Technology

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 exert.

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

WIELD

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Plain.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 20, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BLAND

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

Postage.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 20, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

STAMP

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Rugged.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ROUGH

Final Hurdle hint

Cheeky.

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

SASSY

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

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 20, 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 20, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for April 20 Pips

Number (24): Everything in this purple space must add up to 24. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed horizontally; and 6-6, placed horizontally.

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

Number (12): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 12. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed horizontally; and 3-3, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for April 20 Pips

Less Than (2): The domino half in this purple space must have less than 2 pips. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Greater Than (5): The domino half in this red space must have more than 5 pips. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.

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

Equal (2): Every domino half in this yellow space must have 2 pips. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.

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

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

Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add up to 12. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for April 20 Pips

Number (1): Everything in this purple space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (1): The domino half in this red space must have more than 1 pip. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.

Number (0): The domino half in this light blue space must have 0 pips. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

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

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

Greater Than (1): The domino half in this green space must have more than 1 pip. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (1): The domino half in this purple space must have more than 1 pip. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.

Does Not Equal: Everything in this red space must have a different number of pips. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed vertically; and 1-6, placed vertically.

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

Number (12): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 12. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally; and 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (0): The domino half in this green space must have 0 pips. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (7): Everything in this purple space must add up to 7. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically; 3-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): The domino half in this light blue space must have more than 3 pips. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): The domino half in this yellow space must have 5 pips. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 12. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally.

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

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 enjoy angling.

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.

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SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 20, 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: Hazy

• Green: "Good catch!"

• Blue: Deadly bite

• Purple: Start the week

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Mass of smoke

• Green: Fishing gear

• Blue: Associated with Black Widow spiders

• Purple: ___ Monday

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 #1044 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Mass of smoke: BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF

• Fishing gear: BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD

• Associated with Black Widow spiders: CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB

• ___ Monday: BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS

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 20, 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 shining star.

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 April 20, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Gloriously glaring!

The words are related to shine.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe things that shine brightly.

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 Catch the Light.

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NYT Strands word list for April 20

• Glisten

• Gleam

• Glitter

• Catch the Light

• Glimmer

• Glow

• Glint

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 knit.

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 20, 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 20, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Intertwine.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter E appears twice.

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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.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

WEAVE

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.

TL;DR: Score a one-year BJ’s membership for $15 (reg. $60) and save up to 20¢/gal. on gas through April 30 — just in time for spring shopping and road trips.

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The warmer weather tends to sneak up fast, and so do those grocery bills and gas receipts. A one-year membership to BJ’s Wholesale Club is one of those simple upgrades that can make everyday shopping feel a little more manageable.

You can currently grab a Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal for just $15 (reg. $60) through April 30, which opens the door to savings across groceries, household essentials, and even your weekend cookout prep.

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Let’s start with the obvious, though. Gas prices. Members already get everyday savings at BJ’s Gas, but during this promo window, you’ll get an extra 15¢ off per gallon stacked on top of the usual 5¢ discount — bringing your total to 20¢ off per gallon through April 30.

Inside the club, it’s all about stretching your dollar further. BJ’s is known for offering competitive pricing on national brands, plus a wide selection of fresh produce, meats, bakery items, and deli favorites. Whether you’re planning a backyard BBQ, stocking up for a party, or just trying to cut down on weekly grocery runs, buying in bulk can help simplify things.

There’s also something to be said for convenience. Fewer trips to the store, more options in one place, and access to seasonal items that make spring and summer feel extra special.

Get a one-year Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal® for just $15 (reg. $60) and enjoy an extra 15¢ off per gallon at any of the 199 BJ’s gas stations through April 30.

Grabbing this deal? Build your cart to $100+ and score a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 free with code GWP4MAC (for Mac) or GWP4WIND (for Windows) through April 19.

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The cars and trucks Americans drive are aging, and they’re doing so at a record-breaking pace. According to the most recent S&P Global Mobility data, the average age of vehicles on U.S. roads has climbed to 12.8 years, the oldest ever recorded.

As a writer, I love to read, and I think everyone should read a real book from time to time. But watching TV is definitely easier and more popular, and there are plenty of books that have been turned into amazing TV shows: the following may be even better than the books they originated from.

The conventional wisdom when it comes to motherboard BIOS updates has always been that unless there's something wrong with your PC, it's best to just leave it alone. Yet, you can expect a new BIOS update becoming available every year or two following a motherboard's launch.

SIM cards are a relic of an age where multiple people had to share a single phone, and the cards themselves were enormous. These days, SIM cards are tiny and technically unnecessary thanks to the rise of eSIMs.

It’s that time—when the weather is starting to get just a little warmer, and you know what is beginning to sound good? Reading a nice book outside as the sun shines down on you. What if you don't have a Kindle subscription, but you want a new book to check out?

The first computer my family owned was an 80286 IBM clone, and it had lots of ports, none of which looked the same. There was a big 5-pin DIN for the keyboard, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port for our joystick, and of course, the VGA port for the monitor.

With the fervor of Heated Rivalry, there's a fierce desire among book readers for even more hockey. On Sunday, April 19, at BookCon, the "You Had Me at Hockey: A Look at One of Sports Romance's Hottest Genres", authors Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry, Game Changer), Emily Rath (Pucking Around), Ngozi Ukazu (Check Please), Stephanie Archer (The Wild Card), and Kate Cochrane (Wake Up, Nat & Darcy) were joined by moderator and fellow author Bal Khabra (Collide) to discuss the rise and continued success of hockey romance.

Khabra kicked off the panel, asking just how hockey became so popular. Ukazu joked that it was as if the genre "escaped containment," like when the Omegaverse went mainstream, while Reid described the mystery around hockey, saying, "what [the players] are doing seems impossible." Archer also added that the sport itself is exceptionally hard on the body, and the celebrity around players, especially in Canada, is fun to play with.

But there's more to the genre's success than the tropes. "It has to be said," Rath argued, "that the cornerstone of why this is so popular in publishing is racism." She went on to say that straight, white women's voices dominated the romance genre for so long, pointing out that hockey is also the whitest sport. Among major league sports, the NHL is the most predominantly white. In 2022, ESPN reported that 83.6% of league players and staff were white, compared to the NFL, where 25-27% of players are white, or the NBA, where white players make up 17.5% of the league.

Zooming into the genre, the authors also spoke about the writing process. They dove into the deeper aspects of their work, even the smut. Rath said, "I think the least sexy thing you can ever do is write a sex scene." A similar sentiment came up during Reid's Saturday panel, where she described using the sex scenes to further the emotional arc. When readers ask authors if they can skip the spice, Archer says of her own books, "No, you can't skip the sex scenes. You're missing so much character development if you don't go on the journey with them."

The panel turned to the future, too. Many of the authors write BIPOC and queer representation into their novels, in a genre that often centers on whiteness and homophobia. "We're writing the world as we want it to be," Rath said.

Reid has found that there is progress toward a future that these authors and their readers want to see, saying that the NHL is interested in working with them. "People on the inside, they really want to work toward change and want to make this happen."

With the hockey fandom at an all-time high, there's a whole team behind these authors ready to drive change.

If you’re cross-shopping the Tundra against the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, or Chevy Silverado 1500, the best place to start is by getting a feel for its extensive lineup. Overall, the 2026 Toyota Tundra can be everything from a rugged work tool to an executive-level cruiser, offering a mix of twin-turbocharged power, off-road capability, and unique styling.

One of the most frustrating parts about digital streaming can be how easily costs add up. When you subscribe to a handful of services a month, you can easily lose track of cumulative expenses amid price hikes, inactive subscriptions, and forgotten sign-ups.

I had a Galaxy phone that was better than my Pixel by almost every measurable standard. Better chip, better display, more features, more customization—the list goes on. Yet, here I am, back on the Pixel. And it wasn’t because Samsung did something wrong, but because one app—one I had never thought twice about.

Manually re-sorting your Excel tables every time a score changes is a waste of time. The RANK.EQ function automates leaderboards by assigning positions instantly. Whether you're tracking sales or race times, here's how to keep your data dynamic and accurate.

For over a decade, I’ve written about Windows Phone (RIP), iPhone, and, my main squeeze, Android. But there’s one beloved operating system missing from that list: webOS. 17 years after the Palm Pre hit the market, I’m finally trying it for the first time.

In today’s world of online media, streaming is just as big as cable, if not bigger. And that means now, if you have so many streaming services to pay for, you’re most likely going to be paying the same price as cable.

There are a lot of great smart home devices you can buy right now, but there are some I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. These are some of the devices I would definitely avoid.