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You won't hear the names of any tech giants in Silicon Valley satire The Audacity, but that doesn't stop the show from creating pretty blatant analogs to real-life companies.

SEE ALSO: 'The Audacity' tears Silicon Valley a new one: Review

Some of them are one-off gags, like"Spookle," the show's take on Google. Others figure heavily into the plot. The most impactful of these is "Cupertino," which was briefly in talks to acquire Duncan Park's (Billy Magnussen) Hypergnosis. Described as the world's most profitable company, Cupertino is The Audacity's Apple stand-in.

The biggest clue as to what company Cupertino is spoofing is the name itself. Apple's headquarters are in Cupertino, California. The Audacity also pokes fun at Apple's CEO Tim Cook, referring to Cupertino's CEO as "Big Tim" throughout episode 1. (There's also a "Little Tim," played by Curtis Lum, who was responsible for foiling the acquisition talks.)

The Audacity doesn't really dive into what Cupertino does beyond print money and secure contracts with the Department of Defense, allowing viewers to fill in the blanks with our own assumptions about Apple. However, it does also gesture to the awful conditions that Cupertino's tech laborers work under. In episode 1, Cupertino's ethics officer Anushka Bhattachera-Phister (Meaghan Rath) reveals that workers in Cupertino's Guangzhou factory are dying by suicide. The scene recalls the series of suicides that took place at Foxconn's Shenzhen plant — where Apple products are manufactured — in 2010.

The Audacity showrunner Jonathan Glatzer spent time in Silicon Valley developing the show, where he consulted with members of the tech world. But at a New York Q&A with Vulture writer Jesse David Fox, Glatzer stated that no one from Apple would talk to him about the show. He joked that perhaps that reticence to talk was the reason Cupertino became so prominent in the series.

New episodes of The Audacity premiere Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC and AMC+.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're magical.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 13, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Broadway venues

• Green: Abracadabra!

• Blue: Famous series

• Purple: They have lids

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Seen outside a theater

• Green: Accessories for a magician

• Blue: TV show title surnames

• Purple: They have caps

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1037 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Seen outside a theater: BOX OFFICE, MARQUEE, TICKET LINE, VELVET ROPE

• Accessories for a magician: CAPE, HANDKERCHIEF, MAGIC WAND, RABBIT

• TV show title surnames: HOUSE, LASSO, MONTANA, SOPRANO

• They have caps: BASEBALL PLAYER, CAMERA LENS, MUSHROOM, PEN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 13, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love to hide things away.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 13, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: While not in use

The words are related to depots.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a backyard stockroom.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Storage Shed

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

NYT Strands word list for April 13

• Tools

• Hose

• Mower

• Grill

• Bicycle

• Storage Shed

• Wheelbarrow

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love Christmastime.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 13, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 13, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Small and delicate.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

ELFIN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

A verified account with the @elonmusk handle also recently showed up on Instagram, as the billionaire prepares to take his rocket company SpaceX public.

China, the U.S., Russia and others have ramped up their contest over artificial-intelligence-backed weapons and military systems. The buildup has been compared to the dawn of the nuclear weapons age.

HBO MAX BUNDLES: HBO Max is offering a few different bundle deals so you can stream from its library without making a massive dent in your wallet.

The best HBO Max deals and bundles in April 2026: Best Disney+ Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best Hulu Bundle Deal Hulu and HBO Max Bundle Add HBO Max to your Hulu base plan from $10.99 per month Get Deal Best Student Deal HBO Max Student Save 50% on HBO Max Basic With Ads Get Deal

Looking for some exciting new films or shows to watch this spring? HBO Max is the place to find them. With a new season of Euphoria dropping on the platform and a brand new season of House of the Dragon coming in June, there's plenty to watch and look forward to on the service.

If these shows have caught your eye, the good news is that HBO Max has a few different bundles available at the moment that are worth checking out, including a popular bundle with Disney+ and Hulu. With streaming prices on the rise, a bundle like this can be a great way to save some cash while retaining access to your favorite services.

SEE ALSO: Everything we know about HBO's 'Baldur's Gate' show

Alongside bundles, we've also broken down HBO Max's standard plans in case you're interested in its service on its own.

Best Disney+ bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Why we like it

The HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu bundle is a top-tier choice for those looking to have access to some of the biggest streaming services around. Starting at $19.99 per month, this bundle grants you access to Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max's streaming services for a much lower price than what you'd pay for them on their own. If you've already got Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, this bundle is worth every cent. If you're interested, there are two plan options to choose from:

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with ads) — $19.99 per month (save 42%)

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (no ads) — $32.99 per month (save 41%)

Best Hulu bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu and HBO Max Bundle Add HBO Max to your Hulu base plan from $10.99 per month Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not interested in the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max mega bundle, you can just get Hulu and HBO Max together if you already have a Hulu base plan, which starts at $11.99 per month. HBO Max Basic with Ads can be added onto your plan for $10.99 per month, or you can splash out on the HBO Max Standard plan for $18.49 per month.

• Hulu with HBO Max add-on — from $10.99 per month

Best student deal Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Student Discount Students save 50% on HBO Max Basic With Ads Get Deal Why we like it

It's always nice when streaming services have a deal for students, and HBO Max's offer is definitely worth taking advantage of. Students who can verify their status with UNiDAYS are eligible to get the HBO Max Basic With Ads plan for just $5.49 per month. That's a 50% discount off its $10.99 monthly price. After verifying your status, you'll receive a unique code that can be used to redeem the discounted plan on HBO Max.

• HBO Max Student Discount — $5.49 per month (save 50%)

HBO Max's monthly plans

HBO Max offers a few different subscription plans. If you don't mind having to sit through ads, HBO Max's Basic With Ads plan starts at $10.99 per month or the annual plan runs for $109.99 per year. If you can't stand ads and don't mind throwing down a bit more cash, the Standard plan will cost you $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year. If you really want to go big on an HBO Max plan, you can spring for the fancy Premium plan, which costs $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year.

Below we've broken down what comes with each of these plans, per HBO Max's website, so you can know a bit more before you buy.

Basic With Ads — $10.99 per month, $109.99 per year

• Stream on two devices at once

• Full HD 1080p resolution

Standard (Ad-free) — $18.49 per month, $184.99 per year

• Stream on two devices at once

• Full HD 1080p resolution

• 30 downloads to watch on the go

Premium (Ad-free) — $22.99 per month, $229.99 per year

• Stream on four devices at once

• 4K Ultra HD video quality (as available)

• Dolby Atmos immersive audio (as available)

• 100 downloads to watch on the go

If you're wondering where to start once you've set yourself up with a HBO Max subscription, we've got an excellent selection of recommendations to point you in the right direction. Looking for a great TV show to kickstart your next binge-watching session? Have a look through our roundup of the 20 best TV shows streaming on HBO Max. Or if you prefer movies, we narrowed down the 25 best movies on HBO Max to make your next movie night a spectacular one.

Every day, millions of people turn to an artificial intelligence chatbot like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT to ask a question about their physical health. 

They may not know that getting the correct answer is harder than it appears, no matter how authoritatively the chatbot responds. 

Three recent studies indicate that large language models aren't as reliable as users may hope. 

SEE ALSO: Read this before you use ChatGPT Health

One study that tested chatbots' ability to detect health misinformation failed more often than not in certain scenarios. Another study conducted by some of the same researchers found that ChatGPT Health, a dedicated health and wellness service that debuted in January, "under-triaged" slightly more than half of cases presented to it, including emergency conditions that required immediate medical care. 

"I think that consumers should have a high degree of caution, like almost an abundance of caution," Dr. Girish N. Nadkarni, an internist and nephrologist at Mt. Sinai, who co-authored both of the studies, said of querying a chatbot for health advice. 

This may surprise users who hear that chatbots can easily pass a medical exam, even if they sometimes hallucinate outside of a testing environment. Yet the recent research points to a complex, somewhat hidden problem. The way humans interact with chatbots, and the manner in which they're designed to expertly please, creates unpredictability. Those factors are never a challenge for AI being tested on textbook medical questions. 

If you want to start, or continue using, a chatbot for your health questions, take these expert-recommended steps as you come up with prompts: 

1. Test the model with misinformation or inaccuracies first. 

Nadkarni, an AI health researcher and director of Mt. Sinai's Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health, says it's important to ask the chatbot about medical misinformation or known falsehoods prior to querying it about specific health questions. 

Challenge the chatbot, for example, to comment on a conspiracy theory about a vaccine, such as whether it agrees that the COVID-19 shot contains a microchip to track people. 

Or prompt it to respond to a slightly more challenging health controversy, like the safety of fluoride in drinking water. While researchers have found evidence that extremely high levels of fluoride can be dangerous, experts agree that current standard levels remain safe. 

Testing the chatbot with misinformation should provide a revealing baseline for the potential accuracy of its other responses, Nadkarni says. 

A new Mashable series, AI + Health, will examine how artificial intelligence is changing the medical and health landscape. We'll explore how to use AI to decipher your blood work, how to keep your health data safe, learn how two women are using AI to detect a dangerous form of heart disease, and much more.

His recent study found that several general-purpose chatbots, including ChatGPT, inconsistently detected misinformation across many scenarios. Success rates depended on the context, like whether it was presented in a social media post versus a medical note. They also failed often when presented with specific logical fallacies. 

For example, when the prompt with misinformation appeared to come from a physician, via a real note drawn from an electronic health record, the chatbot was more likely to miss the falsehoods. 

If the chatbot you're consulting agrees with statements you know to be partially or wholly false, Nadkarni says avoid asking it for its opinion on your personal health questions. 

2. Consider the cues or information you may be giving the chatbot. 

When Nadkarni and his colleagues tested ChatGPT Health earlier this year, they discovered that how users frame their symptoms may influence the model's accuracy. 

If, for example, the prompt included statements about friends or family downplaying the symptoms in question, ChatGPT Health's recommendation shifted in that direction as well. In those instances, the chatbot was 11 times more likely not to send the patient to the emergency room, even when their symptoms indicated a life-threatening condition. 

The results were published as a peer-reviewed advance paper in Nature Medicine. 

OpenAI objected to the results, arguing that the study methods didn't represent how people use ChatGPT over multiple chats, sharing information and answering follow-up questions. Karan Singhal, who leads the Health AI team at OpenAI, told Mashable in a statement that its own benchmarking indicates that GPT-5 models "correctly refer emergency cases nearly 99 percent of the time."

Nadkarni said that while he welcomed debate, the criticism "missed the point." He said that while ChatGPT Health correctly identified abnormalities in the presented data, it reasoned past them.

"The issue is not missing information but incorrect conclusions despite correct data," Nadkarni told Mashable.

A separate recent study, also published in Nature Medicine but by a different group of researchers, randomly assigned 1,298 human participants to present a predetermined medical scenario to an AI chatbot (GPT-4o, Llama 3, and Command R+) or a source of their choice, including Google. 

When the chatbots were tested simply on the scenarios, they correctly identified the condition in nearly 95 percent of the cases. Once humans began posing questions about the scenario, however, the same chatbots could accurately pinpoint the condition in only about a third of cases. 

"Despite LLMs alone having high proficiency in the task, the combination of LLMs and human users was no better than the control group in assessing clinical acuity and worse at identifying relevant conditions," the researchers wrote. 

Many participants lacked an accurate understanding of the symptom severity, which contributed to the failure rate. 

SEE ALSO: What AI can really say about your blood test 3. Take into account whether you're a novice or expert. 

This is the kind of dynamic that Dr. Robert Wachter keeps in mind when he considers how people prompt a chatbot for answers to medical questions. 

Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, routinely uses OpenEvidence, an AI chatbot designed for physicians and healthcare professionals. He finds the AI's answers to complex medical questions largely fast, accurate, and helpful. 

Wachter, author of "A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future," also believes that general-purpose and health-specific chatbots can be very useful to the average patient compared to a basic Google search. 

Yet he's also aware that he approaches AI chatbots as an expert with 40 years of medical experience and can quickly identify the most relevant details to include in a prompt. 

"A patient has absolutely no ability to do that — to know what are the salient facts of all the things that might be going on in terms of their current symptoms, in terms of their past history, in terms of their medication," he says. "So what they put into the prompt may be not exactly right."

Wachter says that recent research demonstrates a clear risk for patients when they don't know the right information to use in a prompt, and when they misinterpret the chatbot's response. 

Still, he believes that more often than not, an AI chatbot is better than nothing, provided patients focus on including relevant health history and current symptoms, and use it with a "buyer beware" attitude. 

In particular, Wachter says he wouldn't trust a chatbot for symptoms that may indicate a life-threatening emergency, such as severe chest pain, new shortness of breath or confusion, or weakness on one side of the body. 

4. Ask for references and cross-check the answer. 

When a chatbot gives its response, Nadkarni suggests taking the time to ask for its references for the information provided. 

It's not enough to scan a list of links, either. Nadkarni recommends clicking links to evaluate the source. If the chatbot has based its answer on a "shady Reddit post," Nadkarni says it's probably not trustworthy. 

On the other hand, if the reference directs you to a verifiable medical organization, like the American Medical Association, that should be reassuring. 

Nadkarni acknowledges that while individual users may not agree with the views of a health organization or authority, the information usually reflects medical consensus based on the best current evidence. 

Wachter also recommends asking a second AI chatbot that you trust to weigh in on the same health information you shared with the first chatbot to see if it arrives at the same conclusion. That can be a good indication that the response is useful and reliable.  

Despite Wachter's enthusiasm for AI chatbots in healthcare, he believes the recent studies indicate substantial room for improvement. He imagines AI tools that act more like a "good doctor," engaging the user in conversation to elicit all the relevant information before suggesting a diagnosis or action, like taking medication or going to the emergency room. 

"I think the patient-facing tools are not where they're going to end up," he says of present-day AI chatbots that field health questions. "Ultimately, the tool for a patient is going to be much more [like a doctor] than the tools now."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Royalty.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

QUEEN

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A huge fight.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 12, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BRAWL

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Rope.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 12 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 12, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

NOOSE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A particle.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

QUARK

Final Hurdle hint

An extension.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

ANNEX

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easy if you like to use your arms. There — your first hint.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Bravo!

• Green: College ball

• Blue: Cooperstown

• Purple: Not your legs...

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Expression of Approval

• Green: SEC Cities

• Blue: Hall of Fame Pitchers

• Purple: ____ Arm

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #566 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Expression of Approval — APPLAUSE, CLAPPING, HAND, OVATION

• SEC Cities — AUBURN, AUSTIN, COLLEGE STATION, OXFORD

• Hall of Fame Pitchers — FELLER, FINGERS, GROVE, PLANK

• Starts With Part of the Body — DEAD, FORE, SIDE, STIFF

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 11, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 11, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for April 12 Pips

Number (22): Everything in this purple space must add up to 22. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): The domino half in this red space must have 4 pips. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Every domino half in this space must have 4 pips. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically; 4-2, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for April 12 Pips

Less Than (3): The domino half in this purple space must have less than 3 pips. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (5): The domino half in this red space must have more than 5 pips. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Every domino half in this light blue space must have 4 pips. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Every domino half in this yellow space must have 6 pips. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): The domino half in this purple space must have less than 3 pips. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Every domino half in this dark blue space must have 5 pips. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this red space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this green space must add up to 10. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for April 12 Pips

Number (6): Everything in this purple space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this red space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 0-6, placed vertically.

Less Than (6): The domino half in this light blue space must add up to less than 6. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this dark blue space must have 0 pips. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this yellow space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically. 5-0, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Every domino half in this purple space must have 4 pips. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically; and 4-6, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this red space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Every domino half in this yellow space must have 6 pips. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this green space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you need every point of view.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 12, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Bottoms

• Green: POV

• Blue: To give off

• Purple: A toy

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Pants features

• Green: Perspective

• Blue: Emit

• Purple: ___ Doll

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1036 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Pants features: BELT LOOP, CUFF, FLY, POCKET

• Perspective: ANGLE, POSITION, STANCE, TAKE

• Emit: CAST, PROJECT, RADIATE, SHED

• ___ Doll: PAPER, RAG, RUSSIAN, TROLL

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 12, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you take pride in your appearance.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 12, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Get ready!

The words are related to appearance.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe grooming.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is In the Mirror

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

NYT Strands word list for April 12

• Comb

• Primp

• Beautify

• In the Mirror

• Brush

• Preen

• Groom

• Style

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love city living.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 12, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 12, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A narrow pathway.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter L appears twice.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

ALLEY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

If you happen to catch a broadcast of The Masters this weekend, you'll probably notice a few obvious things: the undeniable talent of the players, the immaculate conditions of the course, and the sea of attendees wearing green as if it's a second St. Patrick's Day. But there's one other thing conspicuously absent from the weekend festivities: smartphones. 

Unlike other sporting events, sometimes heavily attended by people who paid obscene amounts of money to watch the excitement through the lens of an iPhone, The Masters bans all recording and communication devices, from phones and tablets to digital cameras. It's right there in black and white on their list of Prohibited Items, above "knives and weapons of any kind" (so you know they take it seriously). 

But, according to Golf Monthly, some sneaky attendees are finding a way to circumvent the ban: wearable technology. The latest smartwatches from Apple and Google are easily able to send and receive both text messages and phone calls, while the Ray-Ban Meta glasses are subtle enough to pass as regular eyewear (especially if worn under a golf cap).  

In response to the videos surfacing online of people sneaking in recording eyewear, golf reporter Daniel Rapaport was unequivocal: "Augusta’s no-phones rule needs to be updated to no phones or wearable technology. No Meta glasses, no Apple watches. The mystique of the Masters must be protected and it’s slipping." 

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If there's any sporting event likely to die on this hill and strengthen their policy to keep all devices out, it's The Masters. But if the legions of happy fans strolling the course over the weekend, largely oblivious to the goings-on on Twitter and Facebook, are any indication, it may be for the greater good that they do. 

The success of the Artemis II mission around the moon has captured the attention of the entire world, but if you're not done celebrating the good vibes, or just want a fantastic way to commemorate a landmark moment in space exploration, you're in luck: NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have teamed up with LEGO to launch a 632-piece model, the Artemis Space Launch System Rocket. 

Not only does this set include the Artemis ship and thruster rockets that blast it out of Earth's gravitational field, but it also includes a clever launch platform with a hand crank designed to show the rocket in all three stages of the launch — just turn the crank and the rocket gradually takes off and the thruster rockets disengage. 

The set also includes four miniature astronaut figures, in honor of the four-person crew of the Artemis II, as well as an information panel that highlights key details about the Artemis II mission. 

The set is suitable for children ages 9 and up, but we all also know at least one adult who loves to build LEGO, so don't sleep on this as a gift option for the space-obsessed grown-up friend or family member in your life. 

Owing to overwhelming demand (space is cool, after all!), the set is currently sold out on Amazon, Walmart and the LEGO website, but if you order from LEGO.com today, you should expect to receive it when supplies refresh in 60 days, according to LEGO. 

And if your child is struggling with assembly or if you yourself need a little help, never fear: LEGO offers interactive, 3D building instructions through their Builder app, available for both iOS and Android users.

The world woke up to phenomenal news: All four astronauts who participated in NASA's ten-day Artemis II mission to fly around the moon, taking them farther into space than any humans had ever been before, have returned safely to earth, splashing down within a mile of their intended landing target in the Pacific Ocean, according to NASA.

The reentry 

The first major point of anxiety came with reentry into Earth's atmosphere, which CNN described as the riskiest part of the mission.

In a pre-landing blog post, NASA reporters Abby Graf and Joseph Zakrzewski described the challenges of reentry, beginning with the structural integrity of the ship itself.

Traveling more than 24,000 miles per hour (40,000 km/h), the spaceship compresses the air in front of it, creating a plasma fireball with temperatures of up to 2,700 Celsius or 4,892 Fahrenheit, roughly half the surface temperature of our sun.

Meanwhile, inside the ship, crew members experience the rapid deceleration as a huge increase in gravitational force, making them feel almost four times heavier than they would on the Earth's surface, according to former astronaut Chris Hadfield.

The NASA livestream of the Artemis II return, watched by more than 20 million people worldwide, reached peak tension during reentry, when for six whole minutes the extreme temperatures made all communication with the crew impossible, leaving not only mission control but also viewers holding their breath. 

It was Commander Reid Wiseman's voice that broke the silence: "Houston, Integrity here. We hear you loud and clear," BBC reported.

The splashdown: Where did Artemis land?

After communication was reestablished and the cheers of the NASA crews died down, all that was left was to stick the landing: 2,000 miles southwest of the coast of San Diego, in the Pacific Ocean. 

To slow the craft down and ensure a safe landing, the Orion landing capsule used a series of parachutes of four different designs, deployed in an extremely precise sequence for maximum effectiveness, described in this NASA brochure.

When the final parachutes were used, the tiny capsule containing the crew had slowed down exponentially, ending in a gentle descent to the ocean waters, captured by CNN.

Splashdown occurred shortly after 5 p.m. PT, hailed as a "perfect bull's eye splashdown for Integrity and its four astronauts" by NASA commentator Rob Navias, while a naval rescue mission extracted the four astronauts from the floating capsule before flying them by helicopter to the USS John P Murtha for medical evaluation, according to official NASA reporting by Jennifer M. Dooren. 

How to watch Artemis II

Interested in re-living the dramatic trip, or maybe you missed most of the action and want to see it for the first time? You can watch comprehensive coverage of the entire mission, including interviews with the crew, on NASA's official YouTube page.

For maximum drama, though, see the taped livestream below.

Or if you don't have multiple hours of free time to spare, check out our photo summary of the splashdown compiled by Chris Taylor.

What's next after Artemis II

The success of this mission, as well as its undeniable worldwide appeal, has both NASA and other space agencies thinking of the stars, but there are practical matters to attend to first.

The crew, described from the recovery ship by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman as "ambassadors for humanity," had not made as of this morning any public appearance since cameras captured their dramatic capsule exit, and are expected to take many days to recover from their 10-day trip beyond our atmosphere.

Before the R&R, though, the astronauts were expected to undergo one more ordeal: an obstacle course. As Mashable reporter Elisha Sauers details, the battery of tests, conducted in and out of their heavy astronaut suits, will be used study the body's adaptation to prolonged weightlessness.

But what about the future of space travel?

For some perspective, the Artemis II mission was the first crewed mission into deep space in more than 50 years, but NASA is also viewing it as a first step on a new, multi-decade project to establish a firmer foothold in space.

According to NASA writer Lauren E. Low, future plans include landing humans on the moon and establishing a permanent lunar base, testing rendezvous and docking capabilities with both SpaceX and Blue Origin lunar landers sometime in 2027, and eventually establishing the necessary preconditions for a crewed mission to Mars. 

For now, however, the world is breathing a collective sigh of relief, happy to accept the good news of the crews' safe return.

Reporting by Mashable's Elisha Sauers and Chris Taylor contributed to this article.

The platform formerly known as Twitter is learning new tricks. X is looking to expand its reach by launching XChat, a standalone messaging app promising end-to-end encryption, no ads and no tracking, at least according to the Apple press release.

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In addition to the traditional text-based messages already offered by X, XChat promises to offer both audio and video calling, as well as the ability to send documents, create group chats, and edit or delete your sent messages. If the screenshots shared by X are accurate, the interface is minimalistic, emphasizing active chats in "a private, focused space built for conversation," according to Apple's press release.

Despite the claims of "privacy" and "end-to-end" encryption, some X users are pointing out what they perceive to be a contradiction in the app's privacy policy.

How is it, they're asking, that an app that cares about user privacy also links so much personal information, from your location and contact list to your search history and your user profile? 

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Musk took to Twitter earlier this month to disparage the privacy policy of WhatsApp. WhatsApp pushed back against the claims.

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XChat will only be accessible to people with an X account, and will only launch for the iPhone and iPad, according to the release, leaving out the Android market.

Given that apps including Signal and WhatsApp don't require a separate account on another platform, it remains to be seen if XChat can attract enough users to compete at the same scale. 

With an expected launch of April 17, though, we won't need to wait long to find out.

Nobody likes filing their taxes (or do they?), but a select few fast food restaurants are offering some financial relief to celebrate Tax Day. 

On April 15, you'll be able to score a dozen Original Glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme with the purchase of any regular dozen donuts at their usual price.

Krispy Kreme Tax Day deal

Best of all, the offer applies to in-store purchases, drive-thru pickup, and even to-go orders made through the Krispy Kreme app (use the code TAXBREAK at checkout).

You can read more about the promo on the Krispy Kreme official website, but suffice it to say a lot of families may be indulging after paying their accountants a visit. 

But Krispy Kreme isn't the only restaurant offering a break that you can grab on Tax Day and beyond.

Burger King, QDOBA deals

Because April 15 falls on a Wednesday this year, Burger King's Whopper Wednesday discount applies, meaning you can pick up a regular Whopper for $3.99 or a Small Whopper Combo for $6.99.

Meanwhile, burrito chain QDOBA has instituted a Tax Day Guac Relief program, to highlight the fact that their guacamole is always free. To take advantage of the deal, first join their rewards program and then fill out a short survey about all of the times you've been forced to pay for guac in the past.

As a reward, you'll score $5 off a full-sized entree, redeemable between April 20 and 26. And the Tax Day Guac Relief forms? Naturally, they're due on Tax Day, April 15 — but what's a bit more paperwork when the payoff is so sweet?

If you want some much-deserved Tax Day relief, or if filing your taxes has inspired you with a new appreciation for a good deal, celebrate submitting your return with some well-deserved chow. 

If you have strong preferences for your workout gear — and strong feelings on Hoka versus Brooks (we're not getting in the middle of that debate) — then finding the right pair of workout headphones can be extra challenging.

The best headphones for working out need to withstand movement, sweat, and the elements. Plus, you don't want something you're constantly fussing with; your headphones should help you stay focused during your exercises.

Mashable reviewers have tested many pairs of headphones and wireless earbuds, and we can tell you which products stay put during a workout, and which buds will go tumbling onto the sidewalk as soon as you break into a run. To make sure we're recommending the right products, we tested over a dozen of the best sports earbuds, headphones, and bone conduction headphones from brands like Bose, Beats, Apple, and Shokz.

How to pick headphones for working out

The right headphones for you depend significantly on the kinds of workouts you like to do and where you like to do them. If you like to run outdoors, you need headphones that keep you safe in busy areas with reliable noise transparency, such as bone conduction headphones or open earbuds. If you're pumping iron at the gym, you might prefer sports earbuds that block out the world with active noise cancellation so you can lock in for your reps. And some people just prefer the look and feel of traditional over-ear headphones. We found reliable options in each category, but in general, most athletes prefer the best wireless earbuds for working out.

SEE ALSO: Open earbuds guide: What they are, who should buy them, and why they're popping up everywhere

For this guide, we looked for two universal specs in all of the headphones we tested. First, workout headphones need to be wireless, giving you a full range of movement. You don't want to get tied up on the stair climber.

Second, workout headphones need to be sweat- or water-resistant. This one is obvious. When you're working out, you're getting sweaty, and you want headphones that won't freak out at the first sign of moisture. Your gym earbuds don't have to be fully waterproof, but this will be helpful for outdoor athletes.

So, whether you're hitting the gym or the pavement, here are the best earbuds and headphones for working out.

Recent changes to this guide

For our most recent update in April 2026, we swapped out the Bose Ultra Open earbuds for the Shokz OpenFit Pro earbuds. In our testing, we found the Shokz buds offer a better value for a similar (and sometimes superior) experience.

In September 2025, we replaced the Apple AirPods Pro 2 with the newly released AirPods Pro 3. Likewise, we swapped out the previous-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds for the QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) buds.

In a previous update, we removed the discontinued Jabra Elite 8 Active (Gen 2). These buds previously occupied the top spot and provided remarkable battery life, fit, and sound quality in a highly durable package. We still recommend it if you’re lucky enough to find a pair online at a reasonable price (they sell for $300 on eBay).

We also tested additional products that ultimately didn't make the cut, including the JBL Reflect Aero noise-cancelling earbuds. Despite appearing to have a similar design to the Beats Fit Pro — the earbuds themselves, not the ear tips — were so big they couldn't comfortably fit in the ear, a troubling design that caused them to fall out constantly.