NYT Connections Answer

Welcome back, puzzle enthusiasts! Today’s Connections board is a delightful trip down memory lane, mixed with some clever wordplay that might have you scratching your head. Whether you’re a fan of childhood classics or a master of manipulation (of words, of course!), there is something here for everyone.

If you’re stuck on a particular group or just want to verify your logic, here is the breakdown for the NYT Connections hint and answer for 2026-05-19.

Today’s Connections Difficulty

Today’s puzzle leans toward the moderate side. The Yellow and Green categories are fairly intuitive, but the Blue category requires some specific literary knowledge. The Purple category—as is tradition—is the trickiest, requiring you to look for what isn't there rather than what is.

Yellow: Things Babies Do

This group consists of common verbs associated with the first year of life. If you’ve spent any time around an infant, these will feel very familiar!

• BABBLE: Making those first cute, nonsensical sounds.
• CRY: A baby’s primary form of communication.
• NURSE: Feeding time for the little ones.
• TEETHE: The painful process of those first pearly whites coming in.

Answer: THINGS BABIES DO

Green: Modify Deceptively

These words all describe the act of tampering with something or presenting information dishonestly. You might hear these in a legal drama or during a heated debate about "cooking the books."

• ALTER: To change something, often with the intent to mislead.
• COOK: Not for dinner—think "cooking the books" to hide financial errors.
• DOCTOR: To manipulate or falsify evidence or a document.
• FUDGE: To hedge or slightly change figures to make them look better.

Answer: MODIFY DECEPTIVELY

Blue: Judy Blume Books

If you grew up in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, these titles likely bring back a rush of nostalgia. Judy Blume is a legend of middle-grade and young adult fiction, and these are four of her most famous works.

• BLUBBER: A story about bullying and school life.
• DEENIE: A novel focusing on a young girl diagnosed with scoliosis.
• FOREVER: A groundbreaking (and at the time, controversial) book about teenage relationships.
• SUPERFUDGE: Part of the beloved "Fudge" series, following the antics of Peter and his brother Farley.

Answer: JUDY BLUME BOOKS

Purple: Fish Minus a Letter

This is the classic "stare at it until the letters move" category. Each of these words is exactly one letter away from being a common type of fish.

• FOUNDER: Add an "L" to get Flounder.
• SALON: Add an "M" to get Salmon.
• SURGEON: Add a "T" to get Sturgeon.
• TROT: Add a "U" to get Trout.

Answer: FISH MINUS A LETTER

How I Solved Today's Puzzle

I started by noticing SUPERFUDGE and FUDGE. Since they couldn't be in the same category (usually), I looked for where else they might fit. FUDGE paired nicely with COOK and DOCTOR, leading me to the "Modify Deceptively" group. Once I saw BLUBBER and DEENIE, the Judy Blume connection clicked into place.

The babies category was a quick cleanup, leaving me with the mysterious SALON, TROT, SURGEON, and FOUNDER. It took me a moment of squinting at SALON to realize it was just a "M" away from being a fish!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play NYT Connections?

Connections is a daily word game where you are given 16 words and must group them into four sets of four based on a common theme. Each group has a different difficulty level: Yellow (easiest), Green, Blue, and Purple (hardest).

When does the NYT Connections reset?

New puzzles are released every day at midnight in your local time zone.

Can there be more than one correct answer?

While some words might seem to fit into multiple categories (this is called a "red herring"), there is only one unique solution that organizes all 16 words into four distinct groups of four.

What happens if I get four wrong guesses?

If you use all four of your "lives" or mistakes, the game ends, and the correct groupings are revealed to you.