IT General

We can all agree that moms and mother figures deserve the world and a little bit more on Mother's Day. But let's be straight: Very few us can afford the kinds of gifts they truly deserve — the diamond necklaces, luxurious weekend trips, or designer gear. Sure, Mom is more than worthy of unwrapping something along those lines on Mother's Day but it's just not realistic.

But is that reason to send Mom a gift card from the grocery store checkout line, or to grab the first bouquet of barely adequate flowers? Absolutely not.

SEE ALSO: Best Mother's Day gifts: Show mom some love

With Mother's Day 2026 fast approaching, here are more than 20 ideas for inexpensive but thoughtful Mother's Day gifts — all under $50. You can make her feel special without breaking the bank with these gift ideas, which include several products recommended to us by our own moms and mom friends.

There's a lot of pressure when it comes to thinking up great gift ideas for your mom. She's done the hard wok of actually raising you, and it's time to throw some appreciation back her way. Part of our larger series dedicated to finding the best gifts for everyone, this list of gifts for your mom (or any mom or mother figure, for that matter, who all deserve something special) attempts to think outside of the same old generic suggestions that have plagued moms at major holidays for decades.

SEE ALSO: Best tech gifts, picked by professional gadget nerds

Does she have a unique interest or pastime that's a huge part of her life? You could look for hyper-specific items that speak directly to her passions, or pick up an item to finally nudge her towards getting started on that dream hobby. If she'd appreciate a more practical gift, rack your brain for a frustration that she's mentioned more than once — perhaps her coffee machine sucks or she's having trouble relaxing. You can't go wrong with gifting something that'll make her life easier.

Mother's Day is fast approaching on May 10, so there's no better time to pick her a gift. The best gifts will make her feel listened to, valued, or straight-up pampered. Consider what she does when she has no one putting demands on her time — then shop for those moments. And if you get stuck, or your budget's tight, visit our guide to the best gifts under $50 for even more winning ideas.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 Madrid Open for free on RTVE. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The French Open isn't all that far away, so it's time for the best players in the world to take to the clay to sharpen up before the second Grand Slam of the season. The good news for top players is that there is ample opportunity to do just that, with a number of high-profile tournaments taking place at this time of year.

Following on from the Barcelona Open is the Madrid Open, with a number of top players competing in this popular event. For many, this will be a dress rehearsel for the main event at Roland-Garros.

If you want to watch the 2026 Madrid Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Madrid Open?

The Madrid Open is an annual professional tennis tournament played on clay courts at the Caja Mágica in Madrid. The defending singles champions are Casper Ruud and Aryna Sabalenka.

When is the 2026 Madrid Open?

The 2026 Madrid Open is the 24th edition of the event on the ATP Tour and 17th on the WTA Tour. This year's event takes place from April 21 to May 3.

How to watch the 2026 Madrid Open for free

The 2026 Madrid Open are available to live stream for free on RTVE.

RTVE is geo-restricted to Spain, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Spain, meaning you can unblock RTVE from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026 Madrid Open by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we tested ExpressVPN and it works great)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Spain

4. Visit RTVE

5. Watch the 2026 Madrid Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2026 Madrid Open before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for RTVE?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTVE, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Spain

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2026 Madrid Open for free with ExpressVPN.

Based on my extensive hands-on testing and expert input, I’ve picked the best sexting apps to keep your flirtiest, dirtiest chats truly private — whether you're messaging a partner, a hookup, or a verified creator.

Because sometimes the anticipation of a hookup is even hotter than the main event. In my experience, sexting is the ultimate form of digital foreplay. It’s the glue that keeps long-distance relationships from falling apart, the spark that stops long-term couples from feeling like roommates, and — for all you singles out there — the safest way to test sexual chemistry before you ever meet up in person.

If it feels like everyone is sending spicy texts these days, you're not wrong. Some studies show that up to 88 percent of American adults have engaged in sexting at some point in their lives. For many, it's become an essential means of connection, and research shows that sharing intimate pictures can evoke, demonstrate, and reinforce trust.

You've heard of safe sex. But what about safe sexting?

Remember: You can't (and shouldn't!) trust your most intimate moments to just any app. As fun as the buildup is, the sad truth is that no one ever knows for sure if their private photos will stay private once they hit send on standard messaging platforms. Sliding into the DMs on a random dating app might feel like spontaneous fun, but in 2026, your digital footprint is forever. If you're going to share that side of yourself, you need to know it stays between you and the recipient.

As one of Mashable's dating app experts, I've spent the last three years testing dozens of platforms to find the best and most discreet apps for the job. My highest priority is always user safety. I also spoke with security expert Gary Orenstein with Bitwarden, who stressed that for sharing intimate content, "privacy features cannot be optional — they’re essential." He recommends looking for apps with three key features: end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, and screenshot detection.

After all, if you believe in safe sex, you should practice safe sexting, too. So, for all your NSFW messaging needs, these are the sexting apps I trust to get the job done without compromising your privacy.

SEE ALSO: A beginner's guide to sexting Recent updates to this guide:

• Confide: I’ve moved this back to the #1 spot. On balance, its specific privacy tools (like screenshot-proofing) just give it the edge over everything else right now.

• Lovense Remote: I added this as the winner for "Group Sexting." It's also the best way for couples (and polyamorous folks) to sync Bluetooth toys for long-distance play.

• FetLife: Added as "Best for Kink." It’s less of a standard app and more of a social network, but it remains the go-to place for finding niche communities.

What about other sexting sites?

You've probably seen other "best of" lists recommending apps I've left off. That's intentional. My goal is to recommend platforms where you can make connections, not just burn cash.

Here's why a few popular names didn't make the cut:

• A note on "paid operator" sites: Many sites marketed for sexting (like InstaBang, Arousr, and SextLocal) don't primarily connect you with other real users. Instead, they often use "chat operators" to keep you talking and paying. While there's nothing wrong with a paid fantasy, I don't consider that mutual sexting. My list focuses on apps for real, user-to-user interaction (with the exception of SextPanther, which connects you with verified adult performers).

• Couple's apps: You also won't find apps like Between on this list. While it's a private messenger for couples, it lacks the specific features that make sexting fun. If you want to level up your digital intimacy, my picks (like We-Vibe and Lovense) are much more interactive.

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

Mushrooms.

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

FUNGI

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Askew.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 25, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

WONKY

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Scam.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 25 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 25, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

FRAUD

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A red flower.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

POPPY

Final Hurdle hint

Sofa.

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

COUCH

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

We're now in the Moon's Waxing Gibbous phase, the last before we reach the Full Moon. There's plenty of its surface illuminated tonight, so keep reading to find out what you can see.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Saturday, April 25, the Moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. Tonight, 63% of the moon will be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

If you're looking at the Moon with just your naked eye, you should be able to catch a glimpse of the Mares Crisium, Tranquillitatis, and Fecunditatis. If you have binoculars, the Mare Nectaris, Posidonius Crater, and Apennine Mountains should also come into view, appearing from halfway up the Moon to near the top. And, finally, with a telescope you'll see all this plus the Apollo 16 landing spot, Rupes Altai, and Rima Hyginus.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon is predicted to take place on May 1, the first of two in May.

What are Moon phases?

NASA says that the Moon completes a full orbit around Earth in about 29.5 days, during which it passes through eight stages. Although the same face of the Moon is always turned toward us, the portion illuminated by the Sun shifts as it travels along its path, producing the familiar cycle of full, half, and crescent shapes. These variations are referred to as lunar phases, and there are eight altogether:

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.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub for free with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites from Australia is ExpressVPN.

The world of porn continues to be impacted by age-verification laws. Back in early 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. Pornhub hit back by blocking users from those locations. A similar situation took place France and the UK, and now Australians are facing the same set of challenges.

The porn blocks arrived just days before new online safety codes came into effect, requiring organisations to verify the ages of users. It's the same story we've seen before, with the same straightforward workaround.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Australia, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Australia

VPNs are tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub from Australia by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment. The situation may have changed before the free-trial period comes to an end.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Unblock Pornhub for free in Australia with ExpressVPN.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will test your knowledge of multiple sports.

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.

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 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.

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.

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: We are not the champions

• Green: Keeping score

• Blue: Protect the net

• Purple: You play these at home

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: In the Lowest Position

• Green: NBA Teams on Scoreboards

• Blue: Hall of Fame Hockey Goaltenders

• Purple: Baseball Video Games

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 #579 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• In the Lowest Position — BOTTOM, CELLAR, LAST, WORST

• NBA Teams on Scoreboards — DEN, OKC, SAC, WAS

• Hall of Fame Hockey Goaltenders — BRODEUR, FUHR, PARENT, ROY

• Baseball Video Games — BACKYARD, HIGH HEAT, SLUGFEST, THE SHOW

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 today'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 25, 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 25, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for April 25 Pips

Greater Than (4): The domino half in this purple space must have more than 4 pips. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Every domino half in this red space must have 3 pips. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; and 3-5, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Every domino half in this light blue space must have 1 pip. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 3-1, placed vertically; and 1-1, placed horizontally.

Less Than (6): The domino half in this yellow space must have less than 6 pips. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for April 25 Pips

Equal (1): Every domino half in this purple space must have 1 pip. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.

Number (6): The domino half in this red space must have 6 pips. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.

Greater Than (0): The domino half in this light blue space must have more than 0 pips. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this yellow space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

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

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

Less Than (4): Everything in this purple space must add up to be less than 4. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for April 25 Pips

Number (5): Everything in this purple space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically; and 1-4, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Every domino half in this red space must have 0 pips. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally; and 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (1): The domino half in this yellow space must have more than 1 pip. 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; 5-0, placed vertically; and 5-1, placed horizontally.

Number (7): Everything in this green space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (0): The domino half in this purple space must have more than 0 pips. The answer is 5-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Every domino half in this red space must have 0 pips. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Every domino half in this blue space must have 4 pips. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, 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.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a police officer.

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 April 25, 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: Coatings

• Green: Large groups

• Blue: Cops

• Purple: To fling

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Body coverings

• Green: Masses, in idioms

• Blue: Old-timey slang for law enforcement

• Purple: Starting with synonyms for "Throw"

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 #1048 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Body coverings: ENAMEL, HAIR, NAIL, SKIN

• Masses, in idioms: CROWD, HAYSTACK, MILLION, OCEAN

• Old-timey slang for law enforcement: COPPER, DICK, FLATFOOT, GUMSHOE

• Starting with synonyms for "Throw": CAST IRON, CHUCK E. CHEESE, HURLY-BURLY, PITCHFORK

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 25, 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 today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're a shopaholic.

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 25, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: On the shopping block

The words are related to consumerism.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe types of shops.

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 Storefront.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

NYT Strands word list for April 25

• Corner

• Liquor

• Grocery

• Discount

• Convenience

• Storefront

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 today's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a girl's girl.

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 25, 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 25, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Not men.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter W.

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.

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The solution to today's Wordle is...

WOMEN

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 today's Wordle.

Apex is a dizzying film with a tiny cast and a very creepy villain.

But while Baltasar Kormákur's survival thriller has plenty of dazzling action sequences and stunning cinematography, there's also a pretty dark origin story nestled in the cracks.

So what happens, and what does Jeremy Robbins' script suggest is the real motive of the film's serial killer? Let's unpack.

SEE ALSO: 'Apex' review: This is why women choose the bear What's Apex about?

The film follows Sasha (Charlize Theron), a rock climber struggling to come to terms with an accident that killed her partner, Tommy (Eric Bana). Sasha pays a visit to a remote national park in Australia with the plan to go solo kayaking down a river, but her trip is upended by an encounter with Ben (Taron Egerton), a ranger hell-bent on hunting her to her death — seemingly, at first, just for his own twisted enjoyment.

Fortunately, Sasha is no stranger to surviving in extreme conditions. What follows is a cat-and-mouse chase across water, canyons, and cliff faces that's essentially a brutal hour-long fight for survival.

Credit: Kane Skennar / Netflix How does Sasha escape Ben?

Just as Ben has Sasha cornered in his killing cave (more on that later), she makes a bid for freedom: biting half his ear off and jumping from a ledge into the nearby river. Sasha's hands are bound, and she's attached to a rope Ben was planning to hoist her into the air with; this enables him to attach himself to her while the pair are dragged along by the current. When they finally wash up, Sasha breaks Ben's leg with a rock before he fights her off.

The problem? The only way back to safety is via a large cliff face, which they have to climb in tandem in order to escape. Ben threatens to pull Sasha off the wall if she tries to unclip her harness and leave him behind, but halfway up she manages to do exactly that when she's partly hidden by an overhanging ledge. Ben is thrown to his death while Sasha free solos the remainder of the wall to safety.

A radio news broadcast at the end reveals that authorities have uncovered 20 bodies from Ben's cave, and that he's responsible for numerous disappearances in the area that were previously attributed to the harsh landscape.

Credit: Kane Skennar / Netflix What's Ben's real motive?

Although the film doesn't tell us everything about Ben, we're given enough clues go on. The fact that he's a serial killer is indisputable, but while his initial motive appears to be a desire to hunt human prey, the scene in the cave reveals a darker secret: Ben is actually a cannibal who hoists his victims up like animals, eating parts of them and making other parts into a homemade jerky he sells at the nearby store.

"There are native tribes that say to capture the spirit of your prey, you have to consume its liver," Ben tells Sasha. "The trick is finding a spirit worth capturing, I suppose."

It's unclear what set Ben on this horrendous path, but his frequent mentions of his mother seem to be our best clue that he's been this way for a long time.

"She was special," Ben tells Sasha when she asks about the photo of him and his mom. "She was the first one. Do you understand? Now she's always with me. I'm gonna keep you with me too."

Ben, it seems, has become obsessed with the warped idea of hunting and consuming human prey as a means of growing more powerful.

Apex is now streaming on Netflix.

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra go head-to-head in a real-world camera test. Both deliver top-tier results but differ in color, detail, and processing. Here’s how the shots compare across scenarios.

Catch the top moments from the Google Cloud Next keynote presentation, featuring CEO Thomas Kurian on AI breakthroughs, along with key announcements and real-world applications.

Both the Sony WH-1000XM6 and AirPods Max 2 are great over-ear, noise-canceling headphones that cost a lot of money. So which should you get? CNET executive editor David Carnoy compares their designs, features, performance and sound quality to help you make a decision.

Home Assistant works with a huge number of smart home devices, but it doesn't work with everything. If you have smart home tech that you've not been able to connect to Home Assistant in the past, it's worth checking again.

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My Notes AI has a user-friendly interface that works on Apple devices, so you can use it on your iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. It captures, organizes, and even enhances your notes while you take a load off. From Zoom meetings to audio files to live lectures, it can transcribe and summarize all of them.

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Anything you can do I can do better...

That may as well be the motto for the AI arms race, which is unfolding across multiple dimensions in 2026. There's the competition between Silicon Valley AI labs like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind, the race for chips and compute power, and, of course, the fierce competition between the U.S. and China.

In the latest salvo in the East vs. West battle for AI supremacy, Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek has released a preview of its latest model, DeepSeek V4.

Here's what we know about the new model, and how it stacks up against other new models like OpenAI's GPT-5.5 and Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.7.

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SEE ALSO: OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 vs Claude Opus 4.7: Which is better? What is DeepSeek V4?

DeepSeek V4 Preview is a new open-source AI model. And that's the biggest difference between DeepSeek and its rivals from U.S. companies — it's a true open-source model.

Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, and other U.S. companies fiercely protect their frontier models, whereas DeepSeek is available for anyone to download and modify under an MIT license.

Two versions of the new open-source model are available for use. Users can also access the new models via chat.deepseek.com.

• DeepSeek-V4-Pro: A 1.6-trillion parameter model

• DeepSeek-V4-Flash: 284-billion parameter total

DeepSeek cements China's edge in open-source AI.

Just days before the launch of DeepSeek V4, another Chinese AI company, Moonshot AI, released the open-source model Kimi K2.6, though early testers say DeepSeek V4 is clearly the better model. The full system card is available via Hugging Face.

SEE ALSO: AI is causing a zero-day bug discovery crisis, and it's getting worse DeepSeek V4: Performance and benchmarks

DeepSeek says its newest open model makes great strides in agentic tasks and coding. The company also says "DeepSeek-V4 is seamlessly integrated with leading AI agents like Claude Code, OpenClaw & OpenCode."

DeepSeek released benchmark results that indicate the new models achieve similar results as the latest frontier models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.

DeepSeek V4 benchmark performance comparison. Credit: DeepSeek

On popular AI leaderboards such as Arena and Artificial Analysis, DeepSeek V4 currently lags behind the top frontier models, though that could change in the days and weeks ahead.

DeepSeek V4 is far more economical than the competition

You may remember when DeepSeek burst onto the AI scene in Jan. 2025, when the company announced its R1 model. That model sent shockwaves through the U.S. AI industry by proving it was possible to build powerful models much more efficiently and cheaply.

DeepSeek V4 is also priced far lower than Gemini, ChatGPT, and Anthropic. That could give DeepSeek a huge edge in adoption.

Here's how the API pricing compares:

• DeepSeek V4 costs $1.74 per 1 million input tokens and $3.48 per 1 million output tokens (1 million context window)

• GPT-5.5 costs at $5 per 1 million input tokens and $30 per 1 million output tokens (1 million context window)

• Claude Opus 4.7 costs at $5 per 1 million input tokens and $25 per 1 million output tokens (1 million context window)

• Google Gemini 3.1 Pro costs $2 per 1 million input tokens and $12 per 1 million output tokens

As you can see, DeepSeek is about one-sixth the cost of the latest U.S. models, which is a huge edge. Even the more affordable Gemini 3.1 Pro is at a serious cost disadvantage.

So, a task that would cost you $5.22 with DeepSeek V4 would cost you $35 with GPT-5.5, or about 85 percent less.

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.

Google is building upon the features of the Linux Terminal app for Android with the newly released beta update, allowing you to change the display resolution of the graphical user interface. Moreover, you now have a ‘Theme’ section in the settings, which allows you to import themes for the Terminal.