If today’s New York Times Connections grid has you burning through your mistakes, you are not alone. Puzzle #1128 features some heavy misdirection, with several words seemingly fitting into a food or household 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 red herrings today. At first glance, words like Mug and Bucket look like an obvious match for a kitchen theme, but committing to that group early will cost you lives.

We recommend looking closely at the verbs first, separating the action words from the nouns will make the remaining 12 words significantly easier to manage. You should also pay attention to proper nouns and special terms that might belong to pop culture themes.

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:

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): Words that relate to getting information from someone
  • 🟩 Green Group Hint (Medium): These items are all used to hold or carry things or open them
  • 🟦 Blue Group Hint (Hard): You might find these elements in stories or cartoons
  • 🟪 Purple Group Hint (Tricky): These words all share a connection when you start with a word for kissing

Stuck on one word? If you have Bussin, try looking at it as slang rather than its usual meaning. It might belong to the trickier Purple group today!

NYT Connections Answers Today: Monday July 13, 2026

⚠️Spoiler Warning: Beyond this point lies the full solution for Puzzle #1128. 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: Interrogate

  • Examine
  • Grill
  • Pump
  • Question

🟩 Green Group: Things With Handles

  • Bucket
  • Drawer
  • Mug
  • Umbrella

🟦 Blue Group: Fictional Cats

  • Figaro
  • Puss
  • Salem
  • Tom

🟪 Purple Group: Starting With Smooches

  • Bussin
  • Kisser
  • Peckish
  • Smackdown

Previous answer

NYT Connections Answer for July 12, 2026 (Puzzle #1127): Reproductive Part Of Fruit / Bit Of Fruit-Flavored Candy / Verbs In A College Life Slogan / Starts Of U.S. Capitals

Join the Discussion

Did today’s puzzle give you a perfect “Reverse Rainbow” or did the red herrings wipe out your board?

Share your results grid or vent about today’s trickiest crossover words in the comments below!


Discover more from wazzuptechph

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Share.

Hi, I'm marvin and I'm a guitar enthusiast and a tech lover. I enjoy playing music, watching movies, and exploring new technologies in my spare time. I'm an introvert who likes being alone and expressing myself through my creative hobbies. I work as a self-employed person and I’m passionate about writing.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x