A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1052
hints & answers for April 28, 2026

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows April 28, 2026. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, B, C and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

APPEAL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ENTREATY

Reveal all four words
  • APPEAL
  • BID
  • CALL
  • REQUEST

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, F, S and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DRY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

LAUNDRY DAY VERBS

Reveal all four words
  • DRY
  • FOLD
  • SORT
  • WASH

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, C, M and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHECK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS THAT COME IN "BOOKS"

Reveal all four words
  • CHECK
  • COUPON
  • MATCH
  • STAMP

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

DIAL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SUN___

Reveal all four words
  • DIAL
  • FLOWER
  • SCREEN
  • TAN

Each entry comes after "SUN" to form a word, expression or name: DIAL → SUN DIAL; FLOWER → SUN FLOWER; SCREEN → SUN SCREEN; TAN → SUN TAN.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: ENTREATY
  • Green: LAUNDRY DAY VERBS
  • Blue: THINGS THAT COME IN "BOOKS"
  • Purple: SUN___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ENTREATY

APPEAL · BID · CALL · REQUEST

Green

LAUNDRY DAY VERBS

DRY · FOLD · SORT · WASH

Blue

THINGS THAT COME IN "BOOKS"

CHECK · COUPON · MATCH · STAMP

Purple

SUN___

DIAL · FLOWER · SCREEN · TAN

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.