Home → NYT Connections Archive → Puzzle #1143
NYT Connections Puzzle #1143 — Answers & Solution
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 · Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ Medium
🧩 NYT Connections Puzzle #1143 — Complete Answers
- 🟨 Yellow – COMMAND: CAPTAIN, DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD
- 🟩 Green – HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES: EMPIRE, FUJI, GALA, HONEYCRISP
- 🟦 Blue – SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C": CAMPER, CLARKS, CONVERSE, CROCS
- 🟪 Purple – STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES: ANNAPOLIS, BOBSLED, EVEREST, OTTOMAN
📋 All 16 Words — Puzzle #1143
✅ Full Answers — Puzzle #1143
🟨 Yellow — COMMAND
🟩 Green — HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES
🟦 Blue — SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C"
🟪 Purple — STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES
🔍 Detailed Breakdown
🟨 Yellow (Easiest) — COMMAND
The easiest category in Puzzle #1143 is "COMMAND". The four words are:
- CAPTAIN
- DIRECT
- HEAD
- LEAD
🟩 Green (Medium) — HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES
The medium category in Puzzle #1143 is "HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES". The four words are:
- EMPIRE
- FUJI
- GALA
- HONEYCRISP
🟦 Blue (Hard) — SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C"
The hard category in Puzzle #1143 is "SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C"". The four words are:
- CAMPER
- CLARKS
- CONVERSE
- CROCS
🟪 Purple (Hardest) — STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES
The hardest category in Puzzle #1143 is "STARTING WITH PALINDROMIC NAMES". The four words are:
- ANNAPOLIS
- BOBSLED
- EVEREST
- OTTOMAN
🎯 Strategy Tips for Puzzle #1143
Start by locking down COMMAND (Yellow) and HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES (Green), as verbs like DIRECT / LEAD and well-known fruits like HONEYCRISP / GALA leave little room for error. Next, isolate the footwear manufacturers for SHOE BRANDS STARTING WITH "C" (Blue). Once those are cleared, examine the prefix letters of the remaining words to uncover the hidden palindromes (Annapolis, Bobsled, Everest, Ottoman) for Purple.
⚠️ Red Herring Warning: Watch out for "FUJI" and "EMPIRE"! It’s easy to try grouping FUJI and EVEREST together as famous mountains, or EMPIRE and OTTOMAN as historical empires/dynasties. However, FUJI and EMPIRE belong to the apple varieties group, while EVEREST and OTTOMAN are part of the wordplay group starting with palindromic names (Eve and Otto).
🔗 Explore More
