NYT Connections Hints for August 28, 2026 — Puzzle #1174

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

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1174 on August 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: August 28, 2026 (2026-08-28) · #1174 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-08-28.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:

B _ _ _ _ _ _ P _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ _
P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
M _ _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F _ _ _ _
T _ _ O _ T _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

BEDTIME PARTING WORDS

Show theme 2

PALINDROMES

Show theme 3

MODERN ADD-ONS/COMBINING FORMS

Show theme 4

TOP OF THE ___

NYT Connections answer for August 28, 2026 — puzzle #1174

BEDTIME PARTING WORDS

SWEET DREAMS, NIGHT, REST EASY, SLEEP TIGHT

PALINDROMES

TOP SPOT, NOON, MOM, SIS

MODERN ADD-ONS/COMBINING FORMS

ERA, BRO, MAXXING, CODED

TOP OF THE ___

MORNING, POPS, HOUR, LINE

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