NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, July 14 (game #1129)

Looking for a different day?

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, July 13 (game #1128).

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 #1129) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

U-TURN

PICNIC

CUT

SHUFFLE

LAUNDRY

RECYCLING

DEAL

COPY

BARGAIN

GROCERY

UNDERSTANDING

THIS SIDE UP

PASTE

AGREEMENT

EASTER

DELETE

NYT Connections today (game #1129) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: A treaty or pact

GREEN: Choices for changing text

BLUE: Like a bucket, but with holes

PURPLE: Graphics with a point

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…

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NYT Connections today (game #1129) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: CONTRACT

GREEN: EDIT MENU OPTIONS

BLUE: KINDS OF BASKETS

PURPLE: SYMBOLIZED WITH ARROWS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1129) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1129, are…

YELLOW: CONTRACT: AGREEMENT, BARGAIN, DEAL, UNDERSTANDING

GREEN: EDIT MENU OPTIONS: COPY, CUT, DELETE, PASTE

BLUE: KINDS OF BASKETS: EASTER, GROCERY, LAUNDRY, PICNIC

PURPLE: SYMBOLIZED WITH ARROWS: RECYCLING, SHUFFLE, THIS SIDE UP, U-TURN

My rating: Hard

My score: 1 mistake

With PICNIC, LAUNDRY and GROCERY locked in I made the mistake of selecting BARGAIN instead of EASTER.

There was logic to my error. My parents used to run a grocery store and they would put items that were close to their sell-by date or damaged in a basket that became known as the BARGAIN basket. I thought it was a universal thing, but maybe not.

The next two groups came pretty easily, especially the four tiles that made up the yellow CONTRACT group, as they are words that seem to be constantly in the news in regards to negotiations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, July 13, 2026, game #1128)

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

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.

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.