NYT Connections · #1128

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1128) — July 13, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·July 13, 2026

“Work through the grid by meaning first — find the words that act as verbs describing the same kind of action, then look at what physical objects share a common feature. Once those two groups are locked, scan what's left and look hard at the beginnings of each word.Today's puzzle has EXAMINE, which also appeared in Connections #333 (Apr 30, 2024). It was part of a group about pressing someone with questions.”

NYT Connections hints for July 13, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 BUCKETA container carried by its curved handle — the handle is the whole point of the design.

2 BUSSINInternet slang for something delicious or excellent; hides BUS at the front, an old-fashioned word for a kiss.

3 DRAWERThe small knob or bar on the front is its handle; you pull it open by that grip.

4 EXAMINETo question closely and systematically, as a lawyer does to a witness on the stand.

5 FIGAROThe small black kitten from Disney's Pinocchio (1940), one of the studio's earliest animal stars.

6 GRILLLooks like the backyard cooking appliance; here it means to question someone hard and relentlessly.

7 KISSERSlang for a person's mouth or face; the hidden kiss-word here is KISS itself, sitting right at the start.

8 MUGLooks like it could mean a face or a robbery; here it's the ceramic cup with the looped handle.

9 PECKISHMeans slightly hungry in everyday English; the puzzle only cares about PECK at the front — a quick, light kiss.

10 PUMPLooks like a shoe type or fluid device; here it means to draw information out of someone through persistent questioning.

11 PUSSReads as generic cat slang, but this is Puss in Boots — the swashbuckling feline from the Shrek films.

12 QUESTIONThe most literal member of the group — to formally challenge or interrogate someone.

13 SALEMThe sarcastic talking black cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, named after the famous witch trials town.

14 SMACKDOWNA wrestling event or decisive defeat; SMACK at the start is also a loud, emphatic kiss — the connection the puzzle wants.

15 TOMThe perpetually frustrated cat from Tom and Jerry — one of animation's most enduring feline characters.

16 UMBRELLAThe curved or straight grip at the bottom is its handle — the part you hold in the rain.

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint

What a detective does to a suspect in a small room.

See Group

INTERROGATE

See Word

EXAMINE

See Word

GRILL

See Word

PUMP

See Word

QUESTION

See Hint

You grip each of these before you lift or carry them.

See Group

THINGS WITH HANDLES

See Word

BUCKET

See Word

DRAWER

See Word

MUG

See Word

UMBRELLA

See Hint

These four have whiskers, nine lives, and a screen credit.

See Group

FICTIONAL CATS

See Word

FIGARO

See Word

PUSS

See Word

SALEM

See Word

TOM

See Hint

Each word is secretly wearing a peck on its forehead.

See Group

STARTING WITH SMOOCHES

See Word

BUSSIN

See Word

KISSER

See Word

PECKISH

See Word

SMACKDOWN

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 GRILL Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably picturing the cooking appliance in the backyard — that's the bait. Here it's a verb describing what a detective does to a suspect, not something you put burgers on.

2 PUMP Tap to see why this word traps.

You're likely thinking of a fluid pump or a type of shoe — both are strong pulls. Here the puzzle is using it as a verb meaning to extract information from someone.

3 MUG Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as a verb meaning to rob someone, or as slang for a face. Here it's a noun — a drinking vessel, and it belongs with physical objects that share a structural feature.

4 PECKISH Tap to see why this word traps.

You're almost certainly reading this as 'slightly hungry' — that's the everyday meaning and it's the trap. The puzzle is using the first four letters, not the whole word's meaning.

5 BUSSIN Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as internet slang for something being really good. The puzzle doesn't care about that meaning — look at how the word starts instead.

NYT Connections answers for July 13, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y INTERROGATE · Yellow · easiest

EXAMINE
GRILL
PUMP
QUESTION

EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP and QUESTION all mean to interrogate someone — to press them with questions to extract information. PUMP is the sneakiest of the four; most solvers picture a shoe or a water pump before the 'pump someone for information' sense clicks.

G THINGS WITH HANDLES · Green · easy

BUCKET
DRAWER
MUG
UMBRELLA

BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG and UMBRELLA all have handles as a defining physical feature. DRAWER is the most unexpected — solvers tend to think of it as furniture rather than an object you grab by a handle.

B FICTIONAL CATS · Blue · medium

FIGARO
PUSS
SALEM
TOM

FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM and TOM are all famous fictional cats from film, TV or literature. PUSS is the trickiest — it reads as generic cat slang, but the puzzle means Puss in Boots from the Shrek franchise.

P STARTING WITH SMOOCHES · Purple · hardest

BUSSIN
KISSER
PECKISH
SMACKDOWN

BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH and SMACKDOWN each begin with a word that means 'kiss': BUS, KISS, PECK and SMACK respectively. The surface meanings — internet slang, a face, feeling hungry, a wrestling event — are all deliberate misdirection to stop you looking at the front of each word.

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