NYT Connections #1251 for November 13, 2026 has four color groups and sixteen tiles.
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Select a color to see its clue, or use the answer section for the complete solution. Definitions and explanations follow in their own section.
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Connections hints (no spoilers)
Yellow
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Ways of moving around online or through content
Green
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Visibility in news and public discussion
Blue
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They follow a moving vehicle or vessel.
Purple
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Words that can follow BRAIN
Connections answers — November 13, 2026
Yellow Ways of moving around online or through content Reveal group Hide group
USE THE INTERNET
- BROWSE
- SCROLL
- SEARCH
- SURF
These four verbs describe common ways people use the internet or move through digital material. BROWSE suggests looking around without a fixed target, SCROLL means moving through a feed or page, SEARCH means looking for something specific, and SURF means moving from site to site. The shared idea is online activity rather than a single literal action.
Read this group’s word explanationsGreen Visibility in news and public discussion Reveal group Hide group
MEDIA ATTENTION
- COVERAGE
- EXPOSURE
- PRESS
- PUBLICITY
These nouns can name media attention. COVERAGE is reporting on a subject, EXPOSURE is appearance in public or the media, PRESS can mean the kind or amount of coverage received, and PUBLICITY is public notice gained through media. The reporting may bring favorable or unfavorable attention.
Read this group’s word explanationsBlue They follow a moving vehicle or vessel. Reveal group Hide group
THINGS THAT ARE TOWED
- BARGE
- GLIDER
- TRAILER
- WATER SKIER
Each can be pulled by another vehicle or vessel. A BARGE may be towed along a waterway, a GLIDER may be towed aloft by an airplane, a TRAILER travels behind a motor vehicle, and a WATER SKIER is pulled across the water by a motorboat. The towing relationship connects these different settings.
Read this group’s word explanationsPurple Words that can follow BRAIN Reveal group Hide group
BRAIN ___
- FREEZE
- TEASER
- TRUST
- WAVES
Put BRAIN before each tile to make four expressions. BRAIN FREEZE is a headache caused by consuming something cold, a BRAIN TEASER is a challenging puzzle, a BRAIN TRUST is a group of expert advisers, and BRAIN WAVES are rhythmic electrical activity in the brain. Every tile takes the same preceding word.
Read this group’s word explanationsWhy these words fit
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Full spoilers below: a closer look at every group and the wordplay behind it.
Yellow
USE THE INTERNET
These four verbs describe common ways people use the internet or move through digital material. BROWSE suggests looking around without a fixed target, SCROLL means moving through a feed or page, SEARCH means looking for something specific, and SURF means moving from site to site. The shared idea is online activity rather than a single literal action.
- BROWSE
-
To browse is to look through content or a site casually, often without a specific goal. It fits the internet-use theme because it describes wandering through pages or listings.
- SCROLL
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To scroll is to move displayed text or graphics up, down or across a screen. Moving through an online page or feed supplies its internet-use meaning here.
- SEARCH
-
To search is to look for information, often by typing terms into a search engine or site box. It belongs with the other online actions because it describes a purposeful use of the internet.
- SURF
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To surf, in this context, is to move from one website or page to another. The verb is a familiar informal term for casual internet navigation.
Green
MEDIA ATTENTION
These nouns can name media attention. COVERAGE is reporting on a subject, EXPOSURE is appearance in public or the media, PRESS can mean the kind or amount of coverage received, and PUBLICITY is public notice gained through media. The reporting may bring favorable or unfavorable attention.
- COVERAGE
-
Coverage is the reporting of news or an event by media outlets. It fits the group because it names media attention given to a subject.
- EXPOSURE
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Exposure is the condition of being seen, discussed, or made known to an audience. In media contexts it means public visibility rather than physical exposure.
- PRESS
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PRESS can mean the kind or extent of coverage a person or event receives, as in good press or bad press. That sense directly explains its place beside the other media-attention nouns.
- PUBLICITY
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PUBLICITY is public notice or interest gained through the media. It can also name efforts to attract that attention.
Blue
THINGS THAT ARE TOWED
Each can be pulled by another vehicle or vessel. A BARGE may be towed along a waterway, a GLIDER may be towed aloft by an airplane, a TRAILER travels behind a motor vehicle, and a WATER SKIER is pulled across the water by a motorboat. The towing relationship connects these different settings.
- BARGE
-
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat used to carry goods, and it is often towed or pushed by another vessel. It fits the towing theme through its movement along waterways.
- GLIDER
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A glider is an engineless aircraft that can be towed aloft by a powered plane before flying freely. The towing connection is part of how gliders are launched.
- TRAILER
-
A trailer is a nonmotorized vehicle designed to be pulled behind a motor vehicle. The vehicle sense connects it to towing.
- WATER SKIER
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A water skier is a person pulled behind a motorboat on skis. The person is towed across the water by the boat.
Purple
BRAIN ___
Put BRAIN before each tile to make four expressions. BRAIN FREEZE is a headache caused by consuming something cold, a BRAIN TEASER is a challenging puzzle, a BRAIN TRUST is a group of expert advisers, and BRAIN WAVES are rhythmic electrical activity in the brain. Every tile takes the same preceding word.
- FREEZE
-
BRAIN + FREEZE makes brain freeze, a headache resulting from eating or drinking something cold rapidly. FREEZE completes the expression.
- TEASER
-
A brain teaser is a puzzle or problem that challenges thinking. The tile completes the familiar phrase beginning with brain.
- TRUST
-
BRAIN + TRUST makes brain trust, a group of experts who act as advisers or policy planners. TRUST completes this collective noun.
- WAVES
-
BRAIN + WAVES makes brain waves, rhythmic fluctuations in the brain’s electrical activity that can be recorded by an electroencephalogram, or EEG. WAVES supplies the plural ending.
How difficult is this puzzle?
Check the meaning of each noun as well as its spelling. The blue group spans land, water and air, while the purple group uses the same opening word for four different expressions. Test that word before every tile to check the pattern.
More Connections answers
Frequently asked questions
What are the four groups in Connections #1251?
The yellow group is USE THE INTERNET: BROWSE, SCROLL, SEARCH, SURF. The green group is MEDIA ATTENTION: COVERAGE, EXPOSURE, PRESS, PUBLICITY. The blue group is THINGS THAT ARE TOWED: BARGE, GLIDER, TRAILER, WATER SKIER. The purple group is BRAIN ___: FREEZE, TEASER, TRUST, WAVES.
Why do BROWSE, SCROLL, SEARCH and SURF belong together?
They are all verbs for using the internet or moving through digital content. BROWSE means looking around casually, SCROLL means moving through a page or feed, SEARCH means looking for something specific, and SURF means moving from site to site.
How are BARGE, GLIDER, TRAILER and WATER SKIER connected?
Each can be towed. A barge may be towed along a waterway, a glider can be towed into the air, a trailer is pulled behind a vehicle, and a water skier is pulled behind a motorboat.
What does the purple group BRAIN ___ mean?
Put BRAIN before FREEZE, TEASER, TRUST and WAVES to form brain freeze, brain teaser, brain trust and brain waves. A brain trust is a group of expert advisers, and brain freeze here names the headache caused by cold food or drink.
Does brain trust mean trusting someone’s judgment?
A brain trust is a group of experts who advise or plan policy. The expression names the advisers collectively. This group meaning explains BRAIN + TRUST.
Sources & further reading
Sources & further reading
- The New York Times — Connections
- American Heritage Dictionary — scroll
- American Heritage Dictionary — press
- American Heritage Dictionary — publicity
- American Heritage Dictionary — barge
- American Heritage Dictionary — glider
- American Heritage Dictionary — trailer
- American Heritage Dictionary — water ski
- American Heritage Dictionary — brain freeze
- American Heritage Dictionary — brainteaser
- American Heritage Dictionary — brain trust
- American Heritage Dictionary — brain wave