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The Moon is starting to reappear on its right side (this will be the left side if you're in the Southern Hemisphere). This means we're in the Waxing Crescent portion of the lunar cycle.

As of Thursday, July 16, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waxing Crescent phase, with just 5% of its surface visible.

Even with visual aids, this is too small a surface area illuminated for us to be able to make out any surface features on the Moon.

The next Full Moon will take place on July 29.

The Moon completes one full cycle around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight different phases along the way, NASA explains. Although the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of sunlight reflecting off its surface changes as it travels around Earth. This changing angle of illumination is what makes the Moon appear to transform throughout the month, from a thin crescent to a half-lit Moon and eventually a fully illuminated Full Moon, before starting the cycle again.

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watch Indiana sports.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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.

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Indiana

• Green: Big dogs

• Blue: Horse riding

• Purple: Famous domes

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

• Yellow: Indiana Teams

• Green: Bulldogs

• Blue: Equestrian Equipment

• Purple: ___Dome

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #661 is...

• Indiana Teams: COLTS, FEVER, HOOSIERS, PACERS

• Bulldogs: BUTLER, GONZAGA, MISSISSIPPI STATE, YALE

• Equestrian Equipment: BIT, REINS, SADDLE, STIRRUPS

• ___Dome: ASTRO, FARGO, GEORGIA, SUPER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

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

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

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.

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.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

Number (16): Everything in this space must add up to 16. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.

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

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

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically; 5-4, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 2-0, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically; 2-4, placed vertically.

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

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically.

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

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

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically; 0-0, placed vertically.

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

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're precise.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Beauty regimen

• Green: Dark colors

• Blue: Exact

• Purple: A speck

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

• Yellow: Skincare products

• Green: Shades of black

• Blue: Associated with precision

• Purple: Starting with tiny marks

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 #1131 is...

• Skincare products: CLAY MASK, EYE CREAM, PEEL, TONER

• Shades of black: CHARCOAL, INK, JET, PITCH

• Associated with precision: BULLSEYE, CLOCKWORK, LASER, NEEDLE

• Starting with tiny marks: DOT MATRIX, PERIOD PIECE, POINT BREAK, SPOT REMOVER

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 don't have a good sense of direction.

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.

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.

The words are related to directions.

These words describe a detour.

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Today's spangram is Change Course.

• Zigzag

• Deviate

• Change Course

• Veer

• Pivot

• Tack

• Swerve

• Turn

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 into landscapes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A steep hill.

The letter T appears twice.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.

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...

BUTTE

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.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

A throat infection.

STREP

How butter is made.

CHURN

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Perfect.

IDEAL

Wildlife

FAUNA

Inactive.

INERT

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