NYT Connections Hints for July 28, 2026 — Puzzle #1143

Sixteen words, four hidden categories. Hints reveal structure, then the grouping.

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1143 on July 28, 2026: how many groups there are, a masked theme for each group, then the four categories one at a time, then all sixteen words and the full grouping.

Puzzle date: July 28, 2026 (2026-07-28) · #1143 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-07-28.json). Hints are derived from that day's verified answer data — no invented clues, difficulty scores or word claims.

1. The shape of the puzzle

There are 4 categories of 4 words each (16 words total).

2. The four themes, masked

Each theme below keeps its word shapes and the first letter of every word:

C _ _ _ _ _ _
H _ _ D _ Y _ _ L _ _ _ T _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ B _ _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ C
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ N _ _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

COMMAND

Show theme 2

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES

Show theme 3

SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C"

Show theme 4

STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES

NYT Connections answer for July 28, 2026 — puzzle #1143

COMMAND

CAPTAIN, DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES

EMPIRE, FUJI, GALA, HONEYCRISP

SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C"

CLARKS, CAMPER, CONVERSE, CROCS

STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES

OTTOMAN, ANNAPOLIS, BOBSLED, EVEREST

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