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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 May 4, 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 May 4, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 4 Pips

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-1, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed vertically; 1-5, placed horizontally.

Number (17): Everything in this space must add up to 17. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed vertically; 1-5, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 4 Pips

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

Greater Than (10): Everything in this space must be greater than 10. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically; 2-1, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 4 Pips

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically; 5-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

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

Greater Than (5): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 5. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 6-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.

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

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically.

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

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-4, 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.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require some knowledge of popular U.S. sports and pop culture.

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: Playing surface

• Green: In Toronto

• Blue: Playing pool

• Purple: Associated with Calipari

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Fields of Play, Familiarly

• Green: Toronto Pro Teams

• Blue: Terms Used in Billiards

• Purple: Coached by John Calipari

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 #588 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Fields of Play, Familiarly: DIAMOND, GRIDIRON, HARDWOOD, RINK

• Toronto Pro Teams: BLUE JAYS, MAPLE LEAFS, RAPTORS, TEMPO

• Terms Used in Billiards: BREAK, ENGLISH, RACK, SCRATCH

• Coached by John Calipari: MINUTEMEN, NETS, RAZORBACKS, WILDCATS

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.

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.

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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

To expel.

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

SPEND

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Grabbed.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 4, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

TAKEN

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

A short period.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 4 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 4, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

STINT

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Seen in elementary schools.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

CUBBY

Final Hurdle hint

A photo.

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

IMAGE

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

As we move through the lunar cycle, you'll notice small changes in the Moon's shape each night. Right now, we're in the waning phase. This means it will be losing light on the right side until we reach the New Moon.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Monday, May 4, the Moon phase is Waning Gibbous. Tonight, 94% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

Without any visual aids, tonight you should be able to see the Mares Serenitatus, Tranquillitatis, and Imbrim. With binoculars, you'll see the Posidonus Crater, Endymion Crater, and the Mare Humorum. And, finally, with a telescope you'll see all this plus the Apollo 14 landing spot, the Rima Hyginus, and the Descartes Highlands.

When is the next Full Moon?

There are two Full Moons in May, with the next due to take place on May 31.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon takes roughly 29.5 days to circle Earth once, going through eight distinct phases in the process. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the amount of sunlight hitting it changes as it moves in its orbit. The shifting light creates the changing shapes we know as full, half, and crescent Moons. Altogether, there are eight main lunar phases.

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're kind-hearted.

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.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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 May 4, 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: Sweetie pie

• Green: Squishy

• Blue: They have dials

• Purple: Canines

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Tender-hearted person

• Green: Pellet-filled things

• Blue: Things with knobs

• Purple: Starting with familiar names for kinds of dogs

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 #1058 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Tender-hearted person: MARSHMALLOW, SOFTIE, SWEETHEART, TEDDY BEARS

• Pellet-filled things: BEANIE BABY, DESSICANT PACKET, EYE PILLOW, HACKY SACK

• Things with knobs: CONTROL PANEL, ETCH A SKETCH, RADIO, STOVE

• Starting with familiar names for kinds of dogs: CHOWDER, DOODLEBUG, LABUBU, PITTER-PATTER

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 May 4, 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're a tree hugger.

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 May 4, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: May the forest be with you

The words are related to forestation.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe trees.

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 Branch Out.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

NYT Strands word list for May 4

• Aspen

• Dogwood

• Birch

• Branch Out

• Cedar

• Cypress

• Eucalyptus

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're a talker.

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 May 4, 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 May 4, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Podium.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter R appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter R.

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...

RISER

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.

There was a time when a luxury car was defined by the logo. Those lines have blurred today, as many mainstream manufacturers offer vehicles in their lineups with advanced powertrains, upscale interior layouts, and connectivity technologies that hold their own against luxury namesakes at a lower price.

When Android phones first took off over a decade ago, custom launchers were all the rage. The idea of completely transforming your phone’s look and feel was a huge draw for enthusiasts—and even non-techies. Today, however, launchers are almost unheard of. They’ve largely fallen out of favor in favor of whatever your phone came with, and frankly, I think that’s for the better.

When you buy a new smart TV, you expect a quality viewing experience as soon as you turn it on. Still, you may be accidentally accepting lower picture quality, unreliable connections, and privacy issues by keeping the default settings. The best performance gains are already inside the device you own. By following these steps, you can fix these distortions, stabilize streaming, stop the data tracking, and speed up your TV to what is now standard in the industry.

Your smart home hub won't last forever. It might be due to the hardware dying or becoming outdated, or because your smart home provider pulls the plug. Whatever the reason, you need to be prepared.

I consider myself part of many fandoms. Some are from my childhood, others from college, and now, as a young adult, but they all mean something to me on some level. One of those just happens to be Star Wars.

Just because your Android phone is starting to get old, it doesn't mean you have to replace it. There are things you can do to keep it running for longer. I recently decided to factory reset my old Pixel to try to freshen it up. Then, after I set it up again, I changed a few key settings. The result is that it feels almost as good as new.

When I was growing up in the '90s I always read about this mythical connection called FireWire. It was a connection mainly found on Macs, and I had never even seen a Mac in person until I was an adult, but long before then it had lost to USB decisively even on its home Macintosh turf. Or did it?

When Android phones first arrived, there wasn’t a built-in flashlight feature. So, flashlight apps were extremely popular—and profitable. One particular flashlight app got caught doing something not so bright, and the US government had to get involved.

AI companions are quietly becoming a staple across the industry, and OpenAI is now joining the trend. The company has launched Codex Pets, an optional animated companion baked into its AI coding tool.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Elon Musk's OpenAI testimony

Like most AI companions, it isn't doing any heavy lifting. But Codex Pets earns its keep as a floating overlay that surfaces project status updates in real-time, so you don't have to switch tabs. Users can monitor active threads and track whether Codex is running, waiting on input, or ready for review, all without ever leaving whatever they're working on.

Getting started is straightforward. Head to Settings, select Appearance, then choose Pets to pick from the built-in options. Once activated, the floating overlay can be toggled on or off by typing /pet in the composer, using Wake Pet or Tuck Away Pet in Settings > Appearance, or by pressing Cmd+K on Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows.

The feature ships with eight built-in variations — including a cat and dog — but the more interesting play is the custom pet creator. Users can prompt Codex directly to generate their own companion, then share it online. A quick scroll through the homepage reveals the community has already gotten to work. Current creations include Goku, Patrick Star, Microsoft's long-retired Clippy, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and — naturally — a goblin.

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.

True-crime documentaries are always a sure-fire hit on any streaming platform. 2025 saw the release of some doozies—beyond the usual SEO suspects, such as Chaos: The Manson Murders, American Murder: Gabby Petito, and The Fall of Diddy—that proved to us the true crime genre is moving in a direction that values education over exploitation.

I consider myself to be an expert procrastinator. Over the years, I've tried no shortage of tools and techniques to fix this problem. Pomodoro timers, distraction blockers, minimalist writing apps. Most of them are well-designed and do exactly what they claim. They help you track time and encourage focus. What they don’t do is enforce it.

The internet is global, but thanks to a complex set of pre-internet rules and legal agreements, there are virtual borders in place that restrict what you can see and do. Sometimes, it is also useful to appear as if you're accessing the net from a different location than you really are. In both cases, the preferred tool is a VPN or Virtual Private Network.

Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update has always been a reliable source of joy — or at the very least, a place to laugh — in what continues to be a genuinely strange moment in history. The jokes are great, but they're also, increasingly, hitting a little too close to home.

SEE ALSO: Olivia Rodrigo tries to make her ex jealous in this 'SNL' sketch

Hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost do their level best to navigate the week's headlines, tackling the abrupt collapse of Spirit Airlines and the continued, inexhaustible chaos emanating from the Trump administration. The latter is fertile ground at this point, and the pair works through them with ease.

Personally, the best bit from this involves King Charles' recent meeting with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the conspicuous absence of any attempt by the British Crown to walk away with yet another piece of Indian cultural heritage.