NYT Connections Puzzle: Super Easy Answers and Hints for July 13, 2026

Looking for the Latest Puzzle Help?

If you want the most recent Connections answers, here’s what to do:

1. Click here for today’s Connections hints.
2. On that same page, you’ll also find daily answers and hints for these other fun puzzles:
   • The New York Times Mini Crossword
   • Wordle
   • Connections: Sports Edition
   • Strands puzzles

Callout for Cat Lovers: Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is purr-fect for us! Read on for clues and the answers.

What Is the Connections Bot and How to Track Your Play

The New York Times made a Connections Bot (just like the helper they have for Wordle). Think of it as a friendly robot that:

• Looks at your answers after you play the game
• Gives you a number score (like a grade)
• Analyzes how you did

You can learn more about this bot here.

If you sign up for the Times Games section, you can become a “stats nerd” and follow your own progress. This means you can see:

• How many puzzles you finished
• Your win rate (how often you win, like 8 out of 10 times)
• How many times you got a perfect score (all groups right)
• Your win streak (how many days in a row you won)

More details on tracking your progress are here.

Want to get better at the game? Check out these hints, tips, and strategies to win every time.

Hints for Today’s Connections Groups (ELI5 Style)

In Connections, you sort 16 words into 4 groups of 4 that share a secret theme. The yellow group is easiest, then green, blue, and finally purple (which can be weird). Here are the hints for July 13, 2026:

• Yellow group hint: Answer the questions! (Think about asking someone lots of things)
• Green group hint: How you hold on to something. (Objects you can grab onto)
• Blue group hint: Garfield and Heathcliff, too. (Famous make-believe cats)
• Purple group hint: Pucker up. (Like when you make a kissing face)

Answers for Today’s Connections Groups (Themes)

These are the hidden themes for each color group:

• Yellow group: Interrogate (to question someone closely)
• Green group: Things with handles (everyday items you can hold by a part that sticks out)
• Blue group: Fictional cats (cats from stories, cartoons, or movies)
• Purple group: Starting with smooches (words that begin with another word for a kiss)

Callout: Also into Wordle? Here’s a Wordle cheat sheet with the most popular letters used in English words.

What Are Today’s Connections Answers?

Below is a description of the finished puzzle picture and the exact words in each group.

Image: The completed NYT Connections puzzle for July 13, 2026 (NYT/Screenshot by CNET).

The Yellow Words (Interrogate)

The theme is “interrogate.” The four answers are:

• examine
• grill
• pump
• question

The Green Words (Things with Handles)

The theme is “things with handles.” The four answers are:

• bucket
• drawer
• mug
• umbrella

The Blue Words (Fictional Cats)

The theme is “fictional cats.” The four answers are:

• Figaro
• Puss
• Salem
• Tom

The Purple Words (Starting with Smooches)

The theme is “starting with smooches” (words that start with a kiss-word like buss, kiss, peck, smack). The four answers are:

• bussin
• kisser
• peckish
• smackdown

Summary

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle (dated July 13, 2026) is a treat for cat fans and word lovers. The four groups are:

• Yellow (Interrogate): examine, grill, pump, question
• Green (Things with handles): bucket, drawer, mug, umbrella
• Blue (Fictional cats): Figaro, Puss, Salem, Tom
• Purple (Starting with smooches): bussin, kisser, peckish, smackdown

After you play, you can visit the Connections Bot to get a score and see how you did. If you register with NYT Games, you can track your completed puzzles, win rate, perfect scores, and win streak. For more daily help, the linked hints page covers Connections plus Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sports Edition, and Strands.

FAQ

1. What is NYT Connections?
It’s a daily word game where you find four groups of four words that share a secret theme. It’s like sorting socks by color, but with words!

2. What is the Connections Bot?
It’s a computer program from The New York Times that looks at your finished puzzle and gives you a numeric score and feedback, similar to the Wordle bot.

3. How do I follow my Connections progress?
Register with the Times Games section. Then you can view your stats: puzzles completed, win rate, perfect scores, and current win streak.

4. Where can I get hints for other puzzles?
You can visit this daily puzzle hints page for Connections, Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition, and Strands.

5. What does “starting with smooches” mean in the purple group?
Each answer word begins with a word that is another way to say “kiss” — like buss, kiss, peck, or smack — followed by other letters to make a new word.