NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, April 25 (game #1049)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, April 24 (game #1048).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1049) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• HAYSTACK
• PITCHFORK
• COPPER
• OCEAN
• CAST IRON
• ENAMEL
• HURLY-BURLY
• NAIL
• DICK
• CHUCK E.
• CHEESE
• HAIR
• CROWD
• GUMSHOE
• SKIN
• MILLION
• FLATFOOT

NYT Connections today (game #1049) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Human protection
• GREEN: Phrases including a large amount
• BLUE: retro ways to describe a detective
• PURPLE: Begin with a word for “toss”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1049) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: BODY COVERINGS
• GREEN: MASSES, IN IDIOMS
• BLUE: OLD TIMEY SLANG FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "THROW"

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1049) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1049, are…

• YELLOW: BODY COVERINGS ENAMEL, HAIR, NAIL, SKIN
• GREEN: MASSES, IN IDIOMS CROWD, HAYSTACK, MILLION, OCEAN
• BLUE: OLD TIMEY SLANG FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT COPPER, DICK, FLATFOOT, GUMSHOE
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "THROW" CAST IRON, CHUCK E. CHEESE, HURLY-BURLY, PITCHFORK

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Today’s green group MASSES, IN IDIOMS was one that I put together without properly thinking about it, but the phrase “needle in a haystack” had been in my mind earlier in the game as I made a mistake inexplicably linking HAYSTACK, PITCHFORK, MILLION and NAIL.

I’m really not sure what I was thinking there, but I pulled myself together enough to get OLD TIMEY SLANG FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. This is an area where they could have come up with 160 different tiles, such is the variety of nicknames for bobbies and narcs.

Alas, today the purple group passed me by — largely because I’d wrongly assumed some inside knowledge about CHUCK E CHEESE was required, when all that was actually needed was knowledge of the word "chuck".

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, April 24, game #1048)

• YELLOW: PIZZA INGREDIENTS CHEESE, DOUGH, PEPPERONI, TOMATO SAUCE
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH OCTOPUSES ARMS, INK, INTELLIGENCE, SUCTION CUPS
• BLUE: THEY HAVE BLADES GRASS, HELICOPTER, ICE SKATES, LAWN MOWER
• PURPLE: WHAT "CAB" MIGHT REFER TO CABIN, CALLOWAY, RED WINE, TAXI

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, April 25 (game #783)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, April 24 (game #782).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #783) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… On the shopping block

NYT Strands today (game #783) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• DICE
• COINS
• CLONE
• COVEN
• TREE
• TEEN

NYT Strands today (game #783) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #783) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 6th row

Last side: right, 6th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #783) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #783, are…

• CORNER
• DISCOUNT
• GROCERY
• CONVENIENCE
• LIQUOR
• SPANGRAM: STOREFRONT

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

A homage of sorts to many kinds, but my no means all, of store.

I spent a good deal of my formative years living above my parents' shop, which was a bit of all those described here as it sold fruit and vegetables, cigarettes, newspapers, confectionery, stationery and bread as well as strange random items like sports shoes — which they sold precisely zero of for 20 years, but still dedicated shelf space to.

Anyway, I digress as none of this is relevant to today’s search, which was a rudimentary affair – although I did enjoy finding the word CORNER in the corner.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, April 24, game #782)

• SHOUT
• WHOOP
• CATERWAUL
• BELLOW
• HOLLER
• CLAMOR
• SPANGRAM: LETSGETLOUD

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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New Windows 11 laptop looks like a true MacBook Neo rival that should worry Apple

• An Intel reference laptop has been spotted with a Wildcat Lake CPU
• It has a design that's very MacBook-inspired, and it looks like a notebook that'll go after the Neo
• You'll get peppier performance here, though, with a faster CPU and twice the RAM of the Neo

A sighting of a reference laptop from Intel featuring a new Wildcat Lake CPU has been causing quite a stir, as it appears to be squarely taking on Apple's popular new MacBook Neo.

Tom's Hardware highlighted a post on X by Vaidyanathan Subramaniam from Notebookcheck.net, who got a first look at the laptop at an Intel event, with some further info posted on the Notebookcheck.net site itself.

The device is a thin-and-light 14-inch notebook that has an aluminum chassis and sleek MacBook-style lines, with a vibrant green colorway that also follows in the footsteps of the Neo's bright appearance.

The CPU inside is a Wildcat Lake chip, as mentioned, which is a budget offering and effectively a cut-down version of the new Panther Lake silicon. The processor used is apparently the Intel Core 7 360 or Core 7 350, based on the presence of an NPU with 17 TOPS, alongside the CPU, which has two performance cores and four low-power efficiency cores (smaller than the normal efficiency cores, of which this chip has none).

The CPU offers what should be a decent enough level of performance, with a PL1 of 17W (22W maximum) and a PL2 of 35W (which can be hit for very brief bursts). Interestingly, there's also the option of operating at 11W, which allows the notebook to operate in fanless mode, needing no active cooling, so it'll be dead quiet in that case.

There's 16GB of soldered system RAM present alongside the CPU.

Analysis: a newer Neo?

(Image credit: Vaidyanathan Subramaniam of NotebookCheck.net on X / Intel)

Given that the MacBook Neo operates at lower wattages (generally under 10W), this should be a performant rival – especially given that it packs twice the RAM of Apple's laptop.

Remember, the Neo is restricted to 8GB of system memory, though Apple has done a good job of ensuring that this isn't a hindrance for typical everyday usage.

Future proofing, however, is more of a concern for me with the MacBook Neo due to that RAM loadout. Still, we don't know what price a Wildcat laptop, such as the one shown by Intel, will demand. Apple has, of course, made the Neo very competitive, and that value has been clearly demonstrated by the way it's flown off retail shelves.

I've been talking about the threat the MacBook Neo poses to the dominance of Windows 11 in the notebook world ever since Apple launched its budget portable, while wondering what Microsoft's answer might be. Fixing Windows 11 is one thing, but it looks like Intel could step in to lend its processing forces in the fight against Apple with Wildcat Lake, although there are still a good deal of unknowns to be fathomed out yet.

It's worth noting that the Intel laptop looks good in the photos taken and shared, but according to Subramaniam, its appearance is even more impressive in real life. Watch this space, as they say.

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Quordle hints and answers for Friday, April 24 (game #1551)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, April 23 (game #1550).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1551) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1551) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1551) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1551) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1551) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• L

• R

• B

• L

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1551) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1551, are…

• LOWLY
• RELAX
• BRASS
• LUNCH

Another close-to-the edge escape for me today.

With just one guess left I managed to get LOWLY after a strong conviction that the word must end L-Y. If it hadn’t been for previous guesses telling me where the Ls were not, I would have absolutely guessed “lolly”.

Phew!

Daily Sequence today (game #1551) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1551, are…

• LORRY
• FJORD
• THORN
• LOCUS

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1550, Thursday, 23 April: KNEAD, PULSE, CRUST, TASTE
• Quordle #1549, Wednesday, 22 April: WEEDY, OMEGA, CLEFT, GAVEL
• Quordle #1548, Tuesday, 21 April: FLUTE, KITTY, AFIRE, GRANT
• Quordle #1547, Monday, 20 April: QUART, TUMOR, STAFF, EAGLE
• Quordle #1546, Sunday, 19 April: PEACE, ERECT, ASSAY, SPILL
• Quordle #1545, Saturday, 18 April: STEAL, CURIO, SCOOP, BETEL
• Quordle #1544, Friday, 17 April: SMOCK, CRACK, SAINT, YIELD
• Quordle #1543, Thursday, 16 April: LIBEL, COURT, SULLY, VERSE
• Quordle #1542, Wednesday, 15 April: PIVOT, ELECT, STORE, CREME
• Quordle #1541, Tuesday, 14 April: STUNT, CHINA, LANCE, SLINK
• Quordle #1540, Monday, 13 April: INCUR, FLAKE, FLASK, WORDY
• Quordle #1539, Sunday, 12 April: STALK, OFTEN, CLOCK, AWAKE
• Quordle #1538, Saturday, 11 April: MINER, PLIER, PASTE, PITCH
• Quordle #1537, Friday, 10 April: PUPPY, TRADE, BRAND, KNOCK
• Quordle #1536, Thursday, 9 April: SKIMP, BAWDY, WHERE, DECOR
• Quordle #1535, Wednesday, 8 April: IDEAL, PULPY, HUMPH, RETCH
• Quordle #1534, Tuesday, 7 April: FIFTY, SHUSH, HELLO, ZEBRA
• Quordle #1533, Monday, 6 April: CHIEF, IDLER, PASTA, BRIAR
• Quordle #1532, Sunday, 5 April: PLUSH, GRATE, DEALT, LABEL
• Quordle #1531, Saturday, 4 April: MOTEL, COVEN, DRIER, SCOLD

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, April 24 (game #1048)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, April 23 (game #1047).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1048) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TOMATO SAUCE
• HELICOPTER
• TAXI
• INTELLIGENCE
• ICE SKATES
• RED WINE
• GRASS
• LAWN MOWER
• INK
• CABIN
• DOUGH
• SUCTION CUPS
• CHEESE
• CALLOWAY
• ARMS
• PEPPERONI

NYT Connections today (game #1048) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Grab a slice
• GREEN: Cephalopod related
• BLUE: Machinery or sharp thin object
• PURPLE: A three-letter word in common

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1048) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: PIZZA INGREDIENTS
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH OCTOPUSES
• BLUE: THEY HAVE BLADES
• PURPLE: WHAT "CAB" MIGHT REFER TO

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1048) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1048, are…

• YELLOW: PIZZA INGREDIENTS CHEESE, DOUGH, PEPPERONI, TOMATO SAUCE
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH OCTOPUSES ARMS, INK, INTELLIGENCE, SUCTION CUPS
• BLUE: THEY HAVE BLADES GRASS, HELICOPTER, ICE SKATES, LAWN MOWER
• PURPLE: WHAT "CAB" MIGHT REFER TO CABIN, CALLOWAY, RED WINE, TAXI

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

Even though I only had eight tiles left it took me four attempts before I finally got the four things ASSOCIATED WITH OCTOPUSES. Had one of the tiles said “chewiness” I may have got there sooner, but I still really should have made the leap between SUCTION CUPS and INK quicker.

Elsewhere, this was a game of regrets and a lesson in stopping and taking time. If I had done that I may have added another “purple first” to my collection.

The temptation when a group jumps out at you is to submit it immediately, which is what I did today with PIZZA INGREDIENTS, but the next second I realized that CALLOWAY had to refer to the famous jazzman Cab Calloway and instantly saw the thread with TAXI, CABIN and RED WINE. Damn.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, April 23, game #1047)

• YELLOW: BORDER FLANK, NEIGHBOR, SKIRT, TOUCH
• GREEN: KINDS OF FICTION HISTORICAL, LITERARY, PULP, SCIENCE
• BLUE: WORDS IN A PLANETARY MNEMONIC EDUCATED, MOTHER, MY, VERY
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH FOUR-LETTER '80S BANDS ASIAGO, DEVOTE, TOTORO, WHAMMY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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This free NASA tool lets you make a personalized satellite photo —and it's the most fun you'll have on Earth Day

• NASA has released an enjoyable free tool for Earth Day
• It lets you spell your name using landscape features in satellite photos
• You can share your creations or download them and print them later

Sustainability Week 2026

This article is part of a series of sustainability-themed articles we're running to observe Earth Day 2026 and promote more sustainable practices. Check out all of our Sustainability Week 2026 content.

You’ve heard of writing your name in the stars, but what about writing your name on Planet Earth? That’s what's NASA’s latest tool is offering up, and it’s a fun way to celebrate Earth Day and demonstrates the variety of landscapes and features found on our blue planet.

Specifically, you’ll need to head over to NASA’s ‘Your Name in Landsat’ website and enter your name — or whatever word you want — into the box near the top of the page. Click the Enter button and you’ll see it spelled out, with each letter being represented by a letter hidden in a satellite photo.

For instance, try entering ‘TechRadar’ and you’ll get nine images lined up next to each other. The first could be a rocky formation that resembles the letter T, the second a swirling oceanic current that looks like an E, and so on.

The result is an entertaining little digital toy that is an enjoyable way to brighten someone’s day. You can share a link to your creation or download it, ready to be sent over email or maybe printed out as a postcard.

And if you mouse over any of the images used to spell your chosen word, you’ll see the location it was sourced from, as well as its longitude and latitude. That enables you to check it out on a site like Google Maps if you want to see the landscape in more detail.

An enjoyable distraction

(Image credit: Future)

NASA’s latest plaything is designed to coincide with Earth Day, which landed on April 22 this year. The event, which has been running since 1970, is dedicated to supporting environmental protection efforts around the world — you can read our series of articles celebrating it during Sustainability Week 2026.

It therefore makes sense for NASA to time its Your Name in Landsat tool to line up with this annual event. Its images show the vast variety of environments found across the globe and might help to inspire a touch of activism in those who use it.

According to NASA, “The satellite images used in this interactive [tool] are part of Landsat's extensive record, spanning more than 50 years.” They were sourced from NASA Earth Observatory, NASA Worldview, USGS EarthExplorer, and ESA Sentinel Hub, and you can download them individually if you like. Landsat is the longest-running satellite imagery program in the world and has been going strong since 1972.

Unfortunately, the downloaded images are not particularly large, so aren’t ideal for using as a poster or similarly-sized object. But they’re still a good way to explore the world and have a little fun while doing it.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, April 23 (game #781)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, April 22 (game #780).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #781) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Provinces of the pantheon

NYT Strands today (game #781) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• ROAM
• RAGE
• STING
• GLAMOR
• DEVIL
• MORE

NYT Strands today (game #781) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 6 letters

NYT Strands today (game #781) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #781) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #781, are…

• THUNDER
• UNDERWORLD
• MARRIAGE
• LOVE
• HARVEST
• WISDOM
• SPANGRAM: DOMAIN

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Seeing as yesterday’s game paid homage to Earth Day, I was fully expecting today’s round to be a nod to World Book Day — the most feared day in a parent's diary, thanks to the tradition of kids dressing up as fictional characters for school. 

A friend of mine’s mother got the wrong day for this back in the day and he had to spend the entire school day dressed as Voldemort while the rest of the school were in their uniforms.

Anyway, I digress. Instead of books and Harry Potter we were treated to a search for some words associated with ancient mythology — I know this now after Googling, but at the time it seemed entirely random. 

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, April 21, game #779)

• REPAIR
• RECYCLE
• DONATE
• REFILL
• REUSE
• REDUCE
• SPANGRAM: CONSERVATION

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, April 23 (game #1047)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, April 22 (game #1046).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1047) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MOTHER
• MY
• NEIGHBOR
• TOTORO
• TOUCH
• WHAMMY
• SKIRT
• SCIENCE
• PULP
• EDUCATED
• LITERARY
• ASIAGO
• DEVOTE
• VERY
• HISTORICAL
• FLANK

NYT Connections today (game #1047) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Close to the edge
• GREEN: Types of narrative story
• BLUE: Science memory learning phrase
• PURPLE: Words that begin with retro pop groups

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1047) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: BORDER
• GREEN: KINDS OF FICTION
• BLUE: WORDS IN A PLANETARY MNEMONIC
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH FOUR-LETTER '80S BANDS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1047) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1047, are…

• YELLOW: BORDER FLANK, NEIGHBOR, SKIRT, TOUCH
• GREEN: KINDS OF FICTION HISTORICAL, LITERARY, PULP, SCIENCE
• BLUE: WORDS IN A PLANETARY MNEMONIC EDUCATED, MOTHER, MY, VERY
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH FOUR-LETTER '80S BANDS ASIAGO, DEVOTE, TOTORO, WHAMMY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

I think this is my favorite ever “purple first”.

Partially it’s because I managed to avoid thinking that the Studio Ghibli classic My Neighbor Totoro was anything other than a in-joke, secondly because I managed to avoid including PULP and thirdly because I saw the link between Toto, Devo and Wham in the first place.

ASIAGO was an educated guess, but let's just say Asia were not in the same league as the other STARTING WITH FOUR-LETTER '80S BANDS.

I was also pretty pleased to get quite tricky yellow and green groups, a good thing as the mnemonic My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles was not a thing at my school (but then neither was education). I now know that it’s a way to remember the order of the planets from the sun.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, April 21, game #1045)

• YELLOW: POTTERY EQUIPMENT CLAY, GLAZE, KILN, WHEEL
• GREEN: WALLOP DECK, PUNCH, SLUG, SOCK
• BLUE: WORDS PRONOUNCED DIFFERENT WAYS AS PROPER NOUNS HERB, NICE, POLISH, READING
• PURPLE: PICK-UP ____ ARTIST, GAME, STICKS, TRUCK

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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"SIM-Farm-as-a-Service": How a Belarus-based network hijacked UK and US telcos to enable global fraud

• SIM farm deployments across 17 countries linked via shared ProxySmart software
• Remote SIM infrastructure enables bypass of phone-based verification systems globally
• Network connects dozens of telecom carriers across Europe North America and beyond

A previously unreported network of SIM farms linked to a Belarus-based provider has been identified across multiple continents, showing how mobile networks are being used to support fraud operations at scale.

Research published by UK-based cyber firm Infrawatch found a distributed infrastructure that allows remote access to physical SIM hardware connected to telecom networks in multiple regions.

Infrawatch identified 94 SIM farm deployments across 17 countries linked through software operated by a Belarus-based provider called ProxySmart.

Facilitating large-scale fraud

The deployments were supported by 24 commercial providers selling access to SIM connectivity across Europe, North America, and South America.

The network offers connections to 35 cellular carriers, including major UK operators such as Three, O2, EE, and Vodafone. U.S. connectivity was also widely available, with infrastructure distributed across 19 states that allows attackers to appear as legitimate domestic users.

SIM farms consist of racks of SIM cards or mobile devices that can be controlled remotely at scale. These are commonly used to bypass phone-based verification methods, including SMS one-time passwords used during logins or payments.

Their ability to mimic legitimate consumer connections makes it difficult for service providers to distinguish malicious traffic from ordinary mobile activity.

Technical analysis carried out by Infrawatch found that the ProxySmart platform supports automated IP rotation, remote device control, and network fingerprint spoofing. This allows operators to maintain persistent access to telecom infrastructure while cutting the chances of being spotted.

Investigators also found that services selling access to ProxySmart-backed SIM farms are promoted through online forums and messaging platforms.

Many of these services operate without customer identity checks, accept cryptocurrency payments, and are structured to reduce visibility to enforcement systems.

Blocking SIM farm activity is difficult because mobile operators assign a single IP address to multiple customers, making it tricky to separate legitimate users from malicious actors using IP-based filtering methods.

“SIM farms have been largely overlooked as criminal infrastructure to date – in part because the UK is the only country to have outlawed them, making global law enforcement crackdowns difficult," said Lloyd Davies, Founder and CEO, Infrawatch.

“This investigation highlights a significant resilience gap that leaves organisations and users more exposed to fraud and online harms. The global ecosystem of SIM farm operators and monetisation services is highly sophisticated and acts as a foothold into telecoms networks across Europe, America and South America for bad actors.”

The investigation began with the discovery of a UK-based SIM farm service and expanded into a wider mapping effort that revealed the scale of the ProxySmart ecosystem.

Findings were shared with relevant law enforcement bodies and regulators ahead of publication.

“ProxySmart is openly advertised as a SIM Farm-as-a-Service and, unfortunately, that’s not hype or marketing. These are serious operators who have perfected a model that makes running a SIM farm simple from end-to-end: from offering remote assistance setting up racks of modems to a dedicated software for remote infrastructure management and anti-bot countermeasures," Davies added.

“The legal grey area that SIM farms sit in has allowed that model to scale with limited disruption and we assess that it’s highly likely to be facilitating large-scale fraud operations today.”

With dozens of deployments already identified across multiple regions, the research shows how remote telecom access infrastructure is being commercialized and reused to support fraud, account abuse, and automated online activity.

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'We will reveal their identity photos, names, location, and other': Experts reveal extraordinary battle between rival ransomware gangs — and how victims can get their data back

• 0APT is threatening to expose the identities of rival ransomware operators
• Double extortion tactics lose impact when used against cybercriminal groups
• Krybit credentials and wallet data were found in leaked samples

The ransomware ecosystem has never been known for trust or cooperation, but a new conflict has pushed intra-criminal warfare into uncharted territory.

A cybercrime group called 0APT has threatened to expose the identities of individuals affiliated with a rival ransomware operation known as Krybit.

In a leaked blog post, 0APT issued an unusual ultimatum to its fellow criminals. "If the group does not make the payment or contact us, we will reveal their identity photos, names, location, and more," the post stated.

Double-extortion model

The threat also contained an unexpected offer directed at Krybit's original victims: "And if you are one of their victims, contact us to get your data unlocked."

0APT is using a double-extortion model that relies on the threat of reputational damage to pressure victims into paying ransoms.

That leverage evaporates almost completely when the target is another ransomware group, since criminal enterprises have no legitimate reputation to protect.

Cybersecurity researchers note that the tactic loses much of its sting in this context, yet 0APT has proceeded as if following a conventional playbook.

The group leaked a small sample of allegedly stolen Krybit data as a warning shot and has threatened a full dump if no payment arrives.

Eric Taylor, owner of Barricade Cyber Solutions in South Carolina, has analyzed the small number of Krybit files already released by 0APT.

His team discovered plaintext credentials belonging to Krybit operators and affiliates, along with five cryptocurrency wallet addresses.

Notably, the team found no evidence of a single paid ransom to Krybit, suggesting the group may have been less successful than its public claims implied.

Krybit's website is currently offline, replaced by a splash page that reads: "Everything will return to work shortly. We apologize for this. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

This type of intra-rivalry is not entirely without precedent. In 2025, a group called DragonForce attacked rival groups BlackLock and Mamona by defacing their websites and leaking internal communications.

DragonForce also seemingly took over and later shut down the operation of former ransomware kingpin RansomHub in April last year after a month of infighting.

Security firm Halcyon has noted that 0APT "poses a legitimate threat" and shows "credible technical depth," though within its first 48 hours, the group posted a list of hundreds of victims that almost certainly contained inflated claims.

For organizations that have been encrypted by Krybit, the current conflict creates an unusual opportunity.

Victims should ensure their firewall logs and network traffic data are preserved, as these may contain evidence of the attack.

Although 0APT seems to offer a way out for Krybit’s victims, there is a need for caution because the former remains a cybercriminal.

Whether 0APT actually possesses decryption keys for Krybit's victims remains unproven, and trusting one criminal group to rescue you from another carries obvious risks.

The situation is extraordinary, but the safest path for any victim is still to rely on professional defenders rather than rival attackers.

Via The Register

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, April 22 (game #1046)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, April 21 (game #1045).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1046) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TRUCK
• POLISH
• NICE
• SLUG
• DECK
• GAME
• WHEEL
• HERB
• CLAY
• SOCK
• READING
• ARTIST
• STICKS
• GLAZE
• PUNCH
• KILN

NYT Connections today (game #1046) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Used to make a vase
• GREEN: Bashed about
• BLUE: Say it another way
• PURPLE: Begin with two words that mean “lift vertically”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1046) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: POTTERY EQUIPMENT
• GREEN: WALLOP
• BLUE: WORDS PRONOUNCED DIFFERENT WAYS AS PROPER NOUN
• PURPLE: PICK-UP ____ 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1046) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1046, are…

• YELLOW: POTTERY EQUIPMENT CLAY, GLAZE, KILN, WHEEL
• GREEN: WALLOP DECK, PUNCH, SLUG, SOCK
• BLUE: WORDS PRONOUNCED DIFFERENT WAYS AS PROPER NOUNS HERB, NICE, POLISH, READING
• PURPLE: PICK-UP ____ ARTIST, GAME, STICKS, TRUCK

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I made zero mistakes in this game but came pretty close to making plenty.

Years of watching a British TV show called The Great Pottery Throwdown is the only reason I got today’s yellow group. The rest were all by chance.

WALLOP I thought was about boxing terminology and the blue group I thought was something to do with double meanings, because both READING and NICE are cities as well as words. I ended up being wrong but also right, which is the beauty of Connections sometimes.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, April 21, game #1045)

• YELLOW: AMBLE (IN) BREEZE, MOSEY, STROLL, WALTZ
• GREEN: BALDERDASH BALONEY, BILGE, BULL, BUNK
• BLUE: KINDS OF BAGS CROSSBODY, HOBO, MESSENGER, SADDLE
• PURPLE: STARTS OF ONE-WORD JAMES BOND MOVIE TITLES GOLD, MOON, OCTOPUS, THUNDER

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, April 22 (game #780)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, April 21 (game #779).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #780) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Earth Day

NYT Strands today (game #780) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• RINSE
• SORE
• CREATOR
• LATER
• DOVE
• REPAID

NYT Strands today (game #780) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 12 letters

NYT Strands today (game #780) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: top, 4th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #780) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #780, are…

• REPAIR
• RECYCLE
• DONATE
• REFILL
• REUSE
• REDUCE
• SPANGRAM: CONSERVATION

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today, is of course Earth Day, an annual event where we all, as a human race, can show our support for the environment by behaving sustainably and thinking about how we can protect the planet for the future. Not blowing it up would be a good start, perhaps.

Despite the theme being obvious I was quite slow to get going today and saw plenty of words that I should have clocked as game words.

In fact, I saw “repaid” before I saw REPAIR, “conserve” before the spangram CONSERVATION and “cycle” before RECYCLE.

Unlike previous games this one was decidedly lacking in ridiculously long words — perhaps the game makers were choosing not to be wasteful with their letters. 

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, April 21, game #779)

• BOLD
• INTREPID
• GUTSY
• COURAGEOUS
• ADVENTUROUS
• SPANGRAM: DAREDEVILS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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Fed up with expensive DDR5? ASRock's new HUDIMM memory is riding to the rescue — but it's not a silver bullet for the RAM crisis

• ASRock has revealed a new trick to beat high RAM prices
• HUDIMM DDR5 RAM modules are considerably more affordable
• They cut back on performance, however, so it's a trade-off here

There's a new type of DDR5 RAM in town, and it's cheaper, but before you start rejoicing that all your memory-related prayers have been answered, bear in mind that there are weighty caveats attached here.

Tom's Hardware noticed the announcement from ASRock about its new HUDIMM DDR5 RAM module for motherboards with Intel chipsets. In a nutshell, these are designed to be a good deal more affordable, but to achieve that, performance is dropped considerably.

A standard stick of DDR5 (UDIMM) uses a two-subchannel architecture (2 x 32-bit), but with HUDIMM (the 'HU' stands for Half Unbuffered), you get a single 32-bit subchannel instead.

That sounds very technical, but what's happening is simple enough — the bandwidth and density of the RAM stick is effectively halved. And sticks that need fewer memory modules can, of course, be made a good deal more cheaply, because you're only buying half the chips to produce them.

As the company observed on X: "ASRock's HUDIMM architecture reduces chip count and cost, enabling more affordable and flexible system builds for users and system integrators worldwide."

Intel's Robert Hallock, VP and GM for its Enthusiast Channel Segment group, commented: "Innovations like ASRock's One sub-channel DRAM technology are crucial to ensuring desktop computing remains accessible despite the rising demand and costs for DDR5 memory.

"Intel's grateful for ASRock's support in bringing this to market for our 600/700/800-series chipsets, ensuring Intel users have more access to the benefits of DDR5 memory in the years ahead."

So, as noted, these new RAM offerings are compatible with ASRock's Intel 600, 700, and 800-series motherboards.

ASRock has hooked up with TeamGroup to produce these HUDIMM sticks, and needless to say, they'll be entry-level offerings. This RAM will also be manufactured for laptops, too, in the form of HSODIMMs.

Asus is reportedly looking into this type of memory, too, as per leaks on X, so we could see a broader shift towards HUDIMMs as the year progresses.

Analysis: sign of the RAM times

(Image credit: ASRock)

The catch is that the cutbacks made to this RAM mean that performance is going to be a lot slower. Is that a compromise you want to make? Perhaps it is, given the cost of DDR5 RAM right now, which has reached extortionate levels, frankly.

The twist is that ASRock's new way of working here can run alongside standard DDR5 RAM, which remains compatible in these motherboards. HUDIMM offers asymmetrical dual-channel support at the BIOS level, so you should be okay to put a HUDIMM next to a standard UDIMM, and they'll work fine in dual-channel mode (with 3 x 32-bit subchannels active — one from the HUDIMM, and a pair from the UDIMM).

If you had an 8GB HUDIMM stick alongside a 16GB UDIMM, this would, in theory, be a faster implementation than a single 24GB UDIMM stick. So you could, say, start with just an 8GB HUDIMM (or 16GB), and then expand with a UDIMM later (when pricing drops back down to a more reasonable level).

As Tom's points out, though, ASRock's marketing indicates a not inconsiderable 90ns latency with this RAM standard, and the proof will be in the pudding of how these sorts of theorized combos work out.

Meanwhile, HUDIMMs certainly represent one shortcut to lower DDR5 RAM pricing, but the compromise in terms of performance (away from mix-and-match scenarios) is going to be a heavy price in itself. Still, this may be an option some people wish to exercise, and I can't say I blame them, looking at what retailers are asking for run-of-the-mill DDR5 these days.

What this also serves as is a reminder of just how bad the RAM crisis has got, and the fact that hardware makers are looking at longer-term solutions such as this scheme isn't much comfort as to the prospective duration of this whole affair.

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