Technology

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you smoke like a chimney.

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 February 13, 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: Absolute

• Green: A streamer

• Blue: Bum a smoke

• Purple: To decrease

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Downright

• Green: Pennant

• Blue: Cigarette brands

• Purple: Homophones of ways to get smaller

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 #978 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Downright: PURE, SHEER, STARK, UTTER

• Pennant: BANNER, COLORS, FLAG, STANDARD

• Cigarette brands: CAMEL, KENT, PARLIAMENT, SALEM

• Homophones of ways to get smaller: LESSON, RESEED, SYNC, WAYNE

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 February 13, 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 visual learner.

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 February 13, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 13, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: See what I mean?

The words are related to educational help.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe information guides.

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 Visual Aids.

NYT Strands word list for February 13

• Diagram

• Photograph

• Infographic

• Visual Aids

• Chart

• Video

• Model

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 begger.

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 February 13, 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 February 13, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To beg.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter O appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter M.

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...

MOOCH

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.

The Pitt audience, how are you feeling after Season 2, episode 6? If you're like me, your eyes are moist (if not streaming outright) after the show's emotional send-off to "frequent flyer" patient Louie (Ernest Harden Jr.)

SEE ALSO: Why 'The Pitt' feels more real than any other medical drama

Louie crashed at the end of Season 2, episode 5, before passing away early on in episode 6. His loss hangs over the entire installment, which ends with the staff of the Pitt holding a small memorial service for him. There, they share their memories of treating him, and Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) reveals information about Louie's life outside the trauma center.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Louie was married to a woman named Ronda. She wanted kids, and even though Louie was reluctant at first, he became incredibly excited once she got pregnant. Just before her due date, Ronda and the baby died in a car crash. It's a heartbreaking revelation, one that offers a greater perspective on a sweet patient we knew little about beyond the walls of the Pitt, as well as a look at how much these patients touch caregivers' lives and vice versa.

The end of the scene is accompanied by a new song from Andrew Bird and series composer Gavin Brivik, titled "Need Someone." If you want to relive Louie's memorial scene, or just want an extra dose of emotional damage, courtesy of The Pitt, you can listen to it above.

New episodes of The Pitt Season 2 air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.

TL;DR: Get eight new tools with this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license for only $34.97 now through Feb. 22.

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Looking to make life a little easier? There’s a reason Microsoft Office has been around for decades — it’s packed with tools to help you tackle your to-do list, both personally and professionally. Right now, you can secure a Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license for just $34.97 — less than $5 an app — now through Feb. 22.

Whether you’re a busy college student, a stay-at-home mom, or an overworked entrepreneur, there’s an app that can help you within the Microsoft Office suite of tools. This Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license gives your PC permanent access to eight essentials, with no subscription fees and no cloud connectivity required.

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This license includes some of the classic apps you know and love from Microsoft — Word for document drafting, Excel for spreadsheet creation, PowerPoint for presentation creation, and Outlook for managing your inbox.

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There's a new iOS update, and along with the bug fixes and security enhancements, Apple has some new features for iPhone users as well.

iPhone users can now upgrade their mobile devices to iOS 26.3, though users need an iPhone 11 or later. Just go to Settings, then General, then tap Software Update on your iPhone.

So, what's new in iOS 26.3?

First up, Apple has created separate Wallpaper options for Astronomy and Weather on your iOS device. Along with that, Apple has released three pre-designed Weather wallpaper options for your lockscreen with different fonts and widget designs.

Limit Precise Location is a new feature in iOS 26.3 that focuses on user privacy. With Limit Precise Location turned on, iPhone users can reduce how precise their coordinates are when relaying that information to cellular networks. Apple says this means your iPhone would share a general neighborhood location instead of an exact street address.

Apple notes that Limit Precise Location only affects the information shared with cellular networks. Exact location data shared with Find My, with friends, or location sharing is not affected when Limit Precise Location is turned on.

While Limit Precise Location is being introduced with iOS 26.3, the feature is only available on iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and iPad Pro M5 Wi-Fi + Cellular devices. Why? As our colleagues at PC Mag note, an iOS device with an Apple C1 or C1X modem is required for Limit Precise Location to work.

Finally, iOS 26.3 is giving users an easier time jumping from the iOS ecosystem with the new Transfer to Android feature. Located within the Settings app, Transfer to Android lets users wirelessly move photos, messages, apps, and other data to Android devices. Some information, like health data and previously connected accessories, will not transfer to Android through this feature. Still, being able to easily move your photos and conversations from an iPhone to an Android device is a welcomed new feature.

A single-cable future feels like it hasn't gotten any closer through the years. Despite technological upgrades and widespread adoption, the reality of USB-C docking stations still falls short of this utopian vision. This leaves even the most tech-savvy users struggling with unexpected limitations and confusing performance bottlenecks.

Valentine's Day weekend is here, which means it's time to prepare for a cozy movie night with a watchlist that will keep you hooked for hours. Netflix has a large library of romantic titles to pick from, so you don't have to worry about running out of options.

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The subscription unlocks access to 14 languages and more than 10,000 hours of lessons designed by expert linguists using research-backed teaching methods. Lessons are structured around everyday situations such as ordering food, navigating transportation, and conducting business conversations.

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Even though many web browsers now share the same Chromium engine, they don't always load pages and web apps in the same way, causing problems for users and developers. Google, Mozilla, Igalia, Apple, and Microsoft are once again teaming up to fix that.

I don’t know about you guys, but I blinked, and Valentine’s Day weekend was right here, all up in my face. Even though it's technically the time for indulging in lovey-dovey stuff, that doesn’t mean you have to abstain or that you have to spend it watching content that has a tendency to make you cringe or feel nauseous. I won’t be!

Right now, it's becoming incredibly expensive to buy your own PC, largely thanks to data centers buying up all the stock of important components. Of course, the companies who are buying up all this computer hardware are perfectly happy to let you use it remotely—for a fee!

Apple's augmented reality headset is only just now getting a real YouTube app.

The home for internet videos is now available in app form on the App Store for anyone who owns an M2 or M5 Apple Vision Pro device. With this app, you can watch YouTube videos in a theater-like virtual environment, with full access to playlists, Shorts, and everything else you'd find on YouTube. M5 Vision Pro owners can also watch videos in 8K if they happen to exist in that format.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy XR review: A great Vision Pro alternative, but for whom?

Really, the bigger news here is that there wasn't a YouTube app on Vision Pro already. That seems like something that should have been available at or shortly after the device launched in early 2024.

Users could watch YouTube videos via the Safari browser, but that was about it. Access to YouTube was never going to make or break the Vision Pro project in general, but it feels like too little, too late, considering recent poor sales for the device.

It never really felt like Vision Pro had much of an audience to begin with. But hey, those who bought it can at least watch 8K YouTube videos now.

TL;DR: Live stream Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey for free on CBC Gem. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Are we heading towards a showdown between USA and Canada in the international men's ice hockey? There's a lot of hockey to be played before medals come into the equation, and nothing is guaranteed at this level. Every side possesses a lot of talent, so USA will need to be at their best to overcome Latvia in their opening game.

If you want to watch Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Latvia vs. USA?

Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey takes place at 3:10 p.m. ET on Feb. 12. This fixture takes place at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

How to watch Latvia vs. USA for free

Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey is available to live stream for free on CBC Gem.

CBC Gem is geo-restricted to Canada, 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 Canada, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports ice hockey from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey for free by following these simple steps:

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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 ice hockey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for CBC Gem?

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

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Bed leveling is the bane of my existence when it comes to 3D printing, and my old 3D printers made me never want to 3D print. Upgrading my 3D printer to a newer model that had better bed leveling completely changed the game for me, and it will for you, too.

AI is once again on the witness stand.

In comments made during preliminary trial proceedings, Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff decided that documents prepared by an AI tool and then shared with an attorney are admissible in court, existing outside of attorney-client privilege, reported Law360.

SEE ALSO: We need to talk about that Mike Tyson Super Bowl ad

The decision relates to the case of Beneficient CEO Bradley Heppner, charged with committing $150 million in securities and wire fraud between 2018-2021. The financial services exec was indicted in November. Prior to his arrest, Heppner used Anthropic's Claude chatbot to create 31 documents later shared with his defense attorney, evidence which was then seized by investigators. Federal prosecutors say that the documents are fair game and should be regarded as a "work product," rather than a confidential legal strategy. They also say that the AI tool's own usage policies do not guarantee confidentially.

The defense argued that, even though they weren't created by attorneys, the documents include information based on conversations with legal representatives that should be shielded. Also, by implicating the defense team itself in the documents, the evidence could create a conflict of interest between Heppner and his own representation, they added. Rakoff said he did not see any basis for claims of attorney-client privilege, but agreed the evidence could result in a witness-advocate conflict and a mistrial.

The comments shine a spotlight on an escalating conflict among AI developers, privacy watchdogs, and safety advocates.

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AI executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have suggested extending the same kind of attorney and therapist client privilege, which protects communications from court discovery, to conversations with AI chatbots. Altman has argued that, in particular, increasingly personal uses of AI assistants, including those designed for therapy or health advice, necessitate a reconsideration of what kinds of communications are granted legal privileges. Facing a multitude of lawsuits for copyright infringement and AI's effect on mental health and youth safety, AI developers have fought to keep chatbot conversations behind the black box, despite many providing express permission for government entities to view chat logs.

Meanwhile, chat history data has been essential in cases alleging misconduct and safety failures among AI's big players. Simultaneously, privacy watchdogs have raised concerns about extensive data collection and storage by AI tools, which has in turn prompted AI developers to institute measures to minimize chat history storage and allow users to use AI incognito.

It seems that scams are everywhere these days — in our texts, emails, and phone calls to start. And con artists continue to become more sophisticated in the age of AI, so much so that a recent survey suggested that they're increasingly imitating your loved ones.

Some also prey on people's vulnerability and loneliness, pretending to be potential love interests: Romance scammers. New research from online protection company McAfee found that two in five young adults (ages 18-24) encounter potential romance scams weekly, much more often than adults 65+ (one in 20).

SEE ALSO: The 12 most common internet scams to be aware of in 2025

Fifteen percent of Americans said they've lost money to an online dating or romance scam, McAfee reported. Men are more likely to report losses (21 percent) than women (10 percent). And while most losses are under $500 (especially among younger adults who are scammed), some can be in the thousands; only men have reported losses over $5,000.

And it's not just scammers joining the most popular dating apps who are out to scam. Tinder recently required all new U.S. users to scan their faces when signing up, with one reason being to prevent scams. (Hinge will soon be testing this, too.) But bad actors are also creating fake clones of these dating apps.

A third of adults surveyed by McAfee received a fake "exclusive" or "invite-only" dating app invitation, and 14 percent signed up and shared personal or payment information. And Tinder clones accounted for around half of all malicious app activity, McAfee found. Between Dec. 1, 2025 and Jan. 22, 2026, 78 percent of all detected fake dating app installations were fradulent versions of Plenty of Fish.

Visa Scam Disruption found similar results, according to Visa's chief risk and client services officer, Paul Fabara, in a blog post about romance scams leading up to Valentine's Day. The team found a romance scheme that was "an entire network of dating sites engineered to mimic affection and funnel unsuspecting people into recurring billing traps."

Romance scam red flags

Watch out for those "exclusive" dating app invitations. There are apps out there that let you apply for membership rather than just create a profile — like Raya — but those are few and far between. If you want to download a dating app, your best bet is going to your phone's app store.

Here are some other red flags to pay attention to:

Lovebombing

If someone says they're in love with you after a few messages, that's a red flag — even if they're not after your money. If a potential lover is rushing intimacy, it might be tempting to go along with it, especially if you're lonely, but it's not the norm. The old adage remains: If it seems "too good to be true," it probably is. Same goes with glowing dating app profiles of perfect (filtered?) photos and cutesy bios.

"Romance scams don't begin with money. They begin with trust," said McAfee's head of threat research, Abhishek Karnik. "Scammers blend into everyday dating and social platforms, take time to build emotional familiarity, and make the relationship feel real before the scam ever starts."

Urgent requests for money

Is someone you matched with on a dating app — or someone appearing to be your long-lost friend — saying they need money this instant? It's a sign they just want that from you: Money. And they might even threaten that the conversation will end, Fabara wrote, in an attempt to keep you hooked.

Asking for sensitive information

Are you asking to go out, and they're asking for your bank details first? Be cautious. Just like asking for money, begging for this sensitive data isn't what someone would want to do if they're just trying to get to know you. These people might just want to get to know your bank accounts.

Trying to get you off the app — but not IRL

If a match is sending you weird QR codes, links, or asking for a verification code? That's a bright, bursting red flag. Again, don't send money, and it's best practice not to click any strange links, either.

Especially worse is if someone you're talking to refuses to video chat or meet in person. "Consistent excuses to dodge face‑to‑face interactions signal they may be hiding their real identity," Fabara wrote.

As scams become trickier to navigate, we have to learn the clues. Stay safe this Valentine's Day.

As a long-time Linux user, I enjoy encouraging others to try it. That's why I search for ways people can explore Linux without much hassle. There's virtual machines, there's WSL—then there's a platform that lets you run a Linux distro from the web browser you're using right now.

Every failed gadget eventually gets rebranded as being "ahead of its time," and Windows Phone is no exception. Its bold design and fluid performance helped it to stand out at the time, but in truth, it wasn't the big leap forward that many try to claim.

In the wake of xAI losing two of its co-founders and other prominent employees, Elon Musk held an all-hands meeting at his his AI company, which recently merged with SpaceX.

And in an unusual move, xAI posted the entire 45-minute meeting online.

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No time to watch or listen? We've got you. Here are the main takeaways:

xAI splits into teams

The most consequential news from the meeting: xAI is splitting into four different teams. 

"Grok Main & Voice" will handle the Grok chatbot. "Coding" will maintain the apps's backend systems. "Imagine" is all about AI-generated video capabilities.

And then there's "Macrohard," which is a new Musk project seeking to "simulate" software companies with AI. Macrohard is a play on Microsoft's name, just in case you couldn't tell.

X updates and stats

There was also some news about Musk's social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, which was itself merged with xAI.

X product head Nikita Bier said that the company has 1 billion users, and brings in $1 billion in annual revenue from X Premium subscriptions. Users also spend 55 percent more time on the app than they did 6 months ago, Bier claimed, adding that January was the platform's best month ever for user engagement.

X plans to launch a standalone app for X Chat, the site's new private messaging system. X Money, the platform's cash-sending app, will also begin testing in the coming months.

Bier also stated that X does not have plans to display ads on Grok. OpenAI began rolling out ads for ChatGPT this month.

Musk's predictions — and aliens

Naturally, Elon Musk had plenty to say — and a few grand predictions regarding the combined SpaceX and xAI company.

Musk said he'd like Earth to utilize one million times more of the sun's energy than it currently does. In order to do that, Musk said, we need to move "the next step beyond Earth data centers" which are "Earth orbital data centers."

When SpaceX acquired xAI, Musk's reasoning was that it would help his plan to send AI data centers into outer space.

The next step beyond that, Musk said: AI satellite-building factories on the moon, and a sci-fi-esque system to launch those AI satellites into deep space. Essentially, Musk was talking about building a giant catapult on the moon.

The combined company would then build a civilization on the moon, then Mars (which is 20 years away, Musk now says, after having previously claimed we'd get there by 2025).

This may all culminate into humans meeting aliens or discovering ancient alien civilizations, Musk concluded.

"Maybe we’ll meet aliens. Maybe we’ll see some civilizations that lasted for millions of years. And we’ll find the remnants of ancient alien civilizations. But the only way we’re gonna do that is if we go out there and we explore. And this is a path to making it happen," Musk said.