Today’s Connections puzzle is relatively easier to solve, but a couple of categories can trip you up if you’re not cautious. If you’re confused by the grid, we suggest using this guide instead of making random guesses. As you scroll down, you’ll see some general hints to nudge you in the right direction. Then, we’ll give you one word from each group, followed by the list of themes. Finally, you can have the answers and their explanations. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,128, July 13, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
The New York Times has a thriving online word game section, with Connections being the second-most-played title behind the crown jewel, Wordle. The rules of this game are simple – you need to find 4 groups comprising 4 words each in a 16-word grid. The words in each group are united by a common theme. The Yellow group is the easiest one to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple (toughest). Sometimes, there are red herrings and misdirects in the grid to throw you off your game, so don’t take your thinking cap off at any time! Ready to lock in? You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Some tips to solve Connections
Look for the obvious patterns: Not every category in the puzzle is confusing. The Yellow and Green category words are relatively easy to spot. However, if something seems too obvious, it could be a red herring. Typically, the first two categories comprise verbs and adjectives. The misdirects are often nouns.
Double-check your submissions: ‘Do not overthink’ is usually a good tip for solving most puzzles, but it doesn’t really apply to Connections. Before submitting a set of words, you should always check whether they fit somewhere else too.
Hit a dead end? Use the shuffle button: The shuffle button at the bottom of the grid exists for a reason. Placing the words in different positions can spark new connections. Think of it as a mental refresh. New patterns will emerge, and you may be able to find a breakthrough.
Tackle the Purple category with extra caution: The Connections team is known to serve up the toughest and most unexpected words for the Purple category. Here are some of the common tropes that you should look out for:
- Homophones (For example: ‘Where’, ‘Wear’, ‘Ware’, and ‘Weir’)
- Words within words (For example: ‘Slip’, ‘Hear’, ‘Keyes’, and ‘Undiagnosed’ could be ‘Words containing parts of the face’)
- Words minus a letter (For example: ‘Anther’, ‘Easel’, ‘Hark’, and ‘Lama’ could be ‘Animals minus starting letter’)
- Words preceded or followed by another word (For example: ‘Face’, ‘Sports’, ‘Note’, and ‘Year’ could be ‘____ Book’)
Here’s your grid for today
- UMBRELLA
- SALEM
- BUCKET
- QUESTION
- PUSS
- GRILL
- PUMP
- KISSER
- MUG
- FIGARO
- SMACKDOWN
- DRAWER
- EXAMINE
- BUSSIN
- TOM
- PECKISH
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,128) July 13, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Inquire.
- 🟢Green Group: These objects have a dedicated part to hold them.
- 🔵Blue Group: Kitties.
- 🟣Purple Group: Pucker up!
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Examine.
- 🟢Green Group: Bucket.
- 🔵Blue Group: Figaro.
- 🟣Purple Group: Bussin.
List of Themes (Major Spoilers)
Maybe getting to know the common themes among the words will help you spot them faster. Here are all the categories for today.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Interrogate.
- 🟢Green Group: Things With Handles.
- 🔵Blue Group: Fictional Cats.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starting With Smooches.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,128) Today (July 13, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Examine, Grill, Pump, Question. (Interrogate)
Today’s Yellow group was easy as it gets. All of these words are used to describe intense questioning.
- 🟢Green Group: Bucket, Drawer, Mug, Umbrella. (Things With Handles)
‘Things with handles’ is a very vague theme, which is why a lot of you would have struggled to get this group today.
- 🔵Blue Group: Figaro, Puss, Salem, Tom. (Fictional Cats)
Figaro – Pinocchio. Puss – Puss in Boots. Salem – Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Tom – Tom and Jerry.
- 🟣Purple Group: Bussin, Kisser, Peckish, Smackdown. (Starting With Smooches)
Buss-in, Kiss-er, Peck-er, Smack-down.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,127, July 12, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Pip, Pit, Seed, Stone. (Reproductive Part Of Fruit)
- 🟢Green Group: Dot, Nerd, Runt, Spree. (Bit Of Fruit-Flavoured Candy)
- 🔵Blue Group: Party, Repeat, Sleep, Study. (Verbs In A College Life Slogan)
- 🟣Purple Group: Den, Mad, Pho, Sac. (Starts Of U.S. Capitals)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,126 (July 11, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cannon, Stilts, Trapeze, Unicycle. (Circus Equipment)
- 🟢Green Group: Calm, Flat, Glassy, Still. (Undisturbed, As Water)
- 🔵Blue Group: Bo Peep, Jessie, Slinky, Woody. (Toy Story Characters)
- 🟣Purple Group: Aardvark, Bocce, Ebbing, Twiddle. (Double Letters Appearing In That Letter’s Alphabetical Position)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,125 (July 10, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Airplane Mode, Do Not Disturb, Hotspot, Location Services. (Smartphone Settings)
- 🟢Green Group: Decadent, Fresh-Baked, Molten, À La Mode. (Dessert Menu Descriptors)
- 🔵Blue Group: Depeche Mode, Erasure, New Order, Pet Shop Boys. (‘80s Synth-Pop Bands)
- 🟣Purple Group: Ball Gown, Outkast, Safe Mode, Strike A Pose. (Starting With Baseball Calls)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connection puzzle 2.8 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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