NYT Connections · #1128
NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1128) — 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.
Traps & Misdirects for July 13, 2026
The decoys built into this puzzle — and why each one bites.
GRILL Decoy
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.
PUMP Decoy
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.
MUG Decoy
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.
PECKISH Decoy
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.
BUSSIN Decoy
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 Word Clues for July 13, 2026
Spoiler-free meaning for every word in the grid.
BUCKET
A container carried by its curved handle — the handle is the whole point of the design.
BUSSIN
Internet slang for something delicious or excellent; hides BUS at the front, an old-fashioned word for a kiss.
DRAWER
The small knob or bar on the front is its handle; you pull it open by that grip.
EXAMINE
To question closely and systematically, as a lawyer does to a witness on the stand.
FIGARO
The small black kitten from Disney's Pinocchio (1940), one of the studio's earliest animal stars.
GRILL
Looks like the backyard cooking appliance; here it means to question someone hard and relentlessly.
KISSER
Slang for a person's mouth or face; the hidden kiss-word here is KISS itself, sitting right at the start.
MUG
Looks like it could mean a face or a robbery; here it's the ceramic cup with the looped handle.
PECKISH
Means slightly hungry in everyday English; the puzzle only cares about PECK at the front — a quick, light kiss.
PUMP
Looks like a shoe type or fluid device; here it means to draw information out of someone through persistent questioning.
PUSS
Reads as generic cat slang, but this is Puss in Boots — the swashbuckling feline from the Shrek films.
QUESTION
The most literal member of the group — to formally challenge or interrogate someone.
SALEM
The sarcastic talking black cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, named after the famous witch trials town.
SMACKDOWN
A wrestling event or decisive defeat; SMACK at the start is also a loud, emphatic kiss — the connection the puzzle wants.
TOM
The perpetually frustrated cat from Tom and Jerry — one of animation's most enduring feline characters.
UMBRELLA
The curved or straight grip at the bottom is its handle — the part you hold in the rain.
NYT Connections Hints for July 13, 2026
Reveal exactly what you need — a hint, the group name, or a single word.
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NYT Connections Answers for July 13, 2026
Full spoilers — all four groups revealed.
Yellow group
Interrogate
- 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.
Green group
Things with handles
- 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.
Blue group
Fictional cats
- 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.
Purple group
Starting with smooches
- 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.