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Everyday words like Duck, Press, and Stand hide multiple meanings, making the puzzle more deceptive than it first appears.
Journalism, courtroom, and skiing-related themes create a balanced mix of familiar references and tricky category overlaps.
The purple ‘Ski ___’ category delivers the final twist, rewarding players who notice subtle contextual connections between words.
NYT Connections puzzle for May 28, 2026 has brought a round of clever wordplay and hidden patterns that players have to identify. At first glance, a grid full of words like Duck, Hunch, News, Stoop, Lodge, Podium, and Stand may fool you, but underneath lies the set of today’s themes waiting to be uncovered.
Whether you have a 70-game winning streak and you want to protect it, or you’re here just for fun and some brainstorming, the puzzle is going to offer you a satisfying mental challenge from the very first guess.
Connections is one of the daily puzzles The New York Times provides, and it is the most popular with readers. In this game, there are 16 words (or phrases) that have to be put into four groups of four. Every group has a subtle link, either a theme, a phrase, or a category.
The groups are marked with colors according to their difficulty level:
Yellow is typically the most direct.
Green calls for a little more logical thinking.
Blue is all about cultural or linguistic knowledge.
Purple is more likely to contain complex wordplay or references to popular culture.
Every round gives three wrong guesses before the end of the game; every selection becomes crucial.
Here are helpful nudges for today’s puzzle.
Yellow Group Hint: Think of the terms we use when telling someone to bend down.
Green Group Hint: These words are associated with journalists and their work.
Blue Group Hint: These are things that are mostly seen in a courtroom.
Purple Group Hint: The purple group words are all associated with a specific mountain sports during winter.
One-Word Hint for Each Group
Still confused? Check out more hints:
Yellow: DUCK
Green: NEWS
Blue: PODIUM
Purple: SLOPE
If you have solved the puzzle using the hints and clues, congratulations! However, if there is still confusion and you’re not sure about the groups of today’s NYT Connections, here’s the complete solution:
Yellow group (GET LOW): DUCK, HUNCH, SQUAT, STOOP
Green group (FOURTH ESTATE): MEDIA, NEWS, PAPERS, PRESS
Blue group (PARTS OF A COURTROOM): BAR, BENCH, PODIUM, STAND
Purple group (SKI ___): JUMP, LIFT, LODGE, SLOPE
Check Out the Image Below to Learn How to Make the Sets of Today's Puzzle:
If you have solved today’s puzzle but missed out on a few of the week’s, below are the answers to some of the previous day's NYT Connections:
The May 28 edition of NYT Connections delivers a well-balanced challenge. It combines everyday activities with clever word associations. From simple words that say ‘bend down’ to the work that journalists do and ice sports, the puzzle gradually builds momentum as players move from the easier groups to the trickier ones.
What makes today’s grid satisfying is its relatability. Most categories are based on common words that players use multiple times a day for different contexts. However, finding the right context for the puzzle is the actual challenge. The final ‘Ski’ connection adds a playful twist that requires sharper observation. This mix of familiarity and surprise is exactly what keeps Connections engaging day after day.
