Today’s brainteaser combines sterling logic with a splash of cultural knowledge and some cheeky word associations.
The purple panel, movie-themed, throws in season-based wordplay for a last keg of fun.
Collectibles and clues steer the grid, rewarding fine deductions upon spotting various patterns.
A brand new NYT Connections puzzle steps in as the new week begins. This Monday’s grid arrives with clever traps, satisfying themes, and a great balance between challenge and fun. It's the kind of mental warm-up that sharpens the mind without overwhelming it.
NYT Connections today plays with language in the most delightful ways. On the surface, it offers a 4x4 grid of 16 seemingly unrelated words. The task is to group them into four clusters of four, each with a shared, hidden connection. Some patterns are obvious, others more obscure.
That’s where the thrill kicks in. Here is how to break the puzzle all down with hints, insights, and the full set of NYT Connections answers for July 28, 2025.
Each word in the grid fits into one and only one group of four. Those groups can be thematic, grammatical, cultural, or even visual. Some words look like they belong to multiple categories, which makes it all the more interesting. Each wrong guess costs a life. Four strikes, and the game ends.
Yellow – Easiest, a confidence booster
Green – Moderately tricky, slightly abstract
Blue – Usually thematic or cultural
Purple – The trickiest, often involving wordplay or homonyms
If stuck, the “shuffle” button can help reset the mind.
TRACE, INITIAL, SIGN, ORIGINAL, STAMP, BUDDY, SILENT, DATE, RECORD, EVIDENCE, PRIMARY, COIN, FIRST, COMIC, CULT, HINT
The selection of today’s NYT Connections answers is diverse, featuring a mix of action words, descriptors, objects, and even genres. There’s something satisfying about puzzles that span pop culture and deductive reasoning alike.
Yellow – Words related to being the earliest or most important
Green – Clues and subtle signals
Blue – Collectible items
Purple – Words that can be paired with “movie”
INITIAL
TRACE
RECORD
SILENT
Yellow group — Foremost: FIRST, INITIAL, ORIGINAL, PRIMARY
Green group — Indication: EVIDENCE, HINT, SIGN, TRACE
Blue group — Item in a collection: COIN, COMIC, RECORD, STAMP
Purple group — _____ movie: BUDDY, CULT, DATE, SILENT
Today’s puzzle begins smoothly. The blue group stands out first—COIN, COMIC, RECORD, and STAMP are staples in many collectors’ showcases. These tangible items evoke nostalgia and neatly fit together.
Next, the yellow group comes into focus. Words like INITIAL, FIRST, PRIMARY, and ORIGINAL speak to origins and leadership. They stand at the start of things, both literally and metaphorically.
Green offers a slower burn. Words like HINT and TRACE suggest a subtlety, requiring a step back to see the bigger picture. EVIDENCE and SIGN round out a quartet of indirect clues, all indicating a larger truth hidden beneath the surface.
Purple finishes strong with wordplay. Each word—BUDDY, SILENT, CULT, and DATE—becomes familiar once paired with “movie.” From buddy comedies to cult classics and silent films, this category nods to cinematic genres rather than dictionary meanings.
This Monday puzzle strikes a wonderful balance: straightforward in parts, deceptive in others. The collectible theme builds early confidence, while the clue-based green set encourages closer reading. The movie twist in Purple delights anyone tuned into pop culture.
The week ahead promises more surprises, logic tests, and clever NYT connections. Let today’s win serve as momentum for what’s next. The grid resets at midnight—waiting to give the player another chance to connect the dots.