NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, September 22 (game #933)

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, September 21 (game #932).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Day and night shift

NYT Strands today (game #933) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• FAIL
• SAVERS
• TWIN
• CHAIN
• VOTES
• SOIL

NYT Strands today (game #933) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #933) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First side: top, 1st column

• Last side: bottom, 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 #933) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #933, are…

• SWITCH
• CHANGEOVER
• TRANSITION
• PROGRESSION
• SPANGRAM: FALLEQUINOX

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Even as I was collecting the words I still thought that the theme was about work and the moment when the day shift and the night shift swap over.

It wasn’t until I got the spangram — I had been ignoring the game’s two rare letters until then — that the penny finally dropped and I understood that the words were connected to what AI tells me is “the precise astronomical moment when the center of the Sun crosses Earth's equator, marking the official astronomical start of autumn”.

Every day’s a school day with Strands!

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, September 21, game #932)

• NEON
• LYCRA
• GRUNGE
• SCRUNCHIES
• TRACKSUITS
• SPANGRAM: NINETIESTREND

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 Tuesday, September 22 (game #1199)

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, September 21 (game #1198).

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 #1199) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• THIS
• THAT
• THE
• OTHER
• CAFE
• PATRON
• AGREE
• ACCENT
• TOUCH
• THOSE
• ROSE
• NEUTRAL
• DETAIL
• DISAGREE
• THESE
• FLOURISH

NYT Connections today (game #1199) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Determiners
• GREEN: Adornment
• BLUE: A quiz with choices
• PURPLE: Fancy drinks

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 #1199) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DEMONSTRATIVES
• GREEN: EMBELLISHMENT
• BLUE: OPTIONS ON A MULTIPLE CHOICE SURVEY
• PURPLE: BEVERAGES WITH ACUTE ACCENTS REMOVED

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

NYT Connections today (game #1199) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1199, are…

• YELLOW: DEMONSTRATIVES: THAT, THESE, THIS, THOSE
• GREEN: EMBELLISHMENT: ACCENT, DETAIL, FLOURISH, TOUCH
• BLUE: OPTIONS ON A MULTIPLE CHOICE SURVEY: AGREE, DISAGREE, NEUTRAL, OTHER
• PURPLE: BEVERAGES WITH ACUTE ACCENTS REMOVED: CAFE, PATRON, ROSE, THE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Connections loves to hide a clue to another group on one of the tiles and today it was ACCENT.

This tile featured in the green group for EMBELLISHMENT but may also have tipped some crafty players off to the fact that we were searching for a group featuring accents or, as it happened, BEVERAGES WITH ACUTE ACCENTS REMOVED.

Before linking the fancy drinks I took a bit of a risk with the yellow group, having to choose between THE and THIS. Had I paid attention more at school I may have found this task easier — demonstratively easier, even. Yet somehow I scraped through without a single error.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, September 21, 2026, game #1198)

• YELLOW: EMAIL BUTTONS: COMPOSE, DRAFTS, SENT, SPAM
• GREEN: WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH: CHUM, FLY, SPINNER, WORM
• BLUE: CHESS VERBS: CAPTURE, CASTLE, CHECK, MATE
• PURPLE: STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES: BEET, BRAH, CHOP, VIVA

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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Hackers are hiding malware on blockchains that are nearly impossible to take down, and unrestricted AI models have pushed these attacks up 440%

• Hackers are using blockchains to keep malware instructions available after servers disappear
• AI is making blockchain-based malware infrastructure easier for less experienced hackers
• Blockchain traffic is difficult to block without disrupting legitimate cryptocurrency services worldwide

Hackers are increasingly hiding malware instructions inside public blockchains, creating communication channels that can survive the removal of conventional infrastructure.

New figures from Chainalysis claim malicious blockchain activity increased 440%, with daily entries rising from 2.06 to 11.1 after newer AI systems emerged.

The technique gives attackers another way to maintain communication with compromised computers without relying entirely on conventional servers controlled by hosting providers.

Blockchain networks become malware dead drops

Blockchain dead drops use transaction data or smart contracts as lookup points, allowing infected computers to retrieve commands, addresses, or configuration information.

Because blockchain records are distributed across networks, removing a conventional server does not erase information already stored on the ledger.

A North Korean-linked operation associated with UNC5342 uses TRON and Aptos as alternate routes before retrieving encrypted instructions through the BNB Chain.

Its malware can check one network, switch to another when necessary, and retrieve updated addresses without receiving another malware package.

Iranian actors suspected of links to the country's intelligence ministry have embedded encoded routing information inside Bitcoin transactions used for malware retrieval.

Russian-speaking cybercriminals have also commercialized the technique, using Polygon contracts to provide blockchain-backed infrastructure for malware campaigns operated by different customers.

One related operator controls more than 50 BNB Chain resolver contracts while also conducting activity involving fraudulent tokens and clipboard-monitoring malware.

These operations show how blockchain records can function as persistent lookup infrastructure rather than merely serving their conventional financial and transactional purposes.

AI lowers the technical barrier

Chainalysis said the sharp increase in this malicious activity followed the arrival of high-capacity Chinese open models, which placed fewer restrictions on malware development requests.

Before those systems appeared, building reliable blockchain-based malware infrastructure required expertise across malicious software, cryptocurrency networks, and distributed communication systems.

AI tools can reduce that knowledge barrier by helping less experienced operators understand unfamiliar technologies and produce components needed for blockchain communication.

In the second quarter of 2026, state-linked groups accounted for roughly two-thirds of newly observed activity.

Those groups also represent about half of overall observed activity, indicating that blockchain-based malware infrastructure extends beyond conventional cybercriminal operations.

Defenders face difficulties because blocking blockchain traffic could also disrupt legitimate wallets, decentralized applications, exchanges, and decentralized finance services used worldwide.

Attackers can further complicate disruption by operating their own blockchain nodes, reducing dependence on external providers that defenders might otherwise pressure or disable.

Some operators have hidden server addresses inside wallet identifiers without usable private keys, then used zero-value transfers to trigger malware retrieval.

Those transactions leave public records that investigators can examine, potentially providing useful clues even when attackers attempt to conceal their infrastructure.

"While the exploitation of blockchain by state-linked organizations such as North Korea is becoming more sophisticated, on-chain records left by attackers can actually serve as important clues to track them," said Kwon Jun-hyeok, General Manager of Chainalysis Korea.

"Tracking these traces and identifying attackers and related infrastructure through blockchain intelligence will become increasingly important in responding to new cyber threats."

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Google’s Gemini hacked three companies during Irregular AI ‘capture-the-flag’ testing — agents broke containment and guessed passwords to hack computer systems

• Google's Gemini AI broke out of a testing environment and hacked into three third-party companies
• The agents guessed passwords and used a public repository of passwords to hack into computer systems
• The incident occurred in May 2026, with AI testing lab Irregular stating that the incident was caused by the "same issue" that caused incidents by Anthropic and Meta

Google’s Gemini has joined the ranks of AI models that have been involved in testing-turned-breakout events, alongside Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI.

During capture-the-flag testing by AI lab Irregular, Google’s model autonomously accessed three computer systems belonging to third-party companies by guessing passwords and accessing an online repository of publicly listed passwords.

Google said that the incident occurred in May 2026, potentially marking it as the earliest AI models to escape testing ahead of the other incidents that took place in early July.

Google Gemini jumps the gun

“In a standard evaluation, the model found public information online and guessed credentials to access websites it thought were part of the test,” Heather Adkins, vice president of security engineering at Google, said in a statement. “In all three of these instances, the model stopped.”

Google also noted that a bug in the testing environment was responsible for allowing agents access to the internet. Contrary to incidents disclosed by other AI developers, Google’s agents ceased their intrusion once they had determined they had accessed company systems outside of the testing environment.

The testing was being conducted by Israeli AI lab Irregular. Irregular was also conducting the testing of Meta and Anthropic models during AI testing breakouts in July.

“This is the same issue that was already reported and does not represent a materially separate incident,” an Irregular spokesperson said in a statement (via CNBC). “All relevant labs were notified in late July, and affected entities were contacted as part of the investigation.”

Google said it was informed of the incident by Irregular in late July.

Debate over AI safety intensifies

The first disclosures of AI testing break outs - alongside several subsequent disclosures of more recent incidents - have coincided with increasing opposition to AI and the upcoming midterm elections in the United States, where AI has become a make-or-break topic.

The debates currently raging circles around who should control the pace of AI development. Some big tech leaders, such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, have aligned their views with those of President Trump. Trump recently stated that AI development cannot be allowed to slow down because “whoever wins AI, wins!”

Huang’s views follow a similar line. The Nvidia head has argued that AI companies should pace themselves, rather than being subject to oversight. At Dreamforce 2026, he argued that AI companies should, “run as fast as you can...but if you feel at any given point in time the company’s out of control or the product’s not going to be safe, take a pause and make sure you get it right.”

Other AI heads, such as Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, are more skeptical. Following the resignation of an Anthropic researcher, Amodei published an essay arguing in favor of ‘pacing the frontier’ - where AI companies slow development to advance alignment and regulation.

Numerous political action committees (PACs) have been channeling millions of dollars of funding into pro-AI candidates, with Nvidia setting up its own PAC to help shift US policy in the company’s favor.

Several previously pro-AI data center candidates have shifted their tone in response to their constituents' views which have become increasingly hostile to AI technology. Numerous states have also rolled-back tax exemptions for AI data centers after seeing billion dollar revenue losses.

As prices rise and the war in Iran continues to push up fuel prices, working class communities are banding together to oppose AI data centers that have pushed up energy costs and bills with new grid connections and unprecedented electricity demands in regions with existing capacity constraints.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, September 21 (game #932)

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, September 20 (game #931).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… It’s back!

NYT Strands today (game #932) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• CAUSING
• STAR
• GRUNT
• RING
• DARK
• RETURN

NYT Strands today (game #932) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 13 letters

NYT Strands today (game #932) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First side: left, 2nd row

• Last side: left, 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 #932) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #932, are…

• NEON
• LYCRA
• GRUNGE
• SCRUNCHIES
• TRACKSUITS
• SPANGRAM: NINETIESTREND

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

This one took me a while and a couple of hints to make any progress.

As someone who lived through the 1990s I really should have found this easier, but even though I was certain of the theme after getting LYCRA (I still have nightmares about a colleague who turned up to work in cycling shorts) I struggled to think of anything else that could be linked to the decade.

Thinking about plaid shirts and Teen Spirit help me get GRUNGE, but the remaining two words took me an embarrassingly long time.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, September 20, game #931)

• BOAST
• BRAG
• FLEX
• GLOAT
• STRUT
• BLUSTER
• POSTURE
• SPANGRAM: GRANDIOSITY

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 Monday, September 21 (game #1198)

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, September 20 (game #1197).

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 #1198) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• COMPOSE
• CHECK
• FLY
• BEET
• BRAH
• WORM
• SPAM
• MATE
• CASTLE
• CHUM
• VIVA
• SENT
• CHOP
• CAPTURE
• DRAFTS
• SPINNER

NYT Connections today (game #1198) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Messaging tabs
• GREEN: Used in angling
• BLUE: Words relevant to board game
• PURPLE: Classical open

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 #1198) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: EMAIL BUTTONS
• GREEN: WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH
• BLUE: CHESS VERBS
• PURPLE: STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1198) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1198, are…

• YELLOW: EMAIL BUTTONS: COMPOSE, DRAFTS, SENT, SPAM
• GREEN: WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH: CHUM, FLY, SPINNER, WORM
• BLUE: CHESS VERBS: CAPTURE, CASTLE, CHECK, MATE
• PURPLE: STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES: BEET, BRAH, CHOP, VIVA

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

I came close to creating a group containing BRAH, MATE, and CHUM but stopped myself after failing to find a fourth tile of friendship slang.

CHUM, I then decided, must have something to do with fishing — a thought triggered by salty sea dog QUINT in the classic Spielberg movie Jaws and his bucket of CHUM.

EMAIL BUTTONS, meanwhile, contained four words that you see nearly every day of your working life but blank out for that very reason; somehow I was able to force myself to link COMPOSE, DRAFTS, SENT, and SPAM.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, September 20, 2026, game #1197)

• YELLOW: ROUND FLAT THINGS: BLU-RAY, COASTER, SAND DOLLAR, TORTILLA
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH KENTUCKY: BLUEGRASS, BOURBON, DERBY, FRIED CHICKEN
• BLUE: VAMPIRE MOVIES: BLADE, NEAR DARK, SINNERS, TWILIGHT
• PURPLE: _____BOARDS YOU RIDE ON: HOVER, SKATE, SNOW, SURF

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 Sunday, September 20 (game #931)

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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, September 19 (game #930).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Putting on airs

NYT Strands today (game #931) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PURE
• GRASS
• BURST
• TOAST
• SIXTY
• BRAIDS

NYT Strands today (game #931) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #931) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First side: right, 1st row

• Last side: left, 7th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #931) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #931, are…

• BOAST
• BRAG
• FLEX
• GLOAT
• STRUT
• BLUSTER
• POSTURE
• SPANGRAM: GRANDIOSITY

• My rating: So easy
• My score: Perfect

A left-to-right spangram aside, this was a fairly straightforward search once I’d bagged my first word, but that’s probably because I’m the greatest Strands player that the world has ever known.

And it’s not just me saying that. Everyone says so.

I have never lost a single game of Strands and I never need to use a hint because it’s all so easy — probably the easiest way to spend two minutes in the world, actually, because that’s how long it takes me to complete even the hardest Strands game. Two minutes! Actually, probably closer to 120 seconds.

(Not really!)

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, September 19, game #930)

• ARRR
• HEARTIES
• AVAST
• MATEY
• SAVVY
• YOHOHO
• SPANGRAM: TALKLIKEAPIRATE

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 Sunday, September 20 (game #1197)

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, September 19 (game #1196).

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 #1197) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TWILIGHT
• SNOW
• TORTILLA
• SKATE
• DERBY
• FRIED CHICKEN
• COASTER
• HOVER
• BLADE
• BLU-RAY
• BLUEGRASS
• SAND DOLLAR
• NEAR DARK
• BOURBON
• SURF
• SINNERS

NYT Connections today (game #1197) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Circular items
• GREEN: Connected to a southern state
• BLUE: Bloodsucking films
• PURPLE: Add a word the rhymes with “chord”

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 #1197) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: ROUND FLAT THINGS
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH KENTUCKY
• BLUE: VAMPIRE MOVIES
• PURPLE: _____BOARDS YOU RIDE ON

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

NYT Connections today (game #1197) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1197, are…

• YELLOW: ROUND FLAT THINGS: BLU-RAY, COASTER, SAND DOLLAR, TORTILLA
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH KENTUCKY: BLUEGRASS, BOURBON, DERBY, FRIED CHICKEN
• BLUE: VAMPIRE MOVIES: BLADE, NEAR DARK, SINNERS, TWILIGHT
• PURPLE: _____BOARDS YOU RIDE ON: HOVER, SKATE, SNOW, SURF

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I would like to propose a new Connections achievement badge: Yellow First.

I know it doesn’t happen by design but, for me at least, it’s also quite rare that I haven’t managed to spot the so-called easiest group of the game — although today I think any group could have been classified as a yellow on any other day.

There is also the fact that the only thing I was unfamiliar with, SAND DOLLAR, was one of the tiles in ROUND FLAT THINGS. My excuse is that we don’t have this type of urchin in the UK — in my ignorance I thought it was something to do with Las Vegas casinos.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, September 19, 2026, game #1196)

• YELLOW: WIDEN ONE'S SCOPE: BRANCH OUT, DIVERSIFY, EXPAND, GROW
• GREEN: FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING: HOUSE, STICK FIGURE, SUN, TREE
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S: CARNABY STREET, MINISKIRT, MOD, TWIGGY
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS: COS LETTUCE, LOG CABIN, SIN CITY, TAN LINE

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, September 19 (game #930)

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, September 18 (game #929).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Shiver me timbers!

NYT Strands today (game #930) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• HATE
• PEAK
• LIKE
• KEEPER
• STARE
• MEAT

NYT Strands today (game #930) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 15 letters

NYT Strands today (game #930) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First side: left, 8th row

• Last side: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #930) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #930, are…

• ARRR
• HEARTIES
• AVAST
• MATEY
• SAVVY
• YOHOHO
• SPANGRAM: TALKLIKEAPIRATE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Saturday 19 September — so, today — is International TALKLIKEAPIRATE Day. I didn’t know that before playing today’s Strands, but am now cursed with calling everybody I meet MATEY.

The thing that caught my eye immediately was seeing three letter Rs in a row, and it was quite the delight to get ARRR correct.

From here, the search was a little bit trickier, but I managed to avoid the temptation of using a hint as the theme tune to Pirates of the Caribbean buzzed around my head.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, September 18, game #929)

• COVENANT
• PACT
• TREATY
• CONTRACT
• AGREEMENT
• SPANGRAM: LETSMAKEADEAL

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 Saturday, September 19 (game #1196)

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, September 18 (game #1195).

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 #1196) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• STICK FIGURE
• MINISKIRT
• LOG CABIN
• SUN
• TAN LINE
• BRANCH OUT
• HOUSE
• TWIGGY
• TREE
• MOD
• SIN CITY
• GROW
• COS LETTUCE
• EXPAND
• CARNABY STREET
• DIVERSIFY

NYT Connections today (game #1196) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Broaden one’s horizons
• GREEN: Classic early art
• BLUE: Cool Britannia (part 1)
• PURPLE: Beginning formulas

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 #1196) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: WIDEN ONE'S SCOPE
• GREEN: FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1196) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1196, are…

• YELLOW: WIDEN ONE'S SCOPE: BRANCH OUT, DIVERSIFY, EXPAND, GROW
• GREEN: FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING: HOUSE, STICK FIGURE, SUN, TREE
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S: CARNABY STREET, MINISKIRT, MOD, TWIGGY
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS: COS LETTUCE, LOG CABIN, SIN CITY, TAN LINE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I fell straight down today’s trapdoor linking STICK FIGURE, BRANCH OUT, LOG CABIN and TWIGGY.

Had I looked at the board a bit more carefully I would have spotted that TWIGGY had to be connected to the famously skinny model and the other tiles ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S. Alas, fools rush in.

Fortunately this was a relatively easy game and I was thankfully able to collect WIDEN ONE’S SCOPE and FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING, as STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS went way above my head.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, September 18, 2026, game #1195)

• YELLOW: SEGMENT OF A PROCESS: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP
• GREEN: ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER
• BLUE: PARTS OF A FLIGHT: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF
• PURPLE: ____ CASE: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER

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 three 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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New Android malware can deploy AI to automate device control — and it can even bring itself back from the dead

• Zimperium zLabs discovered RedHat, a Chinese‑origin Android banking trojan with AI assistant
• AI interprets screen layouts in real‑time, enabling credential theft and bypassing app redesigns
• Distributed via third‑party stores, social media, malvertising, and SMS; persistence blocks uninstall attempts

There is an Android malware out there that comes with an AI assistant that tells it what to do. The assistant seems to be independent of the malware’s operator, allowing the tool to work without requiring the operators to be present in real-time.

The malware in question is called RedHat. It was discovered by security researchers Zimperium zLabs, who believe it is of Chinese origin. It is currently being distributed via third-party app stores, social media, malvertising, and SMS spam, and requires Android’s Accessibility permissions to work.

The malware itself is a typical banking trojan - it creates an invisible overlay every time the victim brings up a banking app, capturing login credentials and one-time passwords, and thus giving attackers direct control over people’s banking accounts.

AI-powered eyes

But what makes RedHat stand out from a sea of Android banking trojans is its AI-powered component. The model serves as a kind of remote “eyes and hands” for controlling the victim’s phone.

Usually, when criminals develop banking trojans, they need to code exact coordinates of the layout for it to work. They need to code where the password is entered, or where the login button is. If the banking app gets redesigned and changes its layout, the malware breaks.

With AI, that is no longer a problem. RedHat gets a picture of what’s on the screen, sends it to the AI assistant, which then instructs the malware on how to proceed.

"RatHat uses AI to intelligently navigate and control the device interface in real-time, making its operations more adaptable and harder for security software to detect than traditional, scripted automation," Zimperium explained.

The tool also has a few advanced persistence mechanisms, being capable of reinstalling deleted components, and intercepting the uninstall process to cancel it while displaying a fake error message to the victim.

So far, there is no word on who the targets are, or how many people might have been compromised.

Via BleepingComputer

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AMD GPUs and CPUs could be the next victims of the RAM crisis, as industry chatter insists more price hikes are coming

• AMD is rumored to be hiking prices for its chips
• Industry insiders in the supply chain indicate that a rise of around 10% will be applied across AMD's "entire chip line"
• This means GPUs and processors, as well as motherboards, and the hike is expected in Q4, so it could happen next month

AMD's processors and graphics cards could soon get more expensive in the latest blow from the RAM crisis rumor mill.

Wccftech spotted that leaker Harukaze5719 highlighted a post from ChannelGate (the Board Channels over in Asia) that cites sources in the supply chain who claim that TSMC has informed its customers of a 10% price rise.

The post observes that most of AMD's chips are manufactured by TSMC, and that Team Red has in turn notified its customers of a 10% "price adjustment" across its "entire chip product line".

That means everything, so on the consumer front, we can expect AMD's GPUs and Ryzen processors to be hit with price increases — and motherboard chipsets are also affected, so the price of those AMD boards will climb, too.

It's worth noting that processors aren't referred to explicitly in the post on the Board Channels, but given the mention of the entirety of AMD's chips, I think we can take that as real (as the leaker Harukaze5719 indicates).

The sources believe that AMD will enforce this new policy in Q4, so it could happen next month, in theory (although all of this remains a rumor).

In other RAM crisis bleakness, the Steam Frame arrived earlier this week with a much-inflated price tag compared to what Valve first envisioned for the VR headset. It starts at $1,059 / £889 / AU$1,609, which is a few hundred more dollars than what Valve was thinking originally.

As PC Gamer reports, a hardware engineer at Valve, Joy Lyons, said, "We set out to design [the Steam Frame] with one particular price in mind, but we've made choices to make sure that we're making a product that is choiceful, that people can purchase. They can upgrade with different features later. But we wanted to make sure we had a base product with really great performance. Then that price target shifted due to the ongoing RAM crisis around the world."

Analysis: a believable enough prediction

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Sadly, the AMD rumor is another worrying doom nugget from what seems to be a never-ending supply of bad news in the past couple of months. Just this week, we've had a report that shows DDR5 RAM is somehow getting even more expensive, blowing past the levels I'd expected — not to mention the laptop price hikes.

The RAM crisis was forecast to worsen as 2026 rolled on, and that appears to be unfolding just as predicted — and there's very possibly worse to come in 2027, going by rumors elsewhere. If the pundits, analysts and insiders were right about this year, there's a fair chance they'll be right about next year, too.

Okay, so that's not a foregone conclusion, and some kind of more positive developments could yet happen — we can hope. This particular rumor must also be treated with some caution, as a Board Channels post may not have everything right (by any means), but the problem is that given the current climate, it's believable enough that AMD has price hikes in the works. Team Red already warned us earlier this year about pricing pain for the second half of 2026, after all.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, September 18 (game #1195)

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, September 17 (game #1194).

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 #1195) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PILLOW
• CRUISE
• UPPER
• STEP
• FLIGHT
• STAIR
• PLATTER
• LANDING
• ROUND
• STAGE
• TAKEOFF
• MEDLEY
• BRIEF
• BOARDING
• SAMPLER
• PHASE

NYT Connections today (game #1195) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A part of the plan
• GREEN: A selection of small dishes
• BLUE: Stages of a journey
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “place”

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 #1195) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SEGMENT OF A PROCESS
• GREEN: ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK
• BLUE: PARTS OF A FLIGHT
• PURPLE: ____ CASE

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

NYT Connections today (game #1195) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1195, are…

• YELLOW: SEGMENT OF A PROCESS: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP
• GREEN: ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER
• BLUE: PARTS OF A FLIGHT: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF
• PURPLE: ____ CASE: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I’ve not had the best of Connections weeks and struggled again today.

Falling for the very obvious trap I included FLIGHT instead of CRUISE in what became PARTS OF A FLIGHT.

That particular tile was my undoing later in the game. After getting SEGMENT OF A PROCESS, I decided that the third group must be about serving food so I had MEDLEY, PLATTER and SAMPLER locked in.

Unable to find a fourth tile, I gambled with PILLOW — which makes about as much sense as FLIGHT, although I now know, thanks to Google Gemini, that a food FLIGHT is a curated selection of three or more small-portioned sample items from a single menu category served together.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, September 17, 2026, game #1194)

• YELLOW: ELASTICITY: BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING
• GREEN: THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND: MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL
• BLUE: HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE": FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE
• PURPLE: LOVE ____: HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE

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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