NYT Connections #1052 arrives on April 28, 2026 with a mix of everyday vocabulary and a sneaky solar twist that will catch players off guard. Whether you’re stuck on one group or want to check your work, this guide walks you through vague hints, category names, and full answers — in that order.
What Is NYT Connections?
New York Times word games have become a daily habit for millions, and Connections is one of the most addictive in the lineup. The game presents 16 words and challenges players to sort them into four groups of four, each sharing a hidden common thread. Categories can be anything — verbs, compound words, pop culture references, or tricky wordplay.
Each group is color-coded by difficulty: 🟨 Yellow is the easiest, followed by 🟩 Green, 🟦 Blue, and 🟪 Purple as the hardest. Players share their color-block results on social media after completing the puzzle, much like Wordle.
How to Play
- Select four words you believe belong to the same category and hit Submit.
- A correct group is removed from the board and revealed in its color.
- A wrong guess counts as one mistake — you get four mistakes total before the game ends.
- Use the Shuffle button to rearrange the board and spot patterns you might have missed.
Category Hints for April 28, 2026
Not ready for the answers yet? These vague clues point you in the right direction without giving anything away.
- 🟨 Yellow: Think about what you do when you want someone to do something for you — urgently.
- 🟩 Green: These are actions you perform every time you do the laundry — from start to finish.
- 🟦 Blue: These words all belong with a particular bound collection of pages. Think of items you typically tear out and redeem.
- 🟪 Purple: All four words can follow the same celestial body to make a familiar compound word or phrase.
Category Names for April 28, 2026
Still working through it? Here are the official category names for Connections #1052 — no answers revealed yet.
- 🟨 ENTREATY
- 🟩 LAUNDRY DAY VERBS
- 🟦 THINGS THAT COME IN “BOOKS”
- 🟪 SUN___
Full Answers for April 28, 2026
Ready for the complete solution? Here are all four groups for NYT Connections #1052:
- 🟨 ENTREATY: APPEAL, BID, CALL, REQUEST
- 🟩 LAUNDRY DAY VERBS: DRY, FOLD, SORT, WASH
- 🟦 THINGS THAT COME IN “BOOKS”: CHECK, COUPON, MATCH, STAMP
- 🟪 SUN___: DIAL, FLOWER, SCREEN, TAN
What Made Today’s Puzzle Tricky
The toughest part of #1052 was the 🟦 Blue group. Words like CHECK, MATCH, and STAMP feel like they belong in several other categories — CHECK could suggest verification, MATCH could suggest competition, and STAMP could point toward something official. The key was recognizing that all four come in “books”: a checkbook, coupon book, matchbook, and stamp book.
The 🟨 Yellow group (ENTREATY) also had some overlap risk. CALL and REQUEST are such versatile words that players might have tried to drop them into the 🟩 Laundry or 🟪 Sun groups before realizing all four — APPEAL, BID, CALL, REQUEST — are synonyms for a formal plea or entreaty.
The 🟪 Purple group (SUN___) was elegant once spotted: SUNDIAL, SUNFLOWER, SUNSCREEN, and SUNTAN are all common compound words, but seeing SUN hidden in each required stepping back from the literal meanings of DIAL, FLOWER, SCREEN, and TAN.
Tips for Today’s Puzzle
- Start with Purple if you saw it. The SUN___ pattern is a clear anchor once you recognize it. DIAL, FLOWER, SCREEN, and TAN all complete a “sun” compound — locking that group early frees up the board considerably.
- Don’t trust WASH and CALL to be in the same group. Both are common words with many meanings, but WASH belongs in the Laundry Day Verbs group with DRY, FOLD, and SORT — not with the entreaty synonyms.
- Think about physical booklets for the Blue group. Checkbooks, matchbooks, coupon books, and stamp books are all real-world items. If you’re unsure whether a word fits, ask yourself: does this come in a small booklet you can flip through?
- When stuck, eliminate the easiest group first. The Yellow (ENTREATY) group — APPEAL, BID, CALL, REQUEST — uses straightforward vocabulary. Clearing it early often reveals which remaining words are being pulled in multiple directions.
More Daily Puzzle Answers
Looking for more puzzle help? Check out these recent guides:
- April 23, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1047 Hints and Answers
- April 22, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1046 Hints and Answers
- April 21, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1045 Hints and Answers
- April 25, 2026 Wordle #1771 Hint and Answer
- April 25, 2026 NYT Connections Sports Edition #579 Hints and Answers
- “On the Shopping Block” – April 25, 2026 NYT Strands Hints and Answers
Shahid Maqsood is a digital entrepreneur and SEO specialist focused on building engaging web experiences. He is the creator of DotWordle, combining creativity with smart, user-friendly design.
