What is the NYT Connections answer for May 19 (#1073)?

The four groups are THINGS BABIES DO (BABBLE, CRY, NURSE, TEETHE); MODIFY DECEPTIVELY (ALTER, COOK, DOCTOR, FUDGE); JUDY BLUME BOOKS (BLUBBER, DEENIE, FOREVER, SUPERFUDGE); FISH MINUS A LETTER (FOUNDER, SALON, SURGEON, TROT).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "FISH MINUS A LETTER" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Tuesday, May 19, 2026#1073

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Tuesday, May 19

DailyWordHints Editorial May 19

THINGS BABIES DO

Easiest

MODIFY DECEPTIVELY

Easy

JUDY BLUME BOOKS

Tricky

FISH MINUS A LETTER

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are THINGS BABIES DO (yellow), MODIFY DECEPTIVELY (green), JUDY BLUME BOOKS (blue), FISH MINUS A LETTER (purple).

FOREVER

SALON

COOK

SURGEON

NURSE

DOCTOR

FUDGE

SUPERFUDGE

CRY

BLUBBER

TROT

ALTER

FOUNDER

BABBLE

DEENIE

TEETHE

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1073, Tuesday, May 19. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for May 19 (#1073)?: The four groups are THINGS BABIES DO (BABBLE, CRY, NURSE, TEETHE); MODIFY DECEPTIVELY (ALTER, COOK, DOCTOR, FUDGE); JUDY BLUME BOOKS (BLUBBER, DEENIE, FOREVER, SUPERFUDGE); FISH MINUS A LETTER (FOUNDER, SALON, SURGEON, TROT).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "FISH MINUS A LETTER" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.