MEDIUMPuzzle #1128

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1128) – Today's Puzzle, Jul 13

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying INTERROGATE (EXAMINE, GRILL...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: July 13, 2026

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#1127, Jul 12)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

Tap any word to see its Connections hint — what it means in today's puzzle, no spoilers.

EXAMINE hint: In the context of interrogate, "EXAMINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GRILL hint: In the context of interrogate, "GRILL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PUMP hint: In the context of interrogate, "PUMP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUESTION hint: In the context of interrogate, "QUESTION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BUCKET hint: In the context of things with handles, "BUCKET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRAWER hint: In the context of things with handles, "DRAWER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MUG hint: In the context of things with handles, "MUG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

UMBRELLA hint: In the context of things with handles, "UMBRELLA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FIGARO hint: In the context of fictional cats, "FIGARO" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PUSS hint: In the context of fictional cats, "PUSS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SALEM hint: In the context of fictional cats, "SALEM" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TOM hint: In the context of fictional cats, "TOM" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BUSSIN hint: In the context of starting with smooches, "BUSSIN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KISSER hint: In the context of starting with smooches, "KISSER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PECKISH hint: In the context of starting with smooches, "PECKISH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SMACKDOWN hint: In the context of starting with smooches, "SMACKDOWN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

Hints uncovered0 / 16

Today's NYT Connections Hints for All Four Categories

Reveal progressively: see the category hint first, then the group name, then individual words — stop whenever you have enough.

🟡 Straightforward

🟢 Medium

🔵 Hard

🟣 Tricky

⚠️Traps & Misdirects Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle

Today’s Connections puzzle includes words intentionally placed to misdirect you into wrong groups. These traps and misdirects hints reveal which words are designed to mislead, so you don’t burn your 4 allowed mistakes on deliberate decoys.

BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA

In today's medium category (THINGS WITH HANDLES), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to THINGS WITH HANDLES.

BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN

The trickiest grouping today is "STARTING WITH SMOOCHES". Words such as BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM

Be careful with overlap between FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "FICTIONAL CATS" to trap unsuspecting players into using up their 4 allowed mistakes.

Today's NYT Connections Answers

Click to reveal the complete solution — all four categories.

Category: INTERROGATE (Straightforward) — Answers: EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP, QUESTION

Category: THINGS WITH HANDLES (Medium) — Answers: BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA

Category: FICTIONAL CATS (Hard) — Answers: FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM

Category: STARTING WITH SMOOCHES (Tricky) — Answers: BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

INTERROGATE

The words EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP, QUESTION all share a unique thematic connection as interrogate.

EXAMINE

In the context of interrogate, "EXAMINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GRILL

In the context of interrogate, "GRILL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PUMP

In the context of interrogate, "PUMP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUESTION

In the context of interrogate, "QUESTION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THINGS WITH HANDLES

The words BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA all share a unique thematic connection as things with handles.

BUCKET

In the context of things with handles, "BUCKET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRAWER

In the context of things with handles, "DRAWER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MUG

In the context of things with handles, "MUG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

UMBRELLA

In the context of things with handles, "UMBRELLA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FICTIONAL CATS

The words FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM all share a unique thematic connection as fictional cats.

FIGARO

In the context of fictional cats, "FIGARO" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PUSS

In the context of fictional cats, "PUSS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SALEM

In the context of fictional cats, "SALEM" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TOM

In the context of fictional cats, "TOM" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STARTING WITH SMOOCHES

The words BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN all share a unique thematic connection as starting with smooches.

BUSSIN

In the context of starting with smooches, "BUSSIN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KISSER

In the context of starting with smooches, "KISSER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PECKISH

In the context of starting with smooches, "PECKISH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SMACKDOWN

In the context of starting with smooches, "SMACKDOWN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA sit alongside FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM and phrases like BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN — a collision of distinct word groups and subtle misdirects.

The editor's sharpest trick is hiding a word-within-a-word: some of the multi-word phrases are not grouped by their topic but by what their first word secretly means.

How to Use Connections Hints

Everyone playing NYT Connections puzzle gets stuck at a different point. Some players can’t figure out a single word. Others have three groups solved and can’t find the fourth. Where you are stuck determines which connection hint you need.

A word in the puzzle has an unfamiliar meaning

Some words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle are uncommon. Connections editor Wyna Liu often uses words with specific or less familiar meanings, particularly in the green, blue, and purple categories. If you don’t know what a word means, you cannot reliably place it in a group.

Recommendation: Use the Word Hint. It tells you what the word means in the context of today’s puzzle. Tap any word directly on the board above to see its hint.

No groups are forming after reading all sixteen words

The connection between words is often not obvious from their meanings alone — categories are built around themes that require a specific angle to see. These category-level clues are the most useful hints.

Recommendation: Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a category without revealing the category name or which words belong to it. Tap “Yellow Category Hint” first.

You have a possible group but aren’t ready to guess

You think four words belong together but you’re not confident enough to guess. If you’re unsure, don’t guess yet — a wrong guess costs you one of your four mistakes.

Recommendation: Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of the category without showing you which words belong to it.

One word seems to fit more than one group

You have built a group of four words but one word in it could also fit somewhere else. NYT Connections editor Wyna Liu deliberately places misleading words on the board.

Recommendation: Use the Traps and Misdirects Hints. It identifies the specific misleading words in today’s puzzle and explains why they don’t belong where you think they do.

You know the category but can’t find all four words

You have identified the theme of a category but can’t find all four words that belong to it.

Recommendation: Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one masked word at a time without revealing the full group. This is the most precise connection hint available.

One mistake left with two groups unsolved

You have one mistake remaining and two groups unsolved. If you guess wrong here, the game ends and NYT reveals all the answers automatically.

Recommendation: Do not guess yet. Use the Category Name for both remaining groups first. If that is still not enough, tap “Category Words” and reveal one word at a time.

You want today’s answers without solving the puzzle

Use the Answers section. It shows all four category names and the four words that belong to each one.

Recommendation: Go to the Answers section.

The puzzle is over but a category still doesn’t make sense

You can see the four groups and their words but the connection between them isn’t clear.

Recommendation: Use the Answer Explanation. It tells you exactly what connects the words in each category and why each individual word belongs there.

Browse Past Puzzles

View answers and hints for every previous NYT Connections puzzle.

Puzzle Archive →

Frequently Asked Questions

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle by The New York Times where you group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. Each category has a hidden theme color-coded by difficulty.

Yellow is the most straightforward category, Green is medium difficulty, Blue is harder, and Purple contains the trickiest, most misleading groupings.

Yes, NYT Connections is free to play once per day on the New York Times Games website.

A new NYT Connections puzzle releases every day at midnight in your local time zone (12:00 AM ET for US Eastern Time).

Naveed Ahmed

@NaveedAhmedDev•@naveedcolab

Lead Writer & Connections Puzzle Analyst

Naveed is a dedicated puzzle strategist and word game analyst who breaks down daily NYT Connections categories, uncovers tricky wordplay patterns, and delivers progressive, spoiler-free clues to help thousands of players solve every puzzle.