Looking for the Contexto answer today? If you're stuck on Contexto #1403 for July 22, 2026, you're in the right place. Today's puzzle sits at a 2 out of 5 difficulty, but the semantic field can send your guesses in circles if you start too broad. Below you'll find progressive spoiler-free hints, the closest semantic words, and the full answer explained — everything you need to crack today's Contexto or understand why a certain word sits at #1.
Contexto #1403 Hints for July 22, 2026
Try these progressive clues before you scroll to the answer. Each hint gets a little more specific, so stop reading as soon as you've got it.
- Hint 1: The answer has 5 letters.
- Hint 2: It starts with the letter D.
- Hint 3: It ends with the letter N.
- Hint 4: It contains the letter A.
- Hint 5: Think about what happens when water leaves a sink or bathtub.
- Hint 6: It's something found in your kitchen, bathroom, and along streets — wherever water needs a way out.
- Hint 7: The word can also mean to exhaust or deplete something, as in "this project is a real ___ on my energy."
Top 10 Closest Semantic Words
These words ranked nearest to today's Contexto answer. If any of them appeared in your guess list, you were on the right track:
- Drainage
- Sewer
- Clog
- Sink
- Plumb
- Water
- Sump
- Pipe
- Gutter
- Sewage
Notice how the entire semantic cluster revolves around plumbing, water removal, and piping systems. If your early guesses landed in this zone, you were circling the answer. If you started with "ocean" or "flood," you were in the right element but too far from the household context.
Contexto #1403 Answer for July 22, 2026
The answer to Contexto #1403 for Tuesday, July 22, 2026 is:
✅ DRAIN
A drain is an opening or channel that carries away water or other liquids. You'll find drains in sinks, bathtubs, showers, and along roadways. That's why words like sewer, pipe, gutter, and clog ranked so close — they're all part of the plumbing and water-removal semantic field.
Why "DRAIN" Was Today's Answer
Contexto ranks words by how semantically close they are to the hidden answer, using AI-generated word embeddings. Here's why DRAIN generated today's specific semantic cluster:
- Drainage — the direct noun form of "drain," describing the system or act of draining
- Sewer — the underground system that drains carry water into
- Clog — what happens when a drain stops working
- Sink — the fixture a drain sits in
- Plumb — short for plumbing, the trade that installs and repairs drains
- Water — the substance a drain is designed to remove
- Sump — a pit that collects drained water, often with a pump
- Pipe — the tube connected beneath a drain
- Gutter — a channel on rooftops or roads that drains rainwater
- Sewage — the waste material carried through drain systems
The answer sits perfectly at the center of this plumbing semantic web. Words like "faucet" or "tap" would have ranked moderately close since they involve water flow, while "ocean" or "river" would have ranked in the hundreds because their context is natural water bodies, not man-made drainage.
How to Solve Contexto Faster — Pro Strategy Guide
Want to bring your Contexto guess count down? These strategies work on puzzles like #1403 and beyond:
1. The Category Sweep Method
Open with five broad category words — animal, food, object, place, emotion — and see which one gets the lowest rank. A low number means you've found the right semantic zone. From there, narrow down within that category.
2. Chase the Cluster, Not the Word
If "pipe" ranks at #8 and "plumber" ranks at #15, don't guess synonyms of "plumber." Instead, ask: what single word connects pipe, plumber, clog, and sink? The center of the cluster is usually the answer.
3. Try Both Forms
If you're stuck in the top 20, try the singular vs. plural, verb vs. noun, or root word. Today, "drainage" ranked #1 but "drain" was the actual answer. The root form often wins.
4. Use the Color Bands
Contexto color-codes your guesses: green (1–300) means you're warm, yellow (301–1000) means lukewarm, and red (1000+) means cold. If all your guesses are yellow, you need a bigger category shift, not a synonym swap.
What Does "Drain" Mean?
The word drain has multiple meanings, which is part of what makes it a solid Contexto answer:
- Noun (plumbing): A channel, pipe, or opening that removes water or liquid from a surface or area. Example: "The shower drain is clogged."
- Verb (to empty): To cause liquid to flow away or out. Example: "Drain the pasta before adding the sauce."
- Verb (to deplete): To exhaust resources, energy, or finances. Example: "The long commute drains my energy every day."
- Noun (figurative): Something that uses up resources. Example: "That subscription is a drain on my budget."
In Contexto #1403, the AI model placed "drain" firmly in its plumbing and water-removal context, which is why household and infrastructure words ranked highest.
Contexto #1403 Difficulty Rating
Today's puzzle is rated 2 out of 5 — on the easier side. Here's why:
- The word "drain" is a common everyday noun most players encounter daily
- The semantic cluster is tight and specific — once you guess anything related to plumbing or sinks, you're guided straight to the answer
- There are no misleading secondary meanings pulling the cluster away (unlike abstract words that span multiple semantic fields)
If you solved it in under 15 guesses, that's a strong result. Under 10 is excellent. The average for a 2/5 puzzle is typically 12–18 guesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Contexto answer for July 22, 2026?
The Contexto #1403 answer for July 22, 2026 is DRAIN.
What is Contexto and how does it work?
Contexto is a daily word-guessing game where you try to find a hidden word. After each guess, the game tells you how semantically close your word is to the answer using AI-generated word rankings. The closer your word's meaning is to the answer, the lower its rank number.
How many letters is the Contexto answer today?
Today's Contexto answer (July 22, 2026) has 5 letters. It starts with D and ends with N.
What are the closest words to today's Contexto answer?
The top 5 closest words to DRAIN are: Drainage (#1), Sewer (#2), Clog (#3), Sink (#4), and Plumb (#5). They all belong to the plumbing and water-removal semantic field.
Is Contexto #1403 hard?
No, Contexto #1403 is rated 2 out of 5 difficulty. The word DRAIN has a tight, predictable semantic cluster around plumbing terms, making it easier to zero in on once you enter the right category.
When does the Contexto puzzle reset?
Contexto resets every day at midnight based on your local time zone. If you still see yesterday's puzzle, wait for the clock to roll over or refresh the page.
More Word Games to Play Today
If you've already cracked Contexto #1403, keep the streak going with these daily puzzles:
- NYT Connections Hints and Answers Today — Sort 16 words into 4 hidden groups
- Play Connections Game Free — Our free daily Connections puzzle with unlimited archive
- NYT Connections Archive — Browse and play every past Connections puzzle
We update our Contexto answers daily before the puzzle resets. Bookmark this page and come back tomorrow for Contexto #1404 hints and the full solution.
