A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Sunday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, July 12 (game #1127).
Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.
What should you do once you’ve finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I’ve also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc’s Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Connections today (game #1128) – today’s words
Today’s NYT Connections words are…
- UMBRELLA
- SALEM
- BUCKET
- QUESTION
- PUSS
- GRILL
- PUMP
- KISSER
- MUG
- FIGARO
- SMACKDOWN
- DRAWER
- EXAMINE
- BUSSIN
- TOM
- PECKISH
NYT Connections today (game #1128) – hint #1 – group hints
What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: Quiz a suspect
- GREEN: You can handle it
- BLUE: Feline characters
- PURPLE: Loved up
Need more clues?
We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections today (game #1128) – hint #2 – group answers
What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?
- YELLOW: INTERROGATE
- GREEN: THINGS WITH HANDLES
- BLUE: FICTIONAL CATS
- PURPLE: STARTING WITH SMOOCHES
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #1128) – the answers
The answers to today’s Connections, game #1128, 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
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 3 mistakes
Without a clue with the final eight tiles I made three mistakes before finally getting the FICTIONAL CATS foursome.
I was mystified as I played this game but I now know that buss — as featured at the start of BUSSIN — is a very old word for kiss that fell out of favor in the 1600s. Due for a comeback, then.
Meanwhile, I had no idea what the connection for BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG and UMBRELLA was, beyond vaguely thinking you could carry water in all of them (not that you see many people carrying water in a drawer).
Not my finest game.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Sunday, July 12, 2026, game #1127)
- YELLOW: REPRODUCTIVE PART OF FRUIT: PIP, PIT, SEED, STONE
- GREEN: BIT OF FRUIT FLAVORED CANDY: DOT, NERD, RUNT, SPREE
- BLUE: VERBS IN A COLLEGE LIFE SLOGAN: PARTY, REPEAT, SLEEP, STUDY
- PURPLE: STARTS OF U.S. CAPITALS: DEN, MAD, PHO, SAC
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don’t technically need to solve the final one, as you’ll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What’s more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It’s a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It’s playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
