NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, April 21 (game #779)

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, April 20 (game #778).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Risky business

NYT Strands today (game #779) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• ROUTE
• ROUTER
• DIET
• RATE
• GATE
• CRATE
• SUET
• CRUET
• VIRAL

NYT Strands today (game #779) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #779) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #779) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #779, are…

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

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Initially, I briefly entertained, then eliminated, the possibility that today’s search was about Tom Cruise films… Then I found BOLD and deduced that we were searching for words associated with people for whom risks are occupational hazard.

With this in mind I went looking for “stunt performer”, but managed to find DAREDEVILS instead — a word which sums up people in this profession. After a run of long spangrams we returned to a relatively short one today, and one in which there was a game word (ADVENTUROUS) that was longer.

It is hard to imagine a less daring pursuit than Strands — unless of course you completed today’s puzzle whilst hanging upside down from a trapeze suspended over a ravine. And if you did then I applaud you.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, April 20, game #778)

• GLINT
• GLITTER
• GLISTEN
• GLEAM
• GLOW
• GLIMMER
• SPANGRAM: CATCHTHELIGHT

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, April 21 (game #1045)

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, April 20 (game #1044).

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 #1045) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• OCTOPUS
• BREEZE
• THUNDER
• MESSENGER
• MOON
• SADDLE
• BULL
• WALTZ
• BUNK
• GOLD
• НОВО
• MOSEY
• BILGE
• CROSSBODY
• STROLL
• BALONEY

NYT Connections today (game #1045) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Walk slowly
• GREEN: Nonsense chat
• BLUE: Things you carry
• PURPLE: 007 beginnings

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 #1045) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: AMBLE (IN) 
• GREEN: BALDERDASH
• BLUE: KINDS OF BAGS
• PURPLE: STARTS OF ONE-WORD JAMES BOND MOVIE TITLES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1045) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1045, are…

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

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I know that Connections love sports, so spying THUNDER and BULL in the grid, my first thought was that there must be a group linked by the NBA. However, even though I know next to nothing about basketball I couldn’t spot any other potential team names — although OCTOPUS would be cool.

AMBLE (IN) was my first group, largely because all these words describe my own particular speed of travel. I’d say MOSEY is about as fast as I can go; if I’m in a rush I may STROLL but that’s my limit. All of which really annoys the stressy speed walkers of the world.

My mistake came in trying to collect the KINDS OF BAGS. I was certain about CROSSBODY, MESSENGER and SADDLE, but the fourth eluded me and I initially went for GOLD before finally getting it correct.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, April 20, game #1044)

• YELLOW: MASS OF SMOKE BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF
• GREEN: FISHING GEAR BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB
• PURPLE: _____ MONDAY BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS

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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“Essentially invisible:” How hackers 'trojan-horsed' QEMU virtual machines to bypass security and drop ransomware

• Hidden virtual machines allow attackers to bypass endpoint security and remain undetected
• Attackers used trusted virtualization tools and built-in software to disguise malicious activity
• Sophos links campaigns using QEMU to ransomware deployment and long-term network access

Attackers are increasingly hiding malicious tools inside virtual machines to slip past security controls.

Sophos analysts say the approach relies on virtualization software that security systems often treat as legitimate activity.

In recent incidents, attackers used QEMU, an open-source machine emulator and virtualizer, to run hidden environments where malicious activity remained largely invisible to endpoint defenses and left minimal evidence on the host system.

A growing evasion trend

Sophos notes that while the method is not new, it has gained traction again, with two active campaigns, tracked as STAC4713 and STAC3725, identified since the end of last year.

In the STAC4713 campaign, attackers created a scheduled task named TPMProfiler to launch a hidden QEMU virtual machine under system-level privileges.

The virtual machine used disguised disk images, first appearing as database files and later masquerading as dynamic link libraries.

Once launched, the virtual machine established reverse SSH tunnels that created covert remote access channels, allowingattackers to run tools and collect domain credentials without exposing activity to traditional security tools.

Sophos investigators also observed attackers using built-in Windows utilities such as Microsoft Paint, Notepad, and Edge for file access and network discovery. This relied heavily on trusted software to blend malicious actions into routine system behavior.

Older intrusions tied to the campaign used exposed VPN systems without multi-factor authentication, while later incidents exploited a SolarWinds Web Help Desk vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-26399. These varied entry points show attackers adjusting their tactics depending on available weaknesses.

Sophos links the STAC4713 campaign to PayoutsKing ransomware, which focuses on encrypting virtualized environments.

The group behind the ransomware appears to target hypervisors and deploy tools that can operate across VMware and ESXi systems.

The second campaign, STAC3725, relied on exploiting the CitrixBleed2 vulnerability to gain initial access before installing remote access software.

Attackers then launched a QEMU virtual machine to manually assemble attack tools for credential theft and network reconnaissance.

Rather than delivering ready-made payloads, attackers compiled their toolsets inside the virtual machine after gaining access. That approach allowed them to customize attacks and reduce the chance of detection by signature-based defenses.

Sophos warns that hiding activity inside virtual machines represents a growing evasion trend. Strong endpoint protection, network monitoring, and timely patching of exposed systems critical to reducing risk.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, April 20 (game #778)

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, April 19 (game #777).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Gloriously glaring!

NYT Strands today (game #778) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SHEATH
• CRAG
• CHEAT
• TOTAL
• LINT
• MILE

NYT Strands today (game #778) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 13 letters

NYT Strands today (game #778) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: bottom, 3rd column

Last side: top, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #778) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #778, are…

• GLINT
• GLITTER
• GLISTEN
• GLEAM
• GLOW
• GLIMMER
• SPANGRAM: CATCHTHELIGHT

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The theme was a little bit confusing initially, but after spotting GLINT and GLITTER I understood that every light-associated word we were searching for began with the letter G.

There was no place then for shimmer or sparkle in this gaggle of G words.

The spangram was harder to spot, but with “light” not featured among the game words I worked backwards to find “catch” and then CATCHTHELIGHT.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, April 19, game #777)

• ADJUST
• MODIFY
• TWEAK
• REFINE
• IMPROVE
• ALTER
• SPANGRAM: THEREIFIXEDIT

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, April 20 (game #1044)

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, April 19 (game #1043).

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 #1044) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CYBER
• HOURGLASS
• BLUE
• CLOUD
• ROD
• WEB
• MANIC
• NET
• PUFF
• VENOM
• HOOK
• BILLOW
• BAIT
• PLUME
• MEATLESS
• CANNIBALISM

NYT Connections today (game #1044) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A bunch of fumes
• GREEN: Used for angling
• BLUE: Linked to an infamous arachnid 
• PURPLE: Start the week

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 #1044) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: MASS OF SMOKE
• GREEN: FISHING GEAR
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS
• PURPLE: _____ MONDAY

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

NYT Connections today (game #1044) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1044, are…

• YELLOW: MASS OF SMOKE BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF
• GREEN: FISHING GEAR BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB
• PURPLE: _____ MONDAY BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

A bit of music knowledge got me to my 33rd “Purple First” thanks to Blue Monday by New Order and Prince’s Manic Monday, made famous by The Bangles. CYBER I was confident about, but MEATLESS I went with purely because of the alliteration.

This actually seemed the easiest group, not that I’m complaining.

Elsewhere, nature knowledge may have helped me get ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS, but I spotted the more obvious yellow and green groups first.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, April 19, game #1043)

• YELLOW: CHEEKY ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
• GREEN: DRESS MEASUREMENTS BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
• BLUE: CARDS IN TEXAS HOLD 'EM FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
• PURPLE: LAST WORDS OF CANDY BRANDS IN THE SINGULAR CAP, DUD, KID, MINT

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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Eero Signal is the best home office upgrade I’ve made this year

As someone who has worked from home for the last 15 years, there aren't many things more frustrating than my internet connection going down in the middle of a workday. Sure, my kids act like it's the end of the world when it happens after school, when they're trying to unlock some forbidden fruit on Roblox or whatever, but that's nothing compared to the internal rage I feel when I see my camera feed stuttering on a video call.

My current Internet Service Provider (ISP) has gotten more reliable, but there was a period of time when I'd complained about them so much on Twitter that I had four technicians and their boss randomly show up at my house, asking if they could run a brand new service line in a bid to fix my issues.

Those improvements aside, it's not perfect. My connection still drops from time to time.

I've tinkered with backup internet solutions over the years, and even considered signing up for Starlink as a secondary provider at one point.

But most of the backup internet solutions offered by firewalls or Wi-Fi systems aren't seamless, requiring you to connect your router to your phone's hotspot, which then broadcasts mobile data throughout your home's network.

That's not an ideal solution when I'm on a video call, for example. My home office is nowhere near my router, so I'd have extended downtime while I move closer, connect my router to the hotspot, and by then, the call was either over or my regular connection had returned.

Then I found Eero Signal

I currently use one of Eero's mesh Wi-Fi systems, so when Eero announced its latest product, the $99 Eero Signal, my interest was piqued.

The small device that looks like a wireless charging stand for your phone connects to a compatible Eero router. When your main internet connection drops, your Eero system automatically switches to the LTE connection that Signal provides. (There's a 5G model coming later this year that I'd instantly upgrade to.)

I've had Signal set up and running in my house for several weeks now, and I have to admit — I'm smitten. It's perfectly picked up where my service provider has let me down.

Setup was easy, and it has deep controls

(Image credit: Future/Jason Cipriani)

After unboxing the Signal and a 45W power adapter, I immediately connected it to my Eero system and the included power supply. The rest of the process required a few taps on my phone, adding the device to my home system, ensuring I was on an Eero Plus plan for the cellar portion, and I was up and running.

Eero offers two plans. You can pay $99.99 a year for 10 GB of data per month, while $199.99 gets you 100 GB of data per month through Signal's connection.

To test Signal, all I had to do was temporarily disconnect the wired internet connection going to my Eero system, and it switched over to Signal almost immediately.

Seamless backup internet achieved.

The last step to complete setup was to go through the list of devices in the Eero app, approving or forbidding access to data when Signal is active. It's a quick and easy way to ensure that your work laptop or home alarm system and cameras stay connected to the internet during an outage, but stopping your streaming devices from eating into your data allotment.

Recent maintenance put Eero Signal to the test

(Image credit: Future/Jason Cipriani)

My home network setup is complex, and beyond the previously mentioned video calls for work being a priority, so too is all of the self-hosted websites and services I have running, including personal and business websites from my basement. When my sites go down, I get sad. I don't like being sad.

But since installing Eero Signal, my sites have had virtually zero downtime due to a lack of internet.

The reliability and speed of Signal was put to the test a couple of weeks ago when my internet service provider announced routine maintenance in my area that'd take my connection offline all day.

‌Bring it on, I said to myself as I read the email.

The morning of the scheduled downtime, while I was out of town and away from the house, I received an alert that my connection had dropped and my network switched over to Signal and then... nothing. I didn't get an alert that any of my sites were down, and I could pull up a live stream of my Ring security cameras.

Several hours later, I received another alert that the work was done for the day, but they were unable to finish everything, and expected a prolonged outage the next day.

The second day came and went much like the first — Signal kicked in and took over, providing data to my home's network and self-hosted services, all the while I was able to call into a Teams meeting. The Signal's LTE connection is averaging 50 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up for me, which isn't super fast compared to my standard connection, but it's enough for short periods..

(Image credit: Future/Jason Cipriani)

Internet outages are a thing of the past

(Image credit: Future/Jason Cipriani)

I'd become so accustomed to dealing with sporadic internet outages that I didn't realize how much time I spent worrying about it. Then again, being connected to the internet during the day is how I do my job, and without it, I'm not very productive, so it makes sense.

It also makes sense that after setting up Signal and realizing it delivers on its promise, I've felt relieved. A couple of months ago, those messages alerting me of upcoming maintenance would have stressed me out for days.

Instead, all I did was get excited because it was going to be a stress test for Signal — and it passed, easily.

That relief alone is worth the cost. Now I can spend that energy on something productive.

eero

Signal

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'A wonderful show for any rocket enthusiast': Blue Origin shows SpaceX it can do reusable rockets too by landing 'Never Tell Me The Odds'

We've got another space first to report today: Blue Origin has successfully reused a rocket booster for the first time, managing to get the 'Never Tell Me The Odds' rocket back to its landing pad in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the third New Glenn (NG-3) mission.

The rocket booster was first used with the NG-2 mission last November, and having recovered it that time, Blue Origin has now shown it can be deployed again. It means the company can now better compete with SpaceX when it comes to these reusable rockets.

Liftoff happened at 7.25am ET (4.25am PT / 12.25pm BST / 9.25pm AEST), and the 'Never Tell Me The Odds' booster arrived back on its floating Jacklyn droneship around 10 minutes later, after finishing the job of pushing its payload into orbit.

And that payload is also notable: it's the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 satellite, which is effectively going to act as a giant cell tower in space (it boasts a massive antenna measuring 2,400 square feet or 223 square meters). It gets us a big step closer to global satellite coverage for modern smartphones.

A major satellite expansion

Never Tell Me The Odds has landed (Image credit: Blue Origin)

As with reusable rockets, Amazon and Blue Origin are competing with SpaceX and Starlink when it comes to satellite communications. SpaceX is hoping to begin the process of launching thousands of its Starlink V2 satellites sometime next year.

The idea is that our phones will be able to connect to them without any hardware or software upgrades — these satellites will be smart enough and powerful enough to mimic a regular cell tower, with 4G and 5G speeds, from all the way up in orbit.

It'll take years before the space satellite network is ready to go beyond emergency communications — and pricing and carrier partnerships will need to be worked out along the way — but BlueBird 7 is a sign of the direction we're heading in.

Reaction to the launch on social media has been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic (perhaps buoyed by the recent Artemis II mission), with livestream viewers describing the experience as "a wonderful show for any rocket enthusiast" and simply "amazing". You can read more about the New Glenn missions on the Blue Origin website.

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Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, April 19 (game #1546)

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, April 18 (game #1545).

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 #1546) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1546) - 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 4.

Quordle today (game #1546) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

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

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1546) - 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 #1546) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• E

• A

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1546) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1546, are…

• PEACE
• ERECT
• ASSAY
• SPILL

This was one of those games where everything was virtually in place for me. 

My only moment of peril was resisting the temptation to type in “abyss” instead of ASSAY, even though I knew it was wrong.

Daily Sequence today (game #1546) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1546, are…

• GRUFF
• SASSY
• VICAR
• COULD

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1545, Saturday, 18 April: STEAL, CURIO, SCOOP, BETEL
• Quordle #1544, Friday, 17 April: SMOCK, CRACK, SAINT, YIELD
• Quordle #1543, Thursday, 16 April: LIBEL, COURT, SULLY, VERSE
• Quordle #1542, Wednesday, 15 April: PIVOT, ELECT, STORE, CREME
• Quordle #1541, Tuesday, 14 April: STUNT, CHINA, LANCE, SLINK
• Quordle #1540, Monday, 13 April: INCUR, FLAKE, FLASK, WORDY
• Quordle #1539, Sunday, 12 April: STALK, OFTEN, CLOCK, AWAKE
• Quordle #1538, Saturday, 11 April: MINER, PLIER, PASTE, PITCH
• Quordle #1537, Friday, 10 April: PUPPY, TRADE, BRAND, KNOCK
• Quordle #1536, Thursday, 9 April: SKIMP, BAWDY, WHERE, DECOR
• Quordle #1535, Wednesday, 8 April: IDEAL, PULPY, HUMPH, RETCH
• Quordle #1534, Tuesday, 7 April: FIFTY, SHUSH, HELLO, ZEBRA
• Quordle #1533, Monday, 6 April: CHIEF, IDLER, PASTA, BRIAR
• Quordle #1532, Sunday, 5 April: PLUSH, GRATE, DEALT, LABEL
• Quordle #1531, Saturday, 4 April: MOTEL, COVEN, DRIER, SCOLD
• Quordle #1530, Friday, 3 April: PINEY, TRUSS, HALVE, SPOOF
• Quordle #1529, Thursday, 2 April: LEAPT, MECCA, TRAIT, REFER
• Quordle #1528, Wednesday, 1 April: SEVEN, PRIOR, ADAGE, AUDIO
• Quordle #1527, Tuesday, 31 March: SMACK, HAPPY, LYING, PULPY
• Quordle #1526, Monday, 30 March: CHESS, ALLOT, SCONE, DITTY

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, April 19 (game #1043)

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, April 18 (game #1042).

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 #1043) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MINT
• ARCH
• DUD
• HOLE
• FRESH
• BUST
• KID
• FLOP
• WAIST
• WISE
• RIVER
• SASSY
• TURN
• LENGTH
• CAP
• HIPS

NYT Connections today (game #1043) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A brazen personality
• GREEN: Garment construction
• BLUE: Poker terms
• PURPLE: Confectionery ends 

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 #1043) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CHEEKY 
• GREEN: DRESS MEASUREMENTS 
• BLUE: CARDS IN TEXAS HOLD 'EM 
• PURPLE: LAST WORDS OF CANDY BRANDS IN THE SINGULAR 

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

NYT Connections today (game #1043) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1043, are…

• YELLOW: CHEEKY ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
• GREEN: DRESS MEASUREMENTS BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
• BLUE: CARDS IN TEXAS HOLD 'EM FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
• PURPLE: LAST WORDS OF CANDY BRANDS IN THE SINGULAR CAP, DUD, KID, MINT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Being based in the UK and unfamiliar with some US products, LAST WORDS OF CANDY BRANDS IN THE SINGULAR went over my head.

I did, though, manage to avoid the trap of linking DUD, BUST and FLOP — but only because I couldn't find another synonym for failure.

Instead, I made a mistake assembling what became CHEEKY, picking KID for my first attempt instead of WISE. Beyond this a rather routine end to the week. 

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, April 18, game #1042)

• YELLOW: LOOK AT WITH AWE GOGGLE, MARVEL, STARE, WONDER
• GREEN: BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS AC, DC, POWER, VOLTAGE
• BLUE: UNEXPECTED WINNER DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, SLEEPER, UNDERDOG
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS CRUSHWORTHY, FANTAGRAPHICS, FRESCADE, PEPSINOGEN

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, April 18 (game #1042)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, April 17 (game #1041).

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 #1042) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MARVEL
• DC
• CRUSHWORTHY
• POWER
• FANTAGRAPHICS
• DARK HORSE
• VOLTAGE
• WONDER
• SLEEPER
• FRESCADE
• STARE
• LONG SHOT
• PEPSINOGEN
• UNDERDOG
• GOGGLE
• AC

NYT Connections today (game #1042) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Gaze at amazing sights
• GREEN: Switched on
• BLUE: Surprise victor
• PURPLE: Begin with a drink

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 #1042) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: LOOK AT WITH AWE
• GREEN: BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS
• BLUE: UNEXPECTED WINNER 
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1042) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1042, are…

• YELLOW: LOOK AT WITH AWE GOGGLE, MARVEL, STARE, WONDER
• GREEN: BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS AC, DC, POWER, VOLTAGE
• BLUE: UNEXPECTED WINNER DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, SLEEPER, UNDERDOG
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS CRUSHWORTHY, FANTAGRAPHICS, FRESCADE, PEPSINOGEN

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Even as I was pressing submit I just knew I was falling into a trap, but couldn’t help linking the comic publishers DC, MARVEL, FANTAGRAPHICS and DARK HORSE.

Down, down I fell, hook, line and sinker, punished for liking comics instead of more highbrow pursuits such as reading the New York Times.

Had I seen the inspired STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS group it would have made up for this crushing failure, but alas it slipped me by — kudos if you saw it.

Moving on, after being tricked I had a slight amount of trepidation about linking AC and DC but here, at least, the obvious assumption was also the correct one.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, April 17, game #1041)

• YELLOW: VEGETABLE PARTS BULB, LEAF, ROOT, STEM
• GREEN: PREVAILING COMMON, DOMINANT, GENERAL, POPULAR
• BLUE: PARTS OF A PIANO HAMMER, KEY, PEDAL, STRING
• PURPLE: SECOND HALVES OF DRINK NAMES SODA, STORMY, TAN, TONIC

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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Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, April 18 (game #1545)

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, April 17 (game #1544).

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 #1545) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* 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 #1545) - hint #2 - repeated letters

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

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

Quordle today (game #1545) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

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

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1545) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)

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

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

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

Quordle today (game #1545) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• C

• S

• B

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

Quordle today (game #1545) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1545, are…

• STEAL
• CURIO
• SCOOP
• BETEL

Our first five-vowel game for ages and a particularly tricky one.

Two admissions. Firstly, with a word that began with S and also included the letter P, O and C I could not resist typing in “spock” (thankfully not a word) before guessing SCOOP.

Secondly, I had no idea what a BETEL is and only arrived there after having exhausted every other combination. I have since discovered it’s a plant.

Daily Sequence today (game #1545) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1545, are…

• CLANG
• SMOKE
• ELFIN
• TRUST

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1544, Friday, 17 April: SMOCK, CRACK, SAINT, YIELD
• Quordle #1543, Thursday, 16 April: LIBEL, COURT, SULLY, VERSE
• Quordle #1542, Wednesday, 15 April: PIVOT, ELECT, STORE, CREME
• Quordle #1541, Tuesday, 14 April: STUNT, CHINA, LANCE, SLINK
• Quordle #1540, Monday, 13 April: INCUR, FLAKE, FLASK, WORDY
• Quordle #1539, Sunday, 12 April: STALK, OFTEN, CLOCK, AWAKE
• Quordle #1538, Saturday, 11 April: MINER, PLIER, PASTE, PITCH
• Quordle #1537, Friday, 10 April: PUPPY, TRADE, BRAND, KNOCK
• Quordle #1536, Thursday, 9 April: SKIMP, BAWDY, WHERE, DECOR
• Quordle #1535, Wednesday, 8 April: IDEAL, PULPY, HUMPH, RETCH
• Quordle #1534, Tuesday, 7 April: FIFTY, SHUSH, HELLO, ZEBRA
• Quordle #1533, Monday, 6 April: CHIEF, IDLER, PASTA, BRIAR
• Quordle #1532, Sunday, 5 April: PLUSH, GRATE, DEALT, LABEL
• Quordle #1531, Saturday, 4 April: MOTEL, COVEN, DRIER, SCOLD
• Quordle #1530, Friday, 3 April: PINEY, TRUSS, HALVE, SPOOF
• Quordle #1529, Thursday, 2 April: LEAPT, MECCA, TRAIT, REFER
• Quordle #1528, Wednesday, 1 April: SEVEN, PRIOR, ADAGE, AUDIO
• Quordle #1527, Tuesday, 31 March: SMACK, HAPPY, LYING, PULPY
• Quordle #1526, Monday, 30 March: CHESS, ALLOT, SCONE, DITTY
• Quordle #1525, Sunday, 29 March: DELAY, STONY, MONTH, PARTY

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Saros will have PSSR 2 on PS5 Pro for 'an even clearer higher resolution image at 60fps' but story cinematics will still run at 30fps 'for quality over quantity'

• Saros will feature PSSR 2 on PlayStation 5 Pro
• The PS5 Pro version will also offer an increased base render resolution at 60fps
• Cutscenes will seemingly run at 30fps on PS5 and PS5 Pro

Developer Housemarque has confirmed that Saros will offer Sony's updated PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) upscaling technology on PS5 Pro, but seemingly stated cutscenes will run at 30fps.

In a new PlayStation Blog post outlining the upcoming game's PS5 and PS5 Pro features, such as immersive 3D audio, DualSense haptic feedback, and fast loading times, creative director Gregory Louden said the team has upgraded to PSSR 2 following its release last month.

Louden said the update "provides an even sharper image; you can barely tell it apart from native 4K as you explore Carcosa."

"Since 1995, our goal at Housemarque has been to push the hardware, and with Saros we continue this drive thanks to this PSSR update," the director said.

Technical director Seppo Halonen also touched on the game's increased base rendering resolution on PS5 Pro, which means the Saros "will have an even clearer higher resolution image at 60fps."

"While we use dynamic resolution to ensure stable frame rate even in the middle of hectic combat, PS5 Pro always delivers a sharper image in a scene-to-scene comparison," he explained.

"Saros on PS5 already looks incredible and runs at rock solid 60fps, but for PS5 Pro we push our graphics even further. Furthermore, there are many small adjustments in reflections and overall quality, ensuring that the increase is not only more pixels, but also the content we render scales up to match."

However, despite using PSSR 2, Saros' story cinematics will apparently un at 30fps on PS5 and PS5 Pro, because Housemarque wanted to prioritize "quality over quantity".

"The only place where we switch to 30fps is in key story cinematics where we go quality over quantity and render the high quality characters, lighting and postprocessing at peak resolution – which again is higher on PS5 Pro," Halonen said.

Saros finally launches later this month on April 30, exclusively for PS5 and PS5 Pro.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, April 17 (game #1041)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, April 16 (game #1040).

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 #1041) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DOMINANT
• KEY
• ROOT
• TAN
• TONIC
• STEM
• HAMMER
• GENERAL
• BULB
• SODA
• COMMON
• STRING
• STORMY
• LEAF
• PEDAL
• POPULAR

NYT Connections today (game #1041) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Plant life
• GREEN: Follow the leader
• BLUE: Tickle the ivories
• PURPLE: Partial beverages

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 #1041) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: VEGETABLE PARTS
• GREEN: PREVAILING
• BLUE: PARTS OF A PIANO
• PURPLE: SECOND HALVES OF DRINK NAMES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1041) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1041, are…

• YELLOW: VEGETABLE PARTS BULB, LEAF, ROOT, STEM
• GREEN: PREVAILING COMMON, DOMINANT, GENERAL, POPULAR
• BLUE: PARTS OF A PIANO HAMMER, KEY, PEDAL, STRING
• PURPLE: SECOND HALVES OF DRINK NAMES SODA, STORMY, TAN, TONIC

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

Connections has the ability to make you feel very clever when you aren’t very clever at all, but similarly can make you feel clueless.

It was more of the latter for me today as I made two mistakes that make little sense in hindsight but seemed like good ideas at the time. Firstly, I connected LEAF, SODA, TONIC, and ROOT thinking they were all partially the names of drinks — although root beer makes sense, tea leaf was a bit of a stretch. 

Then, thinking that KEY indicated a group about importance, I added DOMINANT, ROOT and POPULAR convinced I was on to something. I was not.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, April 16, game #1040)

• YELLOW: TEASE NEEDLE, RIB, RIDE, ROAST
• GREEN: THERMOSTAT SETTINGS AUTO, COOL, FAN, HEAT
• BLUE: FEATURES OF A CATWOMAN COSTUME BODYSUIT, CLAWS, MASK, WHIP
• PURPLE: TRAINING _____ BRA, CAMP, DAY, WHEELS

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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