IT General

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

Satire.

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

IRONY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Nemesis.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

RIVAL

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

Type of snake.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 21 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

COBRA

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Banishment.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

EXILE

Final Hurdle hint

Particular.

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

PICKY

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

It's now the First Quarter, which means the Moon is half full, and there's plenty surface area illuminated to spot features.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Sunday, June 21, the Moon phase is First Quarter. Tonight, 54% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

With just your naked eye, tonight you'll be able to see the Mares Fecunditatis, Serenitatis and Crisium. With binoculars, you'll also catch a glimpse of the Endymion Crater, Posidonius Crater, and the Mare Nectaris. If you have a telescope, this will help you see all this plus the Linne Crater, the Descartes Highlands, and the Rupes Altai.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on June 29.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes one orbit around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight recognised phases along the way. While the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of its surface lit by the Sun changes as it travels around Earth. As a result, we see the Moon appear in different shapes over the course of a month, from slender crescents and half moons to a bright Full Moon. This repeating sequence of phases is known as the lunar cycle.

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 a binge watcher.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for June 21, 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: Weather patterns

• Green: Shocks

• Blue: Hit shows

• Purple: Offenses

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Precipitation

• Green: Bowls over

• Blue: NBC sitcoms

• Purple: Starting with kinds of insults

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 #1106 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Precipitation: DRIZZLE, RAIN, SHOWERS, SPRINKLES

• Bowls over: FLOORS, ROCKS, STUNS, SURPRISES

• NBC sitcoms: COMMUNITY, FRIENDS, SCRUBS, WINGS

• Starting with kinds of insults: BARBADOS, DIGGITY, DISSECT, SLAPDASH

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 June 21, 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 traveler.

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.

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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 June 21, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: That's included!

The words are related to vacations.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe vacation lodging.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Hotel Amenities.

NYT Strands word list for June 21

• Safe

• Internet

• Laundry

• Breakfast

• Hotel Amenities

• Fridge

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 true crime fan.

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 June 21, 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 June 21, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

An excuse.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter I appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.

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...

ALIBI

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.

Excel is packed with productivity features, but some of its most useful tools are hidden or disabled by default. Whether you want faster data entry, better dashboards, or more powerful analysis tools, enabling a few overlooked settings can transform the way you work.

One of the biggest selling points of Google Pixel phones has always been the software. Google's approach has always been refreshingly simple: clean visuals, a handful of genuinely useful features, and very little unnecessary clutter.

The Toyota RAV4 has been one of America's best-selling SUVs since the late 1990s, and for 2026, it made one of the boldest moves in its nearly 30-year history. Toyota dropped gas-only engines entirely and made every RAV4 a hybrid.

I've had a knack for repurposing Android phones for most of my life. But I never considered doing the same for old, junk computer hardware, at least until I started self-hosting and building a tiny homelab last year. Ever since I fell down this rabbit hole, my perspective on old tech in general has shifted completely. Where the old me saw "e-waste," I now see gold.

Netflix's recommendation algorithm has evolved and can be good at predicting what you'll want to watch next. The problem is that it often ends up showing the same titles, making it harder to actually discover what aligns with your unique tastes.

It's official: Microsoft is terminating future support for its popular Office 2021 suite of productivity applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

While the computing giant claims that your apps "may continue to function," it also warns of exposure to "serious and potentially harmful security risks" if you continue using their now unsupported software after Oct. 13, 2026, the official end date.

In all likelihood, Office 2021 will continue to work as intended for most users in most use cases, much as you can still use Office 2010 or Office 2013, provided you're willing to put up with the limitations of those iterations.

And for all the consumers concerned with owning rather than leasing their software, Office 2024 offers a "lifetime license" purchase, conferring permanent access to essential applications like Word, Powerpoint and Excel without the costly infrastructure of cloud storage or frequent, down-the-line software updates. 

Otherwise, upgrading means switching to Microsoft 365.

To learn more about the end of support for Office 2021, Microsoft has an entire post on its support section with all the details.

For a long time, I treated my smartphone like, well, a phone with just a few extra features. Sure, I could browse the internet and work on documents, but I largely relegated my mobile device to being nothing more than a phone.

I bought my first ultrawide monitor back in February 2018. It was a game changer for me. I went from two 27-inch 16:9 monitors to one 34-inch 21:9 and absolutely loved it.

The latest generation of Wi-Fi 7 routers has finally dropped to prices that make them a realistic upgrade for anyone buying a new router. If you’ve bought one recently only to find that your internet doesn’t feel noticeably faster, it’s worth going over a few things to check whether the router is actually delivering the performance you’ve paid for.

In its most recent firmware update for Beats headphones, 1B211, Apple fixed a terrifying security flaw that allowed malicious actors to potentially eavesdrop on private conversations within Bluetooth range of the brand's popular Studio Buds. 

According to reporting by Sead Fadilpašić of TechRadar, it was actually the third-party security firm ERNW and its researchers, Dennis Heinze and Frieder Steinmetz, who first discovered the vulnerability, all the way back in 2025, when it was assigned an 8.8/10 severity score. In effect, it allowed hackers to impersonate a device that had previously been connected to the headphones, not only granting them access to the microphone and headphone audio but eventually even learning some devices' call histories and contact lists.

If you own a pair of Studio Buds, is it likely you've been targeted? Thankfully, no. The same researchers who discovered the exploit told TechRadar that the degree of coordination, complexity, and planning required to execute this hack would have made it worthwhile only for very high-value targets, and, as of now, there are no reports of anyone being negatively impacted by the security vulnerability. 

It's also worth mentioning that Apple wasn't the only company caught up in this exploit. In the original report released by ERNW that identified the flaw, the security firm listed dozens of compromised devices, including those from manufacturers like Sony, JBL, and Bose, and those were just the brands that publicly listed their system suppliers, leaving potentially hundreds more devices yet to be named. In the words of the security researchers in the report, the unknown scope of the problem "creates a huge blind spot in vulnerability management due to the nature of the supply chain." 

Thankfully, Apple isn't the only company taking active measures to protect its customers. According to Ecoustics reporting back in January, both Bose and JBL have also taken steps to close off the vulnerability through firmware updates. 

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 in full swing, and fans from all over the world traveling across the United States to cheer on their home teams, beloved Sesame Street character Elmo took to X in a Team USA jersey to declare his support for the American squad. 

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The explicit partisanship isn't an accident but an inside joke. Earlier this month, as the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks battled for a championship, Elmo expressed hope for both teams to have fun.

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The social media world wasn't having it. Knicks fans, already riled up by the intensity of the series, weren't pleased.

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Other brands got in on the joke. The roasting continued after the Knicks won, with at least one fan dressing in an Elmo suit to hold up an apology sign at the victory parade in New York.

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Even Cookie Monster didn't hold back, saying he would teach Elmo how to pick a team.

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As a public figure with an international audience, Elmo is definitely in a tough spot, but declaring that you love everyone while wearing your nation's soccer uniform is probably your best shot at minimizing the fallout.

The sky-high cost of RAM has claimed another victim: budget smartphones. The cofounder of Nothing company, Akis Evangelidis, recently took to X to announce that there will be no successor to last year's popular CMF Phone 2 Pro, a credible iPhone competitor that launched for just $279 and won plaudits up and down the tech world for its design and budget-friendly pricing. 

Nor was Evangelidis shy about naming the problem: "We were working on a successor, but with memory prices where they are right now, we can't build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF."

If you're totally oblivious about what he's alluding to, check out this series of charts from PCPartPicker, detailing the rise in RAM costs over just the last 18 months. Two standout examples: a basic 2x8GB configuration of DDR4 RAM went for about $50 in January of 2025 and now sells for over $150 in June of 2026, while a more speedy 2x16GB configuration of DDR5 RAM went for under $100 in January of 2025 and today costs close to $500!

And while RAM is the most talked-about culprit behind the price spikes, solid-state storage (SSDs), the kind used in mobile phones, high-end gaming computers, and consoles, has also shot up dramatically in price, currently priced at 20 times the equivalent hard disk drive (HDD). 

The driver of these price hikes is the AI revolution currently underway across the entire tech space, as deep-pocketed companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet (parent company of Google) are projected to spend some $700-$900 billion per year on AI-related infrastructure, growing to as much as $1.6 trillion in 2031, according to reporting from Goldman Sachs. 

Unfortunately, because chip makers and RAM suppliers are seriously constrained in their production capacity, this newfound demand has created a bidding war, with budget smartphone shoppers and trillion-dollar tech companies all competing for the same finite supply of materials. The result, at least in the near term, will be not only the abolition of budget smartphones like the CMF Phone 2 Pro, but also inevitable price hikes for compute-heavy devices like smartphones, tablets, and personal computers that are already quite expensive. Apple's outgoing CEO Tim Cook said these developments are "unavoidable."

What is a budget-savvy shopper to do in 2026? The best solution for the time being might be to hold on to your old phone, tablet, or computer for as long as possible.

There's nothing wrong with a comfort watch. It's the end of a long day, and instead of wasting hours scrolling for something to watch, you throw on a show you've seen hundreds of times. I know people who put on The Office to act as white noise while they sleep. The same goes for people who embark on rewatches of Game of Thronesor The Sopranos. Look, we've all rewatched our favorite shows. Now, it's time to find something new.

I've had solar panels for nearly ten years, after having them installed on both my current home and my previous one. There are a few reasons why I knew I wanted to invest tens of thousands of dollars into this technology, and why I've had no regrets.

I relied on full Excel charts for years, but they often felt like overkill for simple tracking. Then I discovered sparklines—and suddenly I could see trends directly inside the cells. My spreadsheets became tidier, I stopped wasting time inserting and formatting complex charts, and I didn't have to juggle floating objects.