NYT Connections Hints & Answers Today: May 19, 2026 (Puzzle #1073)

If today’s New York Times Connections grid has you burning through your mistakes, you are not alone. Puzzle #1073 features some heavy misdirection, with several words seemingly fitting into a medical or sports theme before pulling the rug out from under you. Below are strategic, spoiler-free hints to help you group today’s words on your own, followed by the exact categories and answers at the bottom of the page.

Today’s Connections Strategy & Commentary

Watch out for the overlapping meanings in today’s board. Words like DOCTOR and SURGEON immediately suggest a medical category, but only one actually belongs there conceptually. Another tricky trap comes from the food-related wording, some entries look culinary at first glance, but their real connection is much more deceptive.

We recommend identifying the most literal category first before attempting the wordplay-heavy Purple group. Once the baby-related actions are locked in, the remaining sets become much easier to separate.

Daily NYT Puzzle Hub

Keep your winning streak alive across the entire NYT Games ecosystem. Check out our daily guides for today’s other popular puzzles:

• Wordle Hints & Answer Today: Today’s Wordle Hints & Answer (May 19, 2026): Puzzle #1795
• Strands Hints & Spangram Today: NYT Strands Hints, Spangram & Answers Today: May 19, 2026 (Puzzle #807)

Connections Hints Today: Category Clues

If you just need a nudge to get your brain moving in the right direction, here are clues for the four color-coded groups:

• 🟨 Yellow Group Hint (Easiest): Common things infants do
• 🟩 Green Group Hint (Medium): To tamper with something dishonestly
• 🟦 Blue Group Hint (Hard): Titles connected to a famous young adult author
• 🟪 Purple Group Hint (Tricky): Remove one letter from a type of fish

Stuck on one word? If you have FOUNDER, try thinking about what shorter word can be made by removing a single letter. That perspective makes the Purple category much easier to crack.

NYT Connections Answers Today: May 19, 2026

Spoiler Warning: Beyond this point lies the full solution for Puzzle #1073. If you still want to solve the grid yourself using the clues above, do not scroll down.

Here are the completed categories and groupings for today’s puzzle:

🟨 Yellow Group: THINGS BABIES DO

• BABBLE
• CRY
• NURSE
• TEETHE

🟩 Green Group: MODIFY DECEPTIVELY

• ALTER
• COOK
• DOCTOR
• FUDGE

🟦 Blue Group: JUDY BLUME BOOKS

• BLUBBER
• DENNIE
• FOREVER
• SUPERFUDGE

🟪 Purple Group: FISH MINUS A LETTER

• FOUNDER
• SALON
• SURGEON
• TROT

Join the Discussion

Did today’s puzzle give you a perfect “Reverse Rainbow” (solving Purple to Yellow), or did the misleading medical clues completely derail your run?

Share your Connections score, favorite category, or biggest red herring in the comments below!