NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, May 12 (game #1066)

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, May 11 (game #1065).

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 #1066) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• WEEKEND
• RANDO
• PAULO
• FRANCI
• JOHNS
• MONICA
• WORK
• WONK
• TOME
• SALVADOR
• DIVISION
• VOLUME
• DISTANCE
• OPUS
• REALM
• PETERSBURG

NYT Connections today (game #1066) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Fiction that can be used as a doorstop
• GREEN: Places with a holy word in common
• BLUE: Connected by the opposite of “short”
• PURPLE: Added money

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 #1066) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SUBSTANTIAL BOOK
• GREEN: "SAINT" CITIES 
• BLUE: "LONG" THINGS 
• PURPLE: CURRENCIES PLUS A LETTER

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

NYT Connections today (game #1066) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1066, are…

• YELLOW: SUBSTANTIAL BOOK OPUS, TOME, VOLUME, WORK
• GREEN: "SAINT" CITIES MONICA, PAULO, PETERSBURG, SALVADOR
• BLUE: "LONG" THINGS DISTANCE, DIVISION, JOHNS, WEEKEND
• PURPLE: CURRENCIES PLUS A LETTER FRANCI, RANDO, REALM, WONK

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I made three stupid mistakes after getting the yellow group pretty quickly.

First, I was pretty sure I was looking for “SAINT” CITIES but instead of MONICA I submitted JOHNS. This will teach me to add tiles rashly as the St John’s I was thinking of is a district of London and not a city.

With just eight tiles left I still managed to make two more errors — first by thinking RANDO and WONK were slang for types of relationships (so I added WEEKEND and DISTANCE). Then, with no evidence other than DIVISION being part of an '80s band name, I clicked on WEEKEND, JOHNS and REALM thinking they were too.

Fortunately through sheer chance this gave me a “one away” and I finally saw that there were four “LONG” THINGS. I hope it wasn’t as hard for you.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, May 11, game #1065)

• YELLOW: MOVE STEALTHILY, WITH "IN" CREEP, SLIP, SNEAK, STEAL
• GREEN: KINDS OF SCHEMES COLOR, PONZI, PYRAMID, RHYME
• BLUE: DETECTIVE MOVIES CHINATOWN, KNIVES OUT, SEVEN, VERTIGO
• PURPLE: BODY PARTS SURROUNDED BY TWO LETTERS ELEGY, KARMA, KEYED, SHANDY

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 Tuesday, May 12 (game #800)

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, May 11 (game #799).

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 #800) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Quite the pair

NYT Strands today (game #800) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• CURE
• POEM
• CATS
• RAIL
• YEARS
• STOP

NYT Strands today (game #800) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #800) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 4th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #800) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #800, are…

• TUXEDO
• PALAZZO
• HAREM
• GAUCHO
• TOREADOR
• SAILOR
• SPANGRAM: FANCYPANTS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

Rare letters are always a good place to start a Strands search, but TUXEDO left me a little baffled as I associate it with shirts and the theme “quite the pair” didn’t seem to go with that.

The other rare letters on the board — a double-Z, no less — were the key to finally getting me going. Not that I am exotic enough to know anyone who owns a pair of them, but I now knew after getting PALAZZO that we were looking for types of pants; or, to be precise (as I soon discovered via the spangram), FANCYPANTS.

My fancy pant knowledge is not the best, so I opted for hints to get me the next couple of trousers and from here on in I was able to shimmy my way to a conclusion.

Can the world, I wonder, be divided between those who own and those who would never be seen dead in FANCYPANTS? Quite possibly.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, May 11, game #799)

• JUMBLE
• HODGEPODGE
• VARIETY
• MISHMASH
• RAGBAG
• SPANGRAM: ODDSANDENDS

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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'All modern operating systems do this, including macOS and Linux': Microsoft exec fires back at critics accusing it of 'cheating' with Windows 11 speed boost feature

• Microsoft is bringing in a new feature to boost the CPU briefly, in order to make Windows 11 apps and menus more responsive
• Critics have fired flak at Microsoft for 'cheating' and this being a general fudge of a fix
• A Microsoft exec has made it clear that this isn't some kind of cheat, and that other major operating systems do the same thing

Microsoft is going to boost Windows 11 performance by using a trick that briefly speeds up the CPU when opening apps or menus, and an executive has defended this concept after it came under some fire from online commenters.

Windows Latest spotted that Scott Hanselman, a VP, member of technical staff at Microsoft, and a key part of the team tasked with fixing Windows 11 this year, took to X in order to fight back at critics who've called Microsoft lazy for this particular idea, which goes under the label of 'Low Latency Profile'.

There's a general feeling among some that Microsoft is taking shortcuts and fudging a fix for performance here.

To recap on what the Low Latency Profile actually does, it boosts the processor speed for around one to three seconds or so, giving a brief bit of extra pep for when opening an app, or the likes of the Start menu, to ensure this happens a good deal more snappily. And based on early testing, it does indeed do the job in terms of making Windows 11 feel more responsive in these scenarios.

The accusations leveled are that Microsoft is 'cheating' by calling on the CPU in this way, but Hanselman points out that this is nothing new for modern operating systems.

Hanselman responded to one thread (among others) on X, which began: "What a disgrace MicroSlop boosting the processor performance right on time and briefly just to make apps open faster. No other company would dare to do the same." (Note that this is translated from Spanish.)

Hanselman replied that: "All modern operating systems do this, including macOS and Linux. It's not 'cheating'; this is how modern systems make apps feel fast: they temporarily boost the CPU speed and prioritize interactive tasks to reduce latency."

Elsewhere, Hanselman further observes: "Apple does this and y'all love it."

Another complainant talks about mobiles, saying "imagine your smartphone boosting max CPU every time you touch something to be responsive", and Hanselman reminds them: "Your smartphone already does this. Constantly. Every touch wakes cores, boosts clocks, renders a frame, then drops back to idle milliseconds later. You've discovered dynamic frequency scaling. Welcome to modern computer science. Come on in! The water changes temperature often."

Analysis: feelings running hot

(Image credit: TechRadar)

It's clear that Hanselman feels compelled to put some folks in their place here, and fair enough, these are valid points he's making, and there is a general vibe towards shooting down whatever Microsoft's trying to do, which is unfair.

However, I think the Microsoft executive needs to be somewhat mindful of where much of this flak is coming from – namely, many years of Windows 11, where people have felt they haven't been listened to, with Microsoft botching a number of fixes for the OS.

I've written many times about how faith and trust in Microsoft have been eroded over the past couple of years (well, going back way before that, really, but this has been especially true in recent times). And this kind of reaction is a symptom of that.

But yes, granted, it can't feel good to have many of the ideas that you have for fixing Windows 11 being shot down in a general atmosphere of 'let's see Microsoft mess this one up'.

On a broader level, some critics aren't directly criticizing Low Latency Profile, but rather they're saying that it's more of a band-aid that doesn't address bigger issues with the likes of core Windows 11 apps (notably the web-based efforts) running sluggishly. Or indeed issues around general resource mismanagement in Windows 11 – although overarching performance improvements are something that's on Microsoft's fix list, of course.

In short, there is a lot of fixing to be done with Windows 11, and Microsoft has to start somewhere. From where I'm sitting, the general attitude so far from Microsoft has been impressive, though, in terms of implementing some important fixes quickly and engaging with the community.

I feel the critics do need to give Microsoft more time and a chance, but at the same time, I realize how some frustrations run pretty deep with Windows 11 – and Windows 10 before it, for that matter – and Microsoft only has itself to blame for that.

One key question for me, though, is simple: why didn't Microsoft include this CPU trick in Windows 11 in the first place? Or at least start developing it as a performance fix at an earlier date, given that all other contemporary desktop platforms make good use of similar features.

The answer is likely bound up in solving power-efficiency and battery life issues – and that remains a concern about this feature now. Sources inside Microsoft have already said that any battery longevity impact will be minimal, mind, and it's likely that with the huge battery life levels we're seeing with some modern laptops, this gives Windows 11 more room to breathe anyway.

Interestingly, another observation Hanselman makes is that Low Latency Profile is going to work particularly well with Windows 11 laptops that have Arm-based (Snapdragon) chips, which are better suited to shifting power states swiftly than AMD and Intel CPUs.

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And so it begins — Sony has pledged to AI use for PlayStation, claiming it will 'unleash the creativity of our studios', and this is what I've been worried about

• Sony CEO, Hideaki Nishino, shows commitment to using AI for PlayStation game development
• Nishino intends to use AI to improve game development and 'unleash the creativity of our studios'
• This comes amid the controversy behind AI's impact on the gaming market, and its use in Nvidia's DLSS 5

AI is causing significant issues within the PC and game console markets, with exceedingly high RAM prices and shortages — and now, there's another reason gamers should be worried about its presence in gaming.

As reported by VGC, Sony's CEO, Hideaki Nishino, recently highlighted a new plan that includes using AI on PlayStation to improve productivity in game development.

This comes amid controversy over AI not only driving prices up across the board due to increased memory demand, but also through Nvidia's DLSS 5 (planned for late 2026), which many have likened to a generative AI filter for games.

DLSS 5's introduction has already served as a worrying sign of what game development may eventually become, and it's not even here yet — and while it will be optional for players, many developers have already backed the tool and plan to utilize it once available.

That's exactly what makes Nishino's pledge to use AI concerning, as he stated: "At PlayStation, our goal is always to be the best place to play and the best to publish. We see AI as a powerful tool to help us in this mission."

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Rokas Tenys)

The latter statement effectively mimics what was said about DLSS 5 by Nvidia itself and some game developers and publishers, suggesting that AI will only be used as a 'tool' and not a centerpiece of games, but it's not that simple.

Nisihino continued saying: "The vision, the design, and the emotional impact of our games will always come from the talent of our studios and performers. AI is meant to augment their abilities, not replace them," further insinuating AI will be strictly used for game development.

"We believe AI will unleash the creativity of our studios, power a more curated platform, and enhance the PlayStation experience for both players and creators."

On paper, PlayStation's commitment to keeping AI use strictly within game development without replacing human artists isn't necessarily bad (not a popular move either), but it's what it could eventually lead to that's very concerning.

(Image credit: Nvidia / Capcom)

With DLSS 5, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told gamers they were 'completely wrong' about DLSS 5 being generative AI in games, as it was 'content-controlled generative AI'. However, those were seen as buzzwords to stop gamers from seeing DLSS 5 for what it actually is, as it clearly changes character and environmental details, straying from the artist's design choices.

PlayStation doesn't have a DLSS 5 equivalent case (thankfully), but AI's very presence in game development for the company to begin with means there's a chance its use could spread even further, perhaps with gen AI assets showing up in games.

It's not much of a stretch to suggest the latter could happen when Activision is actively using AI in its Call of Duty games, which hasn't gone down well with players. The only hope that remains is that backlash from consumers keeps PlayStation and its first-party studios at bay, and if DLSS 5 is anything to go by, it's a decent start.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, May 11 (game #1065)

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, May 10 (game #1064).

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 #1065) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• COLOR
• CREEP
• SHANDY
• KARMA
• KNIVES OUT
• SLIP
• PYRAMID
• RHYME
• STEAL
• CHINATOWN
• KEYED
• SNEAK
• SEVEN
• PONZI
• ELEGY
• VERTIGO

NYT Connections today (game #1065) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• BLUE: Crime films
• GREEN: Types of plan
• YELLOW: Move slowly without being seen
• PURPLE: Hidden anatomy

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 #1065) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• BLUE: DETECTIVE MOVIES
• GREEN: KINDS OF SCHEMES
• YELLOW: MOVE STEALTHILY, WITH "IN"
• PURPLE: BODY PARTS SURROUNDED BY TWO LETTERS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1065) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1065, are…

• YELLOW: MOVE STEALTHILY, WITH "IN" CREEP, SLIP, SNEAK, STEAL
• GREEN: KINDS OF SCHEMES COLOR, PONZI, PYRAMID, RHYME
• BLUE: DETECTIVE MOVIES CHINATOWN, KNIVES OUT, SEVEN, VERTIGO
• PURPLE: BODY PARTS SURROUNDED BY TWO LETTERS ELEGY, KARMA, KEYED, SHANDY

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today’s purple group looks a lot more gettable than normal and I’m annoyed at myself for not taking more time over today’s game. Congratulations if you saw the four BODY PARTS SURROUNDED BY TWO LETTERS.

Instead, I rushed in spotting the four DETECTIVE MOVIES — not that I saw the link at first, just that they are all great films.

Next, PONZI could only be here for one thing, although I did hesitate over the fourth tile, getting caught up in thinking SLIP scheme could be something as well as SLIP stream.

With just eight tiles left CREEP, SLIP, SNEAK, and STEAL were impossible to resist. 

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, May 10, game #1064)

• YELLOW: MUSIC PLAYER BUTTONS PLAY, REPEAT, SHUFFLE, SKIP
• GREEN: DESTINED BOUND, CERTAIN, FATED, SURE
• BLUE: VERBS IN MAKING A MOJITO GARNISH, MUDDLE, POUR, STIR
• PURPLE: WHAT "SPRING" MIGHT REFER TO COIL, FOUNTAIN, LEAP, SEASON

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 Monday, May 11 (game #799)

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, May 10 (game #798).

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 #799) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… A nice medley

NYT Strands today (game #799) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• DRIES
• GAPE
• MULES
• BEND
• STIR
• SOAR

NYT Strands today (game #799) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #799) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: bottom, 3rd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #799) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #799, are…

• JUMBLE
• HODGEPODGE
• VARIETY
• MISHMASH
• RAGBAG
• SPANGRAM: ODDSANDENDS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

After struggling to see yesterday’s blatantly obvious words I roared through today’s messy selection — all of which probably says a lot about my brain and/or my organizational skills.

I really love all of these words and personally I think they sum up the glorious VARIETY and reality of life, where nothing is in straight lines or ordered and everything comes at you in a MISHMASH.

I also really enjoyed how today’s words revealed themselves to me, with the spangram slowly becoming obvious after I solved the words surrounding it.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, May 10, game #798)

• OVERT
• BRAZEN
• GLARING
• BLATANT
• OBVIOUS
• FLAGRANT
• SPANGRAM: CLEARCUT

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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Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, May 10 (game #1567)

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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, May 9 (game #1566).

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 #1567) - 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 #1567) - 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 3.

Quordle today (game #1567) - 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 #1567) - 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 0.

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 #1567) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• D

• F

• R

• E

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

Quordle today (game #1567) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1567, are…

• DONOR
• FAITH
• ROBOT
• EXILE

This was a very testing game that almost beat me.

After taking a risk to get EXILE I struggled to find my final word before concluding that the letters I had were ordered A-I-T and from here I got FAITH.

Daily Sequence today (game #1567) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1567, are…

• PHONY
• GRAPH
• PARTY
• ROAST

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1566, Saturday, 9 May: SHALL, ERUPT, WISER, DRIER
• Quordle #1565, Friday, 8 May: TOXIN, HELIX, FLOUT, ADULT
• Quordle #1564, Thursday, 7 May: DEALT, LOWLY, AHEAD, CHEEK
• Quordle #1563, Wednesday, 6 May: DRESS, SWIFT, HOARD, STEAD
• Quordle #1562, Tuesday, 5 May: SNEER, NEVER, RAMEN, TODDY
• Quordle #1561, Monday, 4 May: IMBUE, FIFTY, STEEP, PINTO
• Quordle #1560, Sunday, 3 May: HATER, FORCE, BASTE, TROUT
• Quordle #1559, Saturday, 2 May: DENIM, WAIVE, CHANT, RENAL
• Quordle #1558, Friday, 1 May: LUMEN, LINEN, GOING, THANK
• Quordle #1557, Thursday, 30 April: LOYAL, CACHE, SWEAT, LIGHT
• Quordle #1556, Wednesday, 29 April: TRAIL, RENEW, BELLE, GREED
• Quordle #1555, Tuesday, 28 April: CLINK, BONUS, BRUSH, DRIER
• Quordle #1554, Monday, 27 April: ARGUE, LUNAR, SEVER, THEIR
• Quordle #1553, Sunday, 26 April: PITHY, BOAST, PRIED, BLIMP
• Quordle #1552, Saturday, 25 April: RESET, DRINK, DEITY, SLACK
• Quordle #1551, Friday, 24 April: LOWLY, RELAX, BRASS, LUNCH
• 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

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, May 10 (game #1064)

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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 9 (game #1063).

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 #1064) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SKIP
• SEASON
• LEAP
• STIR
• BOUND
• PLAY
• MUDDLE
• COIL
• REPEAT
• SURE
• POUR
• FOUNTAIN
• CERTAIN
• SHUFFLE
• GARNISH
• FATED

NYT Connections today (game #1064) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Tune choices
• GREEN: It was meant to be
• BLUE: Cocktail vocab
• PURPLE: A word that rhymes with “thing” 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 #1064) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: MUSIC PLAYER BUTTONS
• GREEN: DESTINED
• BLUE: VERBS IN MAKING A MOJITO
• PURPLE: WHAT "SPRING" 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 #1064) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1064, are…

• YELLOW: MUSIC PLAYER BUTTONS PLAY, REPEAT, SHUFFLE, SKIP
• GREEN: DESTINED BOUND, CERTAIN, FATED, SURE
• BLUE: VERBS IN MAKING A MOJITO GARNISH, MUDDLE, POUR, STIR
• PURPLE: WHAT "SPRING" MIGHT REFER TO COIL, FOUNTAIN, LEAP, SEASON

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

As befits one of today’s tiles I got myself in something of a MUDDLE playing this game.

I was certain we were looking for words connected to food preparation — in particular a salad dressing, so I had GARNISH, SEASON, POUR and STIR. Next, I thought that BOUND and LEAP indicated a jumping group and wasted a turn adding SKIP and PLAY.

Finally I got going, after realizing the link between the MUSIC PLAYER BUTTONS and then DESTINED. My one saving grace is that I spotted the purple group, but with just eight tiles left it’s not much cause for celebration — or a mojito!

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, May 9, game #1063)

• YELLOW: UNITS OF TV PROGRAMS EPISODE, FRANCHISE, SEASON, SERIES
• GREEN: THINGS WORN AROUND THE NECK BOA, CHAIN, LANYARD, TIE
• BLUE: STRINGS TIED IN KNOTS FRIENDSHIP BRACELET, MACRAMÉ, QUIPU, SHOELACES
• PURPLE: ____PIECE CONVERSATION, PERIOD, PUFF, THINK

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 Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 9 (game #1063)

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, May 8 (game #1062).

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 #1063) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PUFF
• EPISODE
• TIE
• SHOELACES
• PERIOD
• CHAIN
• SEASON
• THINK
• LANYARD
• FRIENDSHIP BRACELET
• CONVERSATION
• SERIES
• QUIPU
• BOA
• FRANCHISE
• MACRAMÉ

NYT Connections today (game #1063) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Television components
• GREEN: Neckwear
• BLUE: Material fastened and looped
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “neice”

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 #1063) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: UNITS OF TV PROGRAMS
• GREEN: THINGS WORN AROUND THE NECK
• BLUE: STRINGS TIED IN KNOTS
• PURPLE: ____PIECE

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

NYT Connections today (game #1063) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1063, are…

• YELLOW: UNITS OF TV PROGRAMS EPISODE, FRANCHISE, SEASON, SERIES
• GREEN: THINGS WORN AROUND THE NECK BOA, CHAIN, LANYARD, TIE
• BLUE: STRINGS TIED IN KNOTS FRIENDSHIP BRACELET, MACRAMÉ, QUIPU, SHOELACES
• PURPLE: ____PIECE CONVERSATION, PERIOD, PUFF, THINK

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I got quite muddled with THINGS WORN AROUND THE NECK and STRINGS TIED IN KNOTS, starting off with a group that contained SHOELACES, FRIENDSHIP BRACELET, TIE and QUIPU. I incorrectly thought the latter was the name for a bootlace tie, but I now know it's the name of an ancient abacus.

Eventually I got there and after eliminating the blue group, UNITS OF TV PROGRAMS suddenly seemed blindingly obvious.

As someone who has written a fair amount of PUFF pieces (I had a short-lived job writing press releases about ovens) I really should have solved the purple group — alas, it passed me by.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, May 8, game #1062)

• YELLOW: CANOODLING FIRST BASE, MAKING OUT, NECKING, TONSIL HOCKEY
• GREEN: FIVE-SIDED THINGS HOME PLATE, JEANS BACK POCKET, SCHOOL CROSSING SIGN, THE PENTAGON
• BLUE: UNEXPECTED PLACES TO BE "OUT OF" LEFT FIELD, NOWHERE, THE BLUE, THIN AIR
• PURPLE: ENDING IN CANDY BRANDS MINUS "S" BURGER KING WHOPPER, FILM NERD, MEMENTO, PITCHER'S MOUND

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, May 9 (game #797)

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, May 8 (game #796).

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 #797) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Garden variety

NYT Strands today (game #797) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PAIRS
• DIGGER
• GASP
• CHIN
• GUIDE
• TIDES

NYT Strands today (game #797) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 13 letters

NYT Strands today (game #797) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: left, 8th row

Last side: right, 8th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #797) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #797, are…

• ARTICHOKE
• LETTUCE 
• RADISH
• ONION 
• ASPARAGUS
• SPANGRAM: SPRINGVEGGIES

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I initially thought I was playing yesterday’s game again but the themes are subtly different — yesterday it was “garden variety” as in commonplace and today it’s “garden varieties” as in the many vegetables one may grow in an actual garden, specifically in springtime. 

That sorted out, I spotted ARTICHOKE almost immediately. Well, that’s a lie, I spotted “choke” immediately and then wondered if it could actually be ARTICHOKE. 

After getting LETTUCE it was all pretty rudimentary, as each word was layered over each over in a growing heap — a bit like compost I suppose.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, May 8, game #796)

• BASIC
• PROSAIC
• COMMON
• ORDINARY
• PEDESTRIAN
• SPANGRAM: RUNOFTHEMILL

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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The Wayback Machine faces another threat from AI — ridiculously expensive hard drive prices

• The Wayback Machine is under threat from AI once more
• The AI boom has tripled the price of the large hard disks needed for this expansive archive of the web
• This is a further danger posed to the Wayback Machine, which is also in trouble due to news sites blocking its web crawler, which is again due to AI

It's an increasingly desperate time for those trying to keep a record of the history of the web, as AI is again proving a serious stumbling block to the efforts made by the likes of the Internet Archive — and this time it's about soaring hard drive prices.

You may recall that last month, we covered another angle on the difficulties AI has been causing the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. This is the non-profit organization's history of the web, and there's a problem in that, as part of measures designed to foil AI scraping their content, online news sites are increasingly blocking the web crawler the Internet Archive uses to compile the snapshots of web pages that comprise the archive.

And now, 404 Media reports (via Tom's Hardware) that the Internet Archive is suffering due to the hard drive shortage brought on by AI (as more large drives are needed in data centers for AI workloads).

Yes, the AI boom is not just about LLMs (Large Language Models) eating your RAM and SSDs, but also hard drives (as well as indirect effects on other components).

The huge hard disks — on the order of 30TB — that the Internet Archive needs to host the Wayback Machine's historical record are now up to three times more expensive, or indeed completely out of stock. In this way, the AI boom is now a "very real issue costing us time and money," the Internet Archive's founder Brewster Kahle commented to 404 Media.

With some 210 petabytes (210,000TB) of web page snapshots in its library, which is expanding by 100TB daily, you can appreciate the scope of the web archiving that's going on here.

Wikipedia's parent non-profit, the Wikimedia Foundation, is reportedly facing similar struggles, as you'd imagine. It has some 65 million articles to host, which takes up a lot of drive space. A Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson told 404 Media that the main problems are the "purchase of memory and hard drives", but also lead times on server deliveries.

(Image credit: Ollyy / Shutterstock)

Analysis: workarounds aplenty — but what about tape?

So, is the Wayback Machine really in danger? Are we going to see the wheels start to come off the 'living history of the internet'? Well, there's no immediate peril, as apparently donors and the community around the Wayback Machine are pulling together to work around the issue of spiralling drive costs.

Still, this is clearly a concern going forward — and the blocking of the Internet Archive's web crawler is even more so. The problem there is that the news sites are blocking AI scraping, but those blocks can be circumvented if the owner of the AI targets the content via the Wayback Machine instead. It's a thorny issue, but talks are ongoing, and hopefully both sides can come to some kind of resolution.

And on the drive front, if you're wondering why the Internet Archive can't switch to tape as a storage medium, the catch there is that it's a 'living' archive of the web — as in it's online, for people to access those web page snapshots on demand. As such, hard drives are needed for that access to be responsive. Tape simply isn't up to snuff performance-wise in this case.

The Internet Archive does use tape, mind, for longer-term backups of content, but it's only part of the puzzle in that respect. Hard drives are vital for the actual day-to-day functioning of the Wayback Machine as we know it, in terms of being able to quickly serve users the content they need online.

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The RAM crisis isn't alone anymore, PC users — a new report suggests there is now a motherboard manufacturer crisis, and it seems it's only going to get worse

• The RAM crisis has reportedly resulted in a motherboard manufacturer crisis, according to Digitimes
• Digitimes' report suggests motherboard shipments have plummeted for four major Taiwanese manufacturers
• Consumers no longer have the incentive to buy motherboards for new PC builds due to unaffordable RAM kits

The AI boom and ongoing economic struggles continue to leave the PC hardware market in disarray, and a recent development suggests matters are only getting worse.

As reported by PC Gamer, a new Digitimes report indicates a 'collapse' for motherboard manufacturers and their shipment targets for 2026, due to the memory crisis.

Unsurprisingly, RAM shortages and price hikes have effectively discouraged consumers from building new PCs, which has a knock-on effect of leaving motherboards on the shelves.

Notably, the report states that Asus is among the four major Taiwanese motherboard manufacturers that lowered shipment targets at the end of 2025, and has still experienced a collapse in shipments. It also claims that Asus has only managed to ship 5 million motherboards in the first half of 2026, despite aiming for 10 million overall.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Frankly, those numbers are regarded as one of the worst for Asus, as it's said to mark the 'lowest point in Asus's motherboard shipments since the company split in 2008', and also worse than the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A similar case applies to MSI, which was reportedly estimating 11 million motherboard shipments but has fallen to 8.4 million for 2026.

Yes, these cases don't directly impact consumers, especially given the lack of consumer incentive to buy motherboards (which is part of the issue, but not to blame), but in theory, low motherboard sales could lead to a drop in production for the major manufacturers.

If the RAM crisis does dissolve, there will likely be a sudden demand for motherboards where production has been severed, ultimately leading to skyrocketing prices and shortages. It's quite evident that the AI boom has done immense damage to the PC hardware market, but we can only hope that it isn't irreparable.

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'This is not facial recognition' — Meta wants to scan kids' height and bone structure to verify their age

• New AI tools for verifying ages are being rolled out by Meta
• Instagram and Facebook is for users aged 13+
• A "visual analysis" will weigh up height and bone structure

Age verification for sites, apps, and devices is fast becoming the norm as regulators look to protect children from potentially harmful content — including content on social media. Now Meta has announced new "age assurance measures" for teen users and predictably, they are powered by AI.

Specifically, the system will use contextual clues associated with a profile (such as mentions of birthdays or school grades) together with a "visual analysis" to help figure out how old a user is.

"We want to be clear: this is not facial recognition," says Meta. "Our AI looks at general themes and visual cues, for example height or bone structure, to estimate someone's general age; it does not identify the specific person in the image."

Users suspected of being too young for Facebook and Instagram (so under 13) will have their accounts deactivated. They'll then need to provide some form of proof of age through a specific age verification process to get their account back.

'Safe, positive experiences online'

Teen protections for Instagram and Facebook are heading to more regions (Image credit: Meta)

Other Facebook and Instagram users can report accounts that they think are being used by kids under the age of 13, and Meta says it hopes to "significantly increase the number of underage accounts we identify and remove" through these methods.

"We want young people to have safe, positive experiences online," says Meta (though some would disagree). "For over a decade, we've built tools, features, and resources to help teens have safe, age-appropriate experiences on our apps."

Similar AI techniques are already being used to spot teenagers on Meta's platforms, and shepherd them into teen-appropriate spaces on these platforms. This tech is now expanding into more regions (including Facebook in the US and the UK).

Meta's announcement ends with a familiar call that we've heard before from the developers of apps and websites: to force age verification at the device level, so it's a problem for Apple, Google, and Microsoft rather than Meta.

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