What is the NYT Connections answer for July 13 (#1128)?

The four groups are INTERROGATE (EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP, QUESTION); THINGS WITH HANDLES (BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA); FICTIONAL CATS (FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM); STARTING WITH SMOOCHES (BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH SMOOCHES" — 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.

Monday, July 13, 2026#1128

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Monday, July 13

DailyWordHints Editorial July 13

INTERROGATE

Easiest

THINGS WITH HANDLES

Easy

FICTIONAL CATS

Tricky

STARTING WITH SMOOCHES

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are INTERROGATE (yellow), THINGS WITH HANDLES (green), FICTIONAL CATS (blue), STARTING WITH SMOOCHES (purple).

UMBRELLA

SALEM

BUCKET

QUESTION

PUSS

GRILL

PUMP

KISSER

MUG

FIGARO

SMACKDOWN

DRAWER

EXAMINE

BUSSIN

TOM

PECKISH

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 #1128, Monday, July 13. 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 July 13 (#1128)?: The four groups are INTERROGATE (EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP, QUESTION); THINGS WITH HANDLES (BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA); FICTIONAL CATS (FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM); STARTING WITH SMOOCHES (BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH SMOOCHES" — 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.