Technology

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday, April 27, 2025:

AcrossOutdoor spot to people-watch, maybe

• The answer is Stoop.

Big name in health insurance

• The answer is Aetna.

Broadway theater helper

• The answer is Usher.

Easy to understand

• The answer is Clear.

When many show up to a job interview

• The answer is Early.

DownWhat "salsa" literally means

• The answer is Sauce.

Electric car maker since 2003

• The answer is Tesla.

"... in one ear and out the ___"

• The answer is Other.

Tatum ___, youngest-ever Oscar winner (at age 10, for Best Supporting Actress)

• The answer is Oneal.

Defensive maneuver in fencing

• The answer is Parry.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

TL;DR: BitMar helps you discover tons of free on-demand movies, shows, and channels from across the web — and lifetime access is just $14.99 (reg. $150).

When did subscribing to Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu become almost as much as groceries? As streaming services slowly turn into cable, it might be time to consider a smarter, all-in-one alternative.

Check out BitMar, an all-you-can-eat buffet for streaming free content from around the web. Before you ask, this streaming hack is totally legal, and with the coupon code BITMAR5, it will only cost you $14.99 to use it for life (reg. $150). Other streaming platforms simply cannot relate.

Experience the all-you-can-stream buffet

When you shell out regular payments to your streaming services, that’s like cooking meals at home. But with BitMar, it’s like you’re heading to the Golden Corral buffet every night with seemingly unlimited options at your fingertips.

You’ve probably heard of some free platforms like Pluto TV, Tubi, and Plex, and BitMar basically compiles their on-demand content into one place so you don’t have to hop between apps to browse their free movie and TV show selections — just like getting fried chicken, pizza, and chocolate soft serve in one visit.

Stream smarter, not harder

BitMar can also hook you up with free music via iHeartRadio or YouTube. That’s more saved cash in your pocket each month.

BitMar works on any device that can access the internet, and you can connect up to five at once with your lifetime subscription. Your monthly Netflix subscription could never.

The tradeoff for streaming free content is having to watch ads sometimes, maybe in the middle of an episode or movie, but it feels pretty good saving potentially hundreds each year on fees. Plus, ads are a great time to get up and grab a snack (or buffet leftovers).

Join the new wave of streaming with a BitMar lifetime subscription for $14.99 (reg. $150) with coupon code BITMAR5 through the end of today.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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TL;DR: Live stream Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The FA Cup semi finals are here, with Nottingham Forest taking on Manchester City in the second matchup this weekend.

Manchester City have endured a tough season by their exceptionally high standards, but they could still lift the FA Cup. Winning one competition wouldn't be what Pep Guardiola would have wanted at the start of the season, but at this point, he would absolutely take it. Standing in his way are Nottingham Forest, a team that has seriously outperformed expectations this year.

If you want to watch Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City?

Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup starts at 4:30 p.m. BST on April 27. This fixture takes place at Wembley Stadium.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City for free

Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, 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 the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly 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 the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Live stream Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream this game before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free on Ran.de. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There are a number of really competitive first-round matchups in the NBA playoffs, including Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers. Can Anthony Edwards lead his side to victory? Or will Luka Dončić and Lebron James have too much quality? There's only one way to find out.

If you want to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4)?

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4) starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on April 27. This game takes place at the Target Center.

How to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4) for free

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4) in the 2025 NBA playoffs is available to live stream for free on Ran.de.

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

Stream the NBA for free 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 Germany

4. Connect to Ran.de

5. Watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4) for free

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA playoffs before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Ran.de, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Germany

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game 4) for free with ExpressVPN.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands 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 preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 27 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 27 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Sleep tight

The words are things you do at night.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are actions you take before going to bed.

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 Bedtime.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for April 27

• Mouthguard

• Meditation

• Bedtime

• Melatonin

• Mask

• Earplugs

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 the latest Strands.

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's The Mini crossword answers for April 27 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: Used in math class

• Green: A clump of strands

• Blue: Things you munch on

• Purple: They share a first word

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Calculator buttons

• Green: Amounts of hair

• Blue: Salty snack unit

• Purple: Swedish ___

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 #685 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Calculator buttons: EQUALS, MINUS, PERCENT, TIMES

• Amounts of hair: LOCK, SHOCK, THATCH, TUFT

• Salty snack unit: COMBO, GOLDFISH, RUFFLE, TAKI

• Swedish ___: CHEF, FISH, MASSAGE, MEATBALL

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 27

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 the latest Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

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 today: Hints and answers for April 27 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's The Mini crossword answers for April 27, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Feeble.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter E appears twice.

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...

WEEDY.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 27

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 the latest Wordle.

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.

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

Cadence.

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

METER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A marsh.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 27, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BAYOU

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Found on police cars.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 27 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 27, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

SIREN

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To fight.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 27 Hurdle Word 4 answer

CLASH

Final Hurdle hint

A movement of the eyelids.

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

BLINK

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

Owning a home projector was once a luxury that cost hundreds of dollars, but nowadays, they are more affordable and accessible. With a broader range of retailers offering projectors, setting up a home theater is easier than ever.

While a huge number of people play video games in the world, it's still only a fraction of the world population that takes part in this hobby. In fact, if you're a gamer, you probably know that non-gamers don't really take video games very seriously, and even look down on them and their players.

Most people find Windows notifications annoying and often dismiss them without even reading. However, brushing them all off can backfire. Some alerts warn about critical problems with your system, and delaying action could put your device at risk. Here are a few warnings you should never ignore.

If an app is refusing to open or work as expected, try running it in Windows 11’s compatibility mode. This mode fixes any compatibility issues, and I’ll show you how to use it for your installed programs.

On Linux, you can run WinRAR through Wine, but setting it up is challenging—especially for those switching from Windows who aren't used to the command-line interface. The good news? Linux has plenty of native archive managers that are free, reliable, and surprisingly easy to use.

With the right add-ons and extensions, you can turn File Explorer into so much more. From faster file transfers to automated organization and improved search capabilities, these tools will transform how you manage files on your PC.

Installing from source can seem a bit more intimidating than using your package manager. But three simple commands help ensure the process is still hassle-free.

Listening to your own music in your car rather than the radio was a luxury that few could imagine. It's not like you could bring your vinyl records with you—or could you?

One thing that really annoys me when I buy a Blu-ray or DVD is the unskippable ads or warnings that play at the start. It's just useless grind that gets between me and the content I paid for. Well, video games have their own version of this in the form of online accounts.

Have you been trying to figure out what to do with that old laptop lying around? Maybe you've got an old mini PC or the like that you've been wanting to repurpose. Instead of installing a desktop OS on it, here's why you should consider running it as a headless server instead.

Readers, patronizing their local shops for annual Independent Bookstore Day, are once again participating, perhaps unknowingly, in a competition between indie book stores and commerce giant Amazon.

The holiday, created 12 years ago to promote local businesses in the same vein as Record Store Day, has become a nationwide boon to independent sellers, including more than 1,600 participating stores and online retailers. Taking place every year on the last Saturday of April, it's now supported by the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and saw record online interest in 2024 amid mass increases in book sales.

SEE ALSO: LinkedIn and Adobe announce partnership to help creators protect their work against AI

But as stores and shoppers geared up and stuffed their carts full of books in anticipation of this year's event, Amazon simultaneously announced its multi-day annual book sale, taking place between April 23–28 and including massive discounts on physical and increasingly popular e-books.

Users, including many BookTok creators, were upset, calling the move an obvious attempt to steal sales using their age-old tactic of predatory pricing. Many urged fellow readers to protest Amazon's book event and purchase from a local store instead. In a statement to Fast Company, Amazon refuted the claims that the timing of their sale was intentionally chosen to undermine Independent Bookstore Day, saying, "The dates for our sale were set this year to accommodate additional participating countries.”

Still, independent bookstore supporters don't believe it was coincidence. Amazon, originating as an online book seller, still maintains literary dominance, and it isn't just about ease: Online options exist for independent book store as well, including mass marketplaces like Bookshop.org, IndieBound.org, and ThriftBooks, and the use of e-book reading apps connected to public library systems (like Libby and OverDrive) swelled over months of lockdown.

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Despite expanding into all realms of commerce, health, and even artificial intelligence over the last three decades, the company has continued to invest in its book offerings, even testing physical Amazon book storefronts. It now owns more than 80 percent of industry sales. In 2024, the ABA attempted to intervene in an ongoing Federal Trade Commission antitrust investigation, alleging that Amazon's dominance constitutes a monopoly power over book sales. The motion was denied.

Independent book stores continue to fight back, however, and have scored some important wins. In the last four years, the number of independent book stores has nearly doubled, leaning into the public's desire for community engagement and curation. Online communities are throwing their support behind local shops in turn, including Black and LGBTQ-owned businesses, unionized stores, and booksellers focused on diverse, or even banned, catalogs. Simultaneously, a renewed interest in public libraries paired with increasing anti-capitalist sentiment has offered a respite in a financially uncertain time for many.

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Thanks to BookTok and its celebrity ambassadors, reading is cool again. And independent book stores, bolstered by these digital communities, continue to push back against the industry giant.

Adobe and LinkedIn are knocking out two birds with one stone, combining their identity verification and content validation tools into one shared system under a new "Verified on LinkedIn" program.

"Using Verified on LinkedIn, users will be able to use the verifications they've completed on LinkedIn to show who they are across the different online platforms they use, boosting trust, confidence, and credibility," said Oscar Rodriguez, vice president of trust at LinkedIn.

SEE ALSO: U.S. government agency sounds alarm on AI's toll on environment, humanity

Expanding on LinkedIn's current identity, workplace, and educational verification badges, the new partnership harnesses the professional social networking platform's free identity verification tool for Adobe creators looking to protect their work, helping them seamlessly verify who they are and automatically credit their work across both platforms.

When a creator who is verified on LinkedIn adds credentials through Adobe's content authenticity app, those credits will appear with a Verified on LinkedIn badge, tacked to the user's profile. And if that content is posted on LinkedIn, the platform will automatically tag it with the user's content credentials.

Adobe's content authenticity app, now in public beta, allows users to add content credentials to images and photos, part of the company's wider Content Authenticity Initiative. Other platforms, like TikTok, tech companies, and news organizations have joined the movement, including adding their own content credit systems and signing onto the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), a nonprofit-backed project facilitating content provenance in the age of AI.

LinkedIn's badge can also be applied to TrustRadius, G2 and UserTesting, the company explained, as it encourages other companies to similarly integrate its free verification tool.