NYT Connections #1067
NYT Connections Deep Dive: May 13, 2026 (ARGUMENT)
This archive page preserves the NYT Connections thinking guide for May 13, 2026. Use it to review the solving approach while the final answers stay protected below.
Current daily puzzle
Updated for
Guidance bridge
This archive guide reviews the completed Connections board for May 13, 2026. Use it to revisit each category, the group logic, and the final answer set after the puzzle is solved.
Archive Snapshot
- Date
- May 13, 2026
- Groups
- 4 color groups
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Hardest word
- ARGUMENT
- Answers
- Answers included below
Why "ARGUMENT" is the hardest word in today's NYT Connections puzzle
ARGUMENT is the hardest word because its most obvious meaning is a dispute, but the puzzle needs the reasoning sense. In the PRETEXT group, it works as a basis or stated reason, which is subtler than the sandwich and photo-editing groups.
As a puzzle enthusiast, I treat the hardest word as the key to the board because it usually reveals the grouping pattern hiding underneath.
Date banner
May 13, 2026
How to Start Today's Connections
Start with the sandwich names: GRINDER, HERO, HOAGIE, and SUB are the cleanest set. Then remove the smartphone editing tools before deciding whether the remaining food words belong with jelly or another category.
Connections Archive: Category Clue
Start with a general clue before viewing color-level prompts.
One group is regional food vocabulary, one is about reasons, one is app-tool language, and one forms phrases after the word jelly.
Connections Archive: Yellow Group
What kind of relationship should you test first?
These are names for a long sandwich.
Connections Archive: Green Group
What other shared dimension could these words have?
These can all mean a reason, justification, or stated basis.
Connections Archive: Blue Group
Does this set depend on a hidden layer of meaning?
These are controls you might see while editing a phone photo.
Connections Archive: Purple Group
Check whether the pattern lives in the word form itself.
Each word follows the same sweet starter word.
Connections Archive: Grouping Prompts
Use these questions before submitting a set.
- Which four words are regional names for a long sandwich?
- Which words can mean a reason or justification rather than a conflict?
- Which entries look like buttons or options in a phone photo editor?
- For the final group, try placing jelly before each leftover word.
Connections Archive: Self-Check
Use these checks to avoid overconfident guesses.
- Do GRINDER, HERO, HOAGIE, and SUB all name long sandwiches?
- Does ARGUMENT fit the reasoning sense of pretext?
- Are ADJUST, CROP, FILTERS, and MARKUP all smartphone photo-editing options?
- Can every purple answer form a familiar phrase after jelly?
What Matters in This Puzzle
Food words are split
GRINDER, HERO, HOAGIE, and SUB are sandwiches, while BEAN, BELLY, DONUT, and ROLL belong with jelly.
ARGUMENT changes sense
Here ARGUMENT means a line of reasoning or basis, not a quarrel.
Blue is interface language
The photo group works because the words are familiar editing options on a phone.
Post-game archive analysis
May 13, 2026 NYT Connections Category Breakdown
This archive page reviews the completed board category by category. Each group below explains the shared logic and why every word belongs, which gives the page a different purpose from the live hint page.
yellow group
Long sandwich
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: long sandwich. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
GRINDER
GRINDER belongs here because it supports the group label "Long sandwich". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
HERO
HERO belongs here because it supports the group label "Long sandwich". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
HOAGIE
HOAGIE belongs here because it supports the group label "Long sandwich". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
SUB
SUB belongs here because it supports the group label "Long sandwich". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
green group
Pretext
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: pretext. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
ARGUMENT
ARGUMENT belongs here because it supports the group label "Pretext". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
BASIS
BASIS belongs here because it supports the group label "Pretext". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
CAUSE
CAUSE belongs here because it supports the group label "Pretext". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
GROUNDS
GROUNDS belongs here because it supports the group label "Pretext". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
blue group
Smartphone photo editing options
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: smartphone photo editing options. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
ADJUST
ADJUST belongs here because it supports the group label "Smartphone photo editing options". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
CROP
CROP belongs here because it supports the group label "Smartphone photo editing options". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
FILTERS
FILTERS belongs here because it supports the group label "Smartphone photo editing options". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
MARKUP
MARKUP belongs here because it supports the group label "Smartphone photo editing options". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
purple group
Jelly ___
The category works because all four entries share the same relationship: jelly ___. The solve depends on applying that exact logic to every word, not just finding a loose association.
BEAN
BEAN belongs here because it supports the group label "Jelly ___". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
BELLY
BELLY belongs here because it supports the group label "Jelly ___". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
DONUT
DONUT belongs here because it supports the group label "Jelly ___". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
ROLL
ROLL belongs here because it supports the group label "Jelly ___". In the completed board, this entry helps confirm the category after the other related words are tested.
How This Connections Archive Puzzle Works
The May 13 Connections board is approachable once the obvious sandwich group is cleared: GRINDER, HERO, HOAGIE, and SUB all name long sandwiches. ARGUMENT, BASIS, CAUSE, and GROUNDS form the PRETEXT group through their reason-or-justification meanings. ADJUST, CROP, FILTERS, and MARKUP are smartphone photo-editing options. The purple group uses a shared prefix: jelly bean, jelly belly, jelly donut, and jelly roll.
Caution Notes
Do not put ROLL with sandwiches
ROLL is tempting as bread vocabulary, but it completes jelly roll in the purple group.
Watch GROUNDS
GROUNDS may suggest coffee with GRINDER and FILTERS, but it belongs as a reason or basis.
Previous and Next Day
Compare today's grouping logic with neighboring guides before you move on.