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NYT Drops Daily Connections Puzzle #1143, Apple Hint

7/28/2026

Summary

NYT Posts Puzzle

The New York Times posted Connections puzzle #1143 on July 28, 2026.
The paper posted puzzle #1142 on July 27, 2026 and rated it 2.6-out-of-5.
Puzzle #1142’s answer groups were gymnastics apparatus, long tapered items, shift types and shopping-site icons.
July 28’s hints list “command command”, “how do you like them apples”, shoe brands starting with “c”, and names beginning with palindromic words.
Players may make four mistakes before the game ends.

Summary

NYT Releases Midnight

New York Times releases a Connections puzzle at midnight in each time zone, so some users play yesterday’s grid while others see today’s.
Connections debuted in June 2023 and has become a daily ritual for millions.
It ranks second only to Wordle in daily play among the Times’ puzzles.
The game is on the NYT Games app and website and ends after four mistakes using a yellow-green-blue-purple difficulty code.

History

Historical Context

The New York Times launched its daily crossword in 1942, building a puzzle tradition that grew to 1.5 million daily copies by 2020 under editor Will Shortz. Leveraging that legacy, the paper added Spelling Bee in 2014, acquired Wordle in 2022, and released Connections in July 2023, extending its interactive-game portfolio across web and mobile platforms.

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NYT Posts Puzzle

The New York Times posted Connections puzzle #1143 on July 28, 2026.
The paper posted puzzle #1142 on July 27, 2026 and rated it 2.6-out-of-5.
Puzzle #1142’s answer groups were gymnastics apparatus, long tapered items, shift types and shopping-site icons.
July 28’s hints list “command command”, “how do you like them apples”, shoe brands starting with “c”, and names beginning with palindromic words.
Players may make four mistakes before the game ends.

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