here it's just the command to move.

9 NOWThe most urgent of the four — it adds immediacy rather than just marking a starting point.

10 PICKReads as a verb meaning to choose; here it's the thin plastic plectrum held between finger and thumb.

11 PRIMELooks like a number type or a streaming brand; here it's the adjective meaning of the highest quality.

12 SELECTReads as a verb meaning to choose, but here it's an adjective — and also the USDA beef grade that sits below CHOICE.

13 SLIDEEvokes a playground or a presentation; here it's a glass or metal tube worn on a finger to glide along the strings.

14 STARTThe plain-vanilla member of the group; no real twist, just the everyday word for beginning something.

15 STRAPThe leather or fabric band that lets a guitarist play standing up — the most physically obvious item of the four.

16 SURFERRides a surfboard — the only person in the group rather than a game or institution.

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

The label on the best cut at the butcher counter.

See Group

HIGH-QUALITY

See Word

CHOICE

See Word

FINE

See Word

PRIME

See Word

SELECT

See Hint

What a race official shouts before the cars move.

See Group

SIGNALS TO COMMENCE

See Word

BEGIN

See Word

NOW

See Word

START

See Hint

Everything hanging off the instrument before the first chord.

See Group

ACCESSORIES FOR A GUITARIST

See Word

CAPO

See Word

PICK

See Word

SLIDE

See Word

STRAP

See Hint

A game, a pub fixture, a wave rider and a boardroom all walk into the same category.

See Group

THEY HAVE BOARDS

See Word

CHESS

See Word

CORPORATION

See Word

DARTS

See Word

SURFER

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 GO Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as a command to move — but it's also the name of an ancient strategy board game, which makes it a plausible fit for one of the other groups. Don't let that pull you away from its most obvious, everyday meaning.

2 PICK Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of it as a verb meaning to choose, which puts it right next to SELECT and CHOICE — but here the puzzle is using it as a small physical tool a guitarist holds.

3 CAPO Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably picturing a crime boss or mob rank — but here it's a clamp that clips onto a guitar neck to shift the pitch.

4 PRIME Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of a number type or a streaming service — but here the puzzle is using it as a plain adjective meaning top-grade.

NYT Connections answers for June 28, 2026

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

Y HIGH-QUALITY · Yellow · easiest

CHOICE
FINE
PRIME
SELECT

CHOICE, FINE, PRIME and SELECT all mean high-quality or top-grade. The USDA beef grading system actually uses three of these words — PRIME, CHOICE and SELECT — as official grade names, in descending order of quality.

G SIGNALS TO COMMENCE · Green · easy

BEGIN
GO
NOW
START

BEGIN, GO, NOW and START all signal that something is about to commence or already has. GO is the trickiest — it doubles as a board game, tempting solvers to drop it into the purple group instead.

B ACCESSORIES FOR A GUITARIST · Blue · medium

CAPO
PICK
SLIDE
STRAP

CAPO, PICK, SLIDE and STRAP are all accessories or tools used by a guitarist. CAPO is the most obscure — it's a clamp that clips onto the neck to raise the pitch across all strings at once.

P THEY HAVE BOARDS · Purple · hardest

CHESS
CORPORATION
DARTS
SURFER

CHESS, CORPORATION, DARTS and SURFER each pair with the word BOARD — chessboard, corporate board, dartboard and surfboard. CORPORATION is the hardest leap because its board sits in a conference room rather than a sports hall or ocean, making it the last connection most solvers see.

Try another puzzle

Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.

Wordle

Today's hint ladder & answer

Open

Spelling Bee

Answers, pangram & word list

Open