This article provides a complete breakdown of the New York Times “Connections” puzzle for Sunday, June 28, 2026 (game #1113), including helpful hints, category clues, and the final answers.“Connections” is a daily word-association game where players must group 16 words into four sets of four based on hidden relationships.The difficulty varies across categories, typically ranging from easy (yellow) to very difficult (purple).

For this puzzle, the article first lists all 16 words: PICK, CHESS, START, SELECT, CHOICE, GO, SLIDE, CORPORATION, BEGIN, PRIME, SURFER, STRAP, CAPO, DARTS, NOW, and FINE.It then offers progressive hints for each group to help players solve the puzzle without immediately revealing solutions.The yellow group relates to words meaning “high-quality,” including CHOICE, FINE, PRIME, and SELECT.The green group involves “signals to commence,” consisting of BEGIN, GO, NOW, and START.The blue group focuses on “accessories for a guitarist,” featuring CAPO, PICK, SLIDE, and STRAP.The most challenging purple group is themed around “they have boards,” which connects CHESS, CORPORATION, DARTS, and SURFER.

The article also briefly reflects on the difficulty of the puzzle, noting that some groupings—especially the purple category—can be deceptive and require thinking beyond obvious associations.It highlights how players might initially group words like GO, START, and NOW incorrectly or miss the less intuitive “boards” connection entirely.

Overall, the article serves as both a guide and explanation for players who want to maintain their solving streak or understand the reasoning behind the puzzle’s structure, while also encouraging engagement with other NYT word games such as Strands and Quordle.