IT General

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you have a great sense of smell.

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 March 21, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Sniff sniff

The words are related to the face.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a facial feature.

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 On the Nose.

NYT Strands word list for March 21

• Schnozzle

• Muzzle

• Snout

• On the Nose

• Honker

• Beak

• Proboscis

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

Slippery.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter O.

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...

SLICK

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.

TL;DR: Make peace with PDFs thanks to this AcePDF Converter and Editor lifetime license, now just $25.50 with code MARCH15 through March 29.

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There are apps for everything these days — and they usually come with a pricey monthly subscription fee. That’s where AcePDF Converter and Editor stands out, offering an affordable and permanent way to make peace with PDFs. Right now, you can secure a lifetime subscription for only $25.50 with code MARCH15 through March 29.

If you’re looking for an app that makes your life a little easier, it’s time to check out AcePDF Converter and Editor. It can help streamline your workflow, allowing you to manage PDFs and other documents efficiently.

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Not only does AcePDF make converting files a breeze, but it also leaves you with high-quality conversions that keep the original layouts, images, and hyperlinks. It simplifies the whole process — in just a few taps, you can convert a PDF into a Word, Excel, or JPG file. You can also convert an Excel or PPT file into a PDF just as simply.

AcePDF also includes built-in OCR technology that helps you extract text from image-based PDFs. Need to edit a PDF? That’s no problem either; you can add and enhance content on existing PDFs or fill out forms within the app. It’s also straightforward to easily merge, split, compress, and add watermarks if needed.

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Get this AcePDF Converter and Editor lifetime license for $25.50 with code MARCH15 through March 29.

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Sometimes you have to commit to doing something, regardless of whether you think it will work or not. If you don’t fail, you’ll never learn. If you don’t try, you’ll never start. This was the logic behind my very first design-to-print 3D printing project.

Following the Australian government's social media ban for kids under 16, governments around the world are looking into the possibility of similar style bans. 

These governments considering these social media bans now have at least one unlikely supporter: The CEO of Pinterest.

In a piece published for Time, Pinterest CEO Bill Ready has come out in full support for government bans on social media for users under the age of 16.

"Children today are living through the largest social experiment in history," Ready writes. "For years, kids around the world have been given unfiltered access to social media platforms. The companies building these platforms gave insufficient forethought about the consequences, the worst of which include exposing them to unknown strangers and fueling screen addictions."

Ready goes on to list additional effects that social media has had on children as "rising anxiety and depression, eroding concentration, and classrooms competing for attention."

SEE ALSO: Teens sue xAI for Grok's reported sexual image generation issues

The Pinterest CEO says that social media as it is today is not safe for children and blames tech companies for that. Ready says social media is designed to "maximize view time" of kids and pays little attention to their actual well-being. Ready likens the tech CEOs of today to the tobacco industry executives of decades ago.

Now, it might seem hypocritical of Ready to say this as Pinterest's own policies allow kids as young as 13 to sign up for the site. However, as Ready points out, Pinterest has made changes to its platform and removed all social features from Pinterest for users under the age of 16. Their profiles aren't discoverable, and these users can't receive messages, comments, or likes from strangers on Pinterest.

Interestingly, Ready says removing these features did not hurt Pinterest with that demographic.

"When Pinterest removed social features for teens and made every account under 16 private…people said we’d lose the next generation of users," Ready writes. "But Gen Z says the opposite. Today, they make up over 50 percent of our users. Our experience shows that prioritizing safety and well-being doesn’t push young people away; it builds trust."

Ready goes on to say that if tech companies don't want more governments instituting these bans, they need to step up and prioritize kids' safety on their platforms. The Pinterest CEO also expressed support for a proposed bill in the U.S., the App Store Accountability Act. Under this bill, app stores would be required to verify users' ages when downloading apps.

"The cost of inaction is a generation of young people overwhelmed by anxiety and depression," the Pinterest CEO writes. "It’s time to raise the bar on safety and well-being for kids. We need clearer rules, better tools for parents, and stronger accountability for platforms and social media apps."

Many people first saw it on X: A most unusual, and unsettling, job posting. Some assumed it was a joke. Others were reminded of Cyberdyne Systems, the tech company in the Terminator franchise that accidentally invents Skynet.

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But over on LinkedIn, where they speak a different language, Anthropic had merely posted a listing looking for a Policy Manager, Chemical Weapons and High Yield Explosives. The job description added more details.

"This role offers a unique opportunity to shape how AI systems handle sensitive chemical and explosives information," it read. "You'll work with leading AI safety researchers while tackling critical problems in preventing catastrophic misuse. If you're excited about using your expertise to ensure AI systems remain safe and beneficial, we want to hear from you."

Mashable reached out to Anthropic, and the company provided more context.

"Our usage policies prohibit the use of Anthropic products or services to develop or design weapons," a company spokesperson told us. "This role is for the Safeguards team which is responsible for preventing misuse of our models."

The spokesperson stressed that Anthropic explicitly prohibits its AI or any of its technology to be used for weapons creation. Instead, the New York-based manager will be tasked with building and enforcing safeguards to ensure weapons are not made from Anthropic’s tech.

The company seeks to hire experts in sensitive fields who can ensure Anthropic's AI is kept from nefarious hands, the spokesperson said.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic's Claude overtakes ChatGPT in App Store

Anthropic recently found itself in a very public battle with the Department of War (a.k.a. the Department of Defense). The company says it's not budging in its demands that its AI not be used to build fully autonomous weapons or to establish mass surveillance on people.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to Anthropic’s conditions by declaring the company a supply chain risk to America’s national security, banning the Pentagon from using its tech after a six-month phase-out. The company then filed suit according to a March 5 note from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Meanwhile, some in the Pentagon are reportedly finding it hard to abandon Claude, Anthropic's AI model.

Back in February, Anthropic announced an update to its AI safety policy, also known as its Responsible Scaling Policy. The company stated it was forced to rethink its safety policies — considered by some to be the strongest in the industry — due to several factors, including the federal government’s emphasis on economic growth over safety regulations.

Whoever ends up in that policy manager role, then, will find themselves at the center of an explosive debate. Not to mention, potentially, the ability to help prevent a future Skynet threat.

There are many aspects of Windows 11 that are genuine improvements over previous versions, but there are also many more annoyances, especially if you are sick of seeing Copilot AI everywhere. Microsoft has now announced a bold new plan: actually listening to PC owners about what they want in Windows 11.

Fantasy-adventure shows are always fun to watch, especially when you’re in the mood for an exciting weekend binge that provides a real-world escape—heroic journeys, unique landscapes, fellowship, and epic battle action on top of mythical creatures, magical abilities, and ancient prophecies. I’m all in. Just show me where to sit.

While the 2026 Oscars ended with some surprises and snubs, the spirit of the show can still be celebrated. From classic watches and new movies, the iconic Oscar collection of winners in major and other categories is a gift that keeps giving.

Your car is not just a machine with an engine and four wheels anymore; it is an advanced, networked device. Many use the most basic functions, but car screens have gotten more advanced as years have gone by.

I've never been a fan of how Windows 11 handles the Start menu or search. I've covered those frustrations before, but it still comes down to the same issue. I want Windows to adapt to how I work, not force me into a layout and workflow that feel less efficient.

If you have a ton of time on your hands, then I really hope you make these Raspberry Pi projects for me. I want to make them myself, but I just don't have the time, however cool or useful they are.

Guess what? GPUs are really, really expensive right now. I know, shocking, right? I kid, but it's true that graphics card prices have been on a rapid rise ever since the ongoing RAM shortage started. And no, it doesn't look like the prices will improve anytime soon.

We're now deep into tax season with most people filing between now and the April 15 deadline. This also means that we're now deep into scam season for fraudsters and cybercriminals.

Over the years, Mashable has covered countless scams during the tax season period that prey on individuals just trying to file their taxes.

This week, Google published a post sharing their own tools and tips to avoid getting scammed this tax season. As the company points out, Alloy's annual State of Fraud report found a 67 percent increase in fraud attempts. The most common? Tax-related refund update scams.

So, here's what Google is doing to help.

SEE ALSO: Why you shouldn't use ChatGPT to do your taxes Scam Detection on Pixel phones

Google says Pixel users experience 70 percent fewer spam calls thanks to Call Screen, a feature that detects and filters out spammers when they're calling your Pixel phone. 

However, Google has another new layer of protection that can even actively monitor the call in real-time and alert the user when the conversation is headed into scam territory. Scam Detection alerts is an opt-in feature in the Pixel's Phone app. Using AI, Scam Detection lets users know when conversations start sounding like scams and will send a notification, a sound alert, and vibration to the device to let the user know.

Detect text scams with Circle to Search

One common scam during tax season comes in the form of text messages or DMs in messaging apps that claim to come from the IRS or have important information about your tax refund.

Google already has Scam Detection built into Google Messages on Android devices, but Circle to Search now provides another layer of protection. 

Simply long-press the home button on your Android device and circle the potentially fraudulent message or post. Circle to Search will fact check the message and let you know if its suspicious or not.

On iOS devices, this feature can be utilized with Lens via the Google app. Simply take a screenshot of the message, open Lens, and then tap on the screenshot for Google to make its determination.

SEE ALSO: Google wants to fill Fitbit with AI — and your medical records Google Safe Browsing

Google's Chrome web browser also has its own layers of protection for users with Google Safe Browsing

Simply go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, followed by Security, and select Enhanced protection. Google Safe Browsing will scan the websites you visit against a database of known threats and let users know if they are on a phishing website or other nefarious webpage.

Gmail alerts

When a known scam, spam, or malware gets delivered to your Gmail inbox, Google immediately flags that email to let users know about the malicious activity that awaits.

Gmail shows "high-visibility warning banners" that point out suspicious emails, links, and senders. The red or yellow banners are hard to miss and ensure one place that fraudsters can't take advantage of you is in your inbox.

Ad transparency

See an ad that seems too good to be true? 

Click the three-dot icon next to any ad in Google Search and head to the “About this advertiser” section. The advertiser's name, location, and whether they've been verified by Google all appears here.

Google's ad transparency tools will make sure scammers don't weaponize Search ads to carry out their schemes.

The real joy of Pokémon Pokopia for Nintendo Switch 2 is seeing all sorts of weird little creatures show up in your towns, but not all of them arrive in the most intuitive of fashions.

Take Hoppip, for example. This pink plant fella is in Pokopia, but at the moment only in a time-limited, event-centric way. If you want Hoppip in your Pokopia environment, there are a couple of things to know. Keep reading to find out.

SEE ALSO: Pokémon Pokopia: How to power up Rock Smash How to get Hoppip in Pokémon Pokopia

The main thing to know about Hoppip and its evolutions Skiploom and Jumpluff is that they're currently only available in Pokopia as part of the "More Spores for Hoppip" seasonal event, which is only available from now until March 25, per our friends at IGN. That means you've only got a few days at most to get this done.

Thankfully, there really isn't much to get done in order for Hoppip to grace your town with its presence. All you have to do is finish work on the Pokémon Center in Withered Wasteland, the game's opening area. This is part of the tutorial for Pokopia, so there's a good chance anyone reading this has already done that. If not, just keep following the main story quests until it's done.

SEE ALSO: 'Pokémon Pokopia': How to get the Suck ability to move water around

Once you have the Pokémon Center built, simply log into Pokopia during the day before the event runs its course. When your character wakes up, you should see a notification that a Pokémon is "the talk of the town," which means Hoppip has shown up. Go to that Pokémon Center we talked about earlier and you should find it, which kicks off the whole event. Participating in the event, which entails collecting cotton spores on Dream Islands, will net you some fun items that you can then use to create habitats to attract Skiploom and Jumpluff.

Congrats on becoming friends with Hoppip. If only we could all be so lucky.

It's been roughly 10 years since headphone jacks were stripped from nearly all of our smartphones. On one hand, this was a tragedy—but it's one that occurred for a good reason. More than one, actually. In some ways, our phones are better off for having kissed this beloved port goodbye.

If you’ve been eyeing a Lexus NX but don’t want to splurge, the Toyota Crown Signia quietly steps up as a surprisingly roomy and practical alternative. Toyota has been blurring the line between mainstream and premium, and the Signia is its boldest move yet—stylish, calm, and effortlessly upscale.

GPU undervolting has become a favorite pastime for many enthusiast PC gamers. For years, we've been told that a simple undervolt drastically lowers temperatures and power consumption while also resulting in quieter operation, but the truth is that, in most situations, running your GPU at its default settings is completely fine.

Presence detection can make your Home Assistant automations feel much smarter. Instead of relying on basic motion sensors, you can track your location to a specific room and even determine exactly where in the room you are. These weekend projects tackle presence detection in different ways.

The treasure trove that is Prime Video's library of weird and wild documentaries never ceases to impress—and offer a nice jolt to my weekend viewing sessions.