NYT Connections Answer

Greetings, fellow puzzle lovers! Is it really May 13th already? If you’re anything like me, your morning routine isn’t complete until you’ve sat down with a cup of coffee and the latest NYT Connections grid.

Today’s puzzle, ID #1150, was a delightful mix of regional slang and digital tools. It didn't feel overly punishing, but there were definitely a few "wait, does that fit there?" moments that could trip you up if you move too fast.

If you are looking for an NYT Connections hint or the full answer for 2026-05-13, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s break down today’s categories and see how they all fit together.

Hints for Today's Categories

Before I reveal the answers, here are some nudges to help you solve it on your own:

• Yellow Group Hint: Think about what you’d order at a deli for lunch.
• Green Group Hint: These are words used to describe the "why" or the justification behind an action.
• Blue Group Hint: Open up your phone's gallery and try to change how a picture looks.
• Purple Group Hint: Every one of these words can follow the same sweet prefix.

Detailed Solution and Explanations

Yellow: LONG SANDWICH

This group is all about regional American vocabulary for that classic lunch staple. Depending on where you grew up, you might call a sandwich on a long crusty roll by any of these names.

• GRINDER (Common in New England)
• HERO (Very New York)
• HOAGIE (The Philadelphia favorite)
• SUB (The most universal term)

Green: PRETEXT

These words are synonyms for the reasoning or justification one might use to start a legal case, an debate, or an action. If you have "grounds" for a divorce or a "basis" for an accusation, you are in this category.

• ARGUMENT
• BASIS
• CAUSE
• GROUNDS

Blue: SMARTPHONE PHOTO EDITING OPTIONS

If you spend any time on Instagram or just cleaning up your camera roll, these terms should feel familiar. They are the standard tools found in most mobile photo editing suites.

• ADJUST (Used for brightness, contrast, etc.)
• CROP (To change the framing)
• FILTERS (To add a specific look or color grade)
• MARKUP (The tool that lets you draw or write on the image)

Purple: JELLY ___

The dreaded purple category! Today’s theme was a classic "word that follows" connection. All of these words become something entirely different (and usually delicious) when you put "Jelly" in front of them.

• BEAN (Jelly Bean)
• BELLY (Jelly Belly - the famous candy brand)
• DONUT (Jelly Donut)
• ROLL (Jelly Roll - a dessert, or perhaps the musician!)

The Final Reveal: NYT Connections Answer for 2026-05-13

If you just want the quick list to check your work, here is the final breakdown:

• LONG SANDWICH: GRINDER, HERO, HOAGIE, SUB
• PRETEXT: ARGUMENT, BASIS, CAUSE, GROUNDS
• SMARTPHONE PHOTO EDITING OPTIONS: ADJUST, CROP, FILTERS, MARKUP
• JELLY ___: BEAN, BELLY, DONUT, ROLL

Today’s puzzle was a fun one! The "Jelly" category was the cleverest of the bunch, though "Markup" in the Blue category might have been the trickiest individual word to place if you aren't a frequent phone-photo editor.

How did you do? Did you get the Purple group first, or did you have to solve your way down to it?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word game published by The New York Times. Players are given a grid of 16 words and must group them into four sets of four based on a common theme or link.

When does the NYT Connections reset?

A new puzzle is released every day at midnight in your local time zone.

What do the colors mean in Connections?

The colors represent the difficulty level of the category:

• Yellow: The most straightforward/easiest.
• Green: Intermediate difficulty.
• Blue: Challenging, often involving more specific knowledge.
• Purple: The trickiest, often involving wordplay, puns, or "blank" associations.

Can I play past puzzles?

The NYT App typically only shows the current day's puzzle, but there are several fan-made archives online where you can play historical games you might have missed!