The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Spoiler warning: This page covers the Saturday, April 4, 2026 edition of NYT Connections, Puzzle #1028. It starts with gentle hints and ends with the full answers.
Need the answer? The four groups for NYT Connections Puzzle #1028, published Saturday, April 4, 2026, are listed below. This page includes progressively stronger hints followed by the complete solution, so stop reading when you have enough help.
How NYT Connections works
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Each group shares a connection. The categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is generally the most straightforward, followed by green, blue, and purple, which is usually the trickiest.
The challenge is that several words can appear to fit more than one category. A word may have an everyday meaning that points toward the wrong group, while another category may depend on a phrase, an idiom, or a more specialized definition.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match#1 Best Overall
The 16 words in Puzzle #1028
BAND, MASK, CAPE, LIE, BLUFF, BOOT, SPIT, SHIELD, LET, POINT, BASE, COVER, SLEEPING, SCREEN, SUMMER, DOGS
Hints for Connections #1028
These clues move from broad to specific without immediately giving away the category names.
Yellow hint
Think of a familiar saying about leaving an unsettled matter alone.
Rank #2
Green hint
Look for words associated with hiding, blocking, or concealing something.
Blue hint
Consider geographical features found along coastlines and other shorelines.
Purple hint
Find four words that can come before camp.
NYT Connections #1028 answers for Saturday, April 4, 2026
Yellow: LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE
DOGS, LET, LIE, SLEEPING
These four tiles combine to form the familiar idiom “let sleeping dogs lie.” The yellow group is assembled as a phrase rather than as a set of objects or concepts, which can make it less immediately visible in the grid.
Green: OBSCURE
COVER, MASK, SCREEN, SHIELD
Each word can describe something that conceals, blocks, or protects from view. The connection is based on overlapping meanings, not on four identical types of object: something can cover, mask, screen, or shield another thing.
Blue: COASTAL LANDFORMS
BLUFF, CAPE, POINT, SPIT
These are terms used for coastal landforms or projections associated with a shoreline or body of water. The trap is that all four words also have familiar non-geographic meanings. In this group, bluff, cape, point, and spit need to be read as landform vocabulary.
Purple: ___ CAMP
BAND, BASE, BOOT, SUMMER
Place camp after each word:
- band camp
- base camp
- boot camp
- summer camp
This category becomes clearer when the four words are treated as phrase completions instead of as a semantic group.
What makes this puzzle tricky?
Puzzle #1028 uses several kinds of ambiguity at once. COVER, MASK, SCREEN, and SHIELD all suggest concealment or obstruction, but the words could initially appear to belong to different practical or visual categories.
The coastal group also depends on looking past everyday meanings. A cape can be clothing, a point can be a sharp tip or an argument, a bluff can be deceptive behavior, and a spit can be an action. Their geographic meanings provide the shared connection.
Finally, the yellow group is not a conventional category at all: its four tiles reconstruct an idiom. The purple group works in the opposite direction, asking you to complete a common phrase with the same missing word.
Answer grid at a glance
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE | DOGS, LET, LIE, SLEEPING |
| Green | OBSCURE | COVER, MASK, SCREEN, SHIELD |
| Blue | COASTAL LANDFORMS | BLUFF, CAPE, POINT, SPIT |
| Purple | ___ CAMP | BAND, BASE, BOOT, SUMMER |
Want more Connections-style puzzles?
If you enjoy the daily digital game, an optional offline follow-up is The New York Times Connections puzzle book, a physical puzzle title associated with The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu. Check the publisher or a reputable book retailer for the current edition, price, and availability. It should be treated as additional practice—not as a claim that it contains this specific Puzzle #1028.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the answers to NYT Connections Puzzle #1028?
The four groups are LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE, OBSCURE, COASTAL LANDFORMS, and ___ CAMP.
Which words make the yellow group in Connections #1028?
DOGS, LET, LIE, and SLEEPING form the phrase “let sleeping dogs lie.”
Which words make the green group in Connections #1028?
COVER, MASK, SCREEN, and SHIELD are the words in the green group, OBSCURE.
Recommended Free Tools
Which words make the blue group in Connections #1028?
BLUFF, CAPE, POINT, and SPIT are coastal landform terms.
Which words go with “camp” in Connections #1028?
BAND CAMP, BASE CAMP, BOOT CAMP, and SUMMER CAMP complete the purple group.
The Bottom Line
NYT Connections #1028 answers: LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE; OBSCURE; COASTAL LANDFORMS; and ___ CAMP. The words are DOGS, LET, LIE, SLEEPING; COVER, MASK, SCREEN, SHIELD; BLUFF, CAPE, POINT, SPIT; and BAND, BASE, BOOT, SUMMER, respectively.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
