The Connections puzzle by The New York Times has become a favorite brain teaser for logic puzzle fans, offering a unique way to test word association skills and reasoning. With its growing popularity, many players seek help in deciphering the groups and word connections when the challenge becomes particularly tough. The May 13 edition of the Connections puzzle was no exception, presenting players with a clever assortment of words and categories designed to test observation and analytical thinking.
This guide is dedicated to breaking down the puzzle for May 13, offering detailed hints, insights, and ultimately the answers for those who might be stuck. If you’re new to Connections or just need a nudge in the right direction, you’re in the right place.
Introduction to the NYT Connections Puzzle
Launched by The New York Times, the Connections game is available for free both on the official website and through the NYT Games app. The game involves identifying common themes among a grid of 16 seemingly unrelated words. Each day, players are challenged to uncover four unique groups, each containing four words that share a hidden link.
One of the things that makes Connections particularly addictive is its tiered difficulty system. The puzzle categories are color-coded:
- Yellow: Easiest
- Green: Moderate
- Blue: Harder
- Purple: Most difficult
The colors are revealed only after the correct group is found, keeping players guessing about the level of difficulty until the end.
Words Featured in the May 13 Puzzle
The following is the word list provided in the May 13 Connections puzzle:
- Bazaar
- Dry
- Evergreen
- Supreme
- Fair
- Bathroom
- Market
- Hawaiian
- Veggie
- Infrared
- Marigold
- Quicksilver
- Pipe
- Vacuum
- Plain
- Outlet
Each of these words may appear unrelated at first glance, but grouping them reveals fascinating and sometimes surprising connections.
Connections Hint for May 13
If you’re grappling with how to group the words, consider the following hints before moving to the direct answers. These clues are designed to steer your thinking without revealing the groups outright.
Words Associated with Shopping
Some of today’s words share a link to commerce and retail. Think beyond just traditional stores—this includes any space where buying and selling takes place. These could be formal locations, cultural gatherings, or commercial hubs, both virtual and physical.
Popular Pizza Styles
Pizza lovers might recognize a few familiar terms in the word list. If you’ve ever stared at a pizza menu, you’ll probably identify these names—classic or specialty varieties. Keep in mind that some may refer to topping combinations while others denote crust or preparation style.
Words That End in Colors
An interesting linguistic twist is used in one category: words that end with the name of a color. This group is a clever play on language, focusing more on the word construction than meaning.
Things Used for Cleaning
Another group ties into sanitation and cleanliness. These are objects or systems related to hygiene, housework, or general maintenance. The clue lies in common household cleaning or drying tools and spaces associated with them.
Analyzing the Groups
Let’s delve deeper into each group and unpack why the answers make sense. This will help not only with today’s puzzle but also with understanding how to approach future puzzles.
Retail and Shopping Venues
Words: Bazaar, Fair, Market, Outlet
Each of these words represents a form of a marketplace or shopping location.
- Bazaar typically refers to a large market found in Middle Eastern or South Asian regions, often filled with small vendors and diverse wares.
- Fair is commonly known as a community event but also serves as a temporary market with stalls and shops.
- Market is the most straightforward—referring to any regular gathering for the purchase and sale of goods.
- Outlet usually describes a store, especially one selling discounted merchandise or surplus stock from a brand.
Together, they form a solid set of commercial environments where people buy and sell goods.
Varieties of Pizza
Words: Hawaiian, Plain, Supreme, Veggie
All four are commonly found on pizzeria menus, indicating different pizza styles or topping combinations.
- Hawaiian pizza is famously known for its combination of pineapple and ham.
- Plain pizza generally refers to a cheese-only or simple tomato and mozzarella pizza, without toppings.
- Supreme includes multiple toppings—usually a mixture of vegetables, meats, and cheese.
- Veggie is short for vegetarian pizza, which is topped with vegetables like peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.
These words are unified by their presence in pizza menus, providing a flavorful theme.
Words Ending with Color Names
Words: Evergreen, Infrared, Marigold, Quicksilver
This group plays with the language itself. Each word ends in a term that is also a color.
- Evergreen ends in “green.” While it’s often used to describe enduring plants or ideas, the ending is key.
- Infrared ends with “red.” The term belongs to the electromagnetic spectrum, but here, the suffix is what matters.
- Marigold ends in “gold.” Known as a flower, but again, we focus on the color.
- Quicksilver ends in “silver.” While this is an old term for mercury, its color-based suffix makes it fit this category perfectly.
This clever category forces players to shift focus from meaning to word form and endings.
Cleaning and Household Tools
Words: Bathroom, Dry, Pipe, Vacuum
All four of these can be associated with cleaning or systems involved in maintaining cleanliness.
- Bathroom is an obvious location for personal hygiene and sanitation.
- Dry relates to the act of removing moisture, a common final step in many cleaning routines.
- Pipe may seem unrelated at first, but it’s essential in plumbing systems—carrying water for cleaning and waste disposal.
- Vacuum is a household cleaning tool used to suck up dust and debris.
Though they vary in form (a room, an action, a tool, and a part of infrastructure), all contribute to the theme of cleanliness or cleaning.
Solving Strategy for NYT Connections
For those aiming to improve their Connections game strategy, here are a few expert tips.
Start with Obvious Groupings
Begin with the easiest connections—words that are immediately recognizable as related. In most puzzles, this is the yellow group, and it often includes straightforward or everyday associations.
Look for Themes in Word Structure
If you’re stuck, look at word parts: suffixes, prefixes, or phonetic similarities. Sometimes the connection lies in how the words sound or are spelled rather than their meanings.
Cross-Reference and Eliminate
As you begin to identify some connections, cross off those words and refocus on the remaining ones. This will help you zero in on the trickier groups without the distraction of already-solved categories.
Use the Process of Elimination
Even if you’re not sure about a certain grouping, you can narrow down possibilities by what has already been categorized. The fewer words left, the clearer the categories become.
Final Thoughts on the May 13 Puzzle
The May 13 Connections puzzle offered an engaging mix of thematic and structural categories that tested different areas of logic. From commerce to culinary, linguistic play to household functions, it provided a well-rounded challenge.
For many players, the purple group often serves as the biggest roadblock, and in this puzzle, that certainly held true. Words like Pipe and Dry don’t immediately scream “cleaning,” but upon reflection, their functional role in cleanliness is undeniable.
By recognizing not just the meanings but also the contexts and word construction, players can improve their success in solving even the most difficult puzzles.
Summary of Today’s Connections (May 13)
If you’re here simply for the quick reference, here’s the final breakdown of the four groups:
- Yellow Group – Shopping Venues: Bazaar, Fair, Market, Outlet
- Green Group – Types of Pizza: Hawaiian, Plain, Supreme, Veggie
- Blue Group – Words Ending in Color Names: Evergreen, Infrared, Marigold, Quicksilver
- Purple Group – Cleaning Items/Concepts: Bathroom, Dry, Pipe, Vacuum
Why Play the NYT Connections Game?
The Connections puzzle is more than just entertainment—it sharpens your vocabulary, logic, and lateral thinking skills. Unlike crossword puzzles that rely heavily on trivia or general knowledge, Connections emphasizes relationships between words in abstract or less obvious ways. It trains you to look beyond the surface, making it both fun and intellectually stimulating.
Whether you’re playing during your coffee break or winding down at night, the game offers a compact and rewarding mental challenge.
Get Involved and Share
Don’t forget to share your wins—or your struggles—with the Connections community. Whether you’re solving solo or discussing possibilities with friends or family, this game is a fantastic way to spark conversation and keep the brain active.
Stay tuned for more daily breakdowns and expert insights into upcoming puzzles.
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