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TL;DR: Get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more for life for $29.97 (reg. $219.99) through Oct. 11.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $29.97
$219.99 Save $190.02   Get Deal

Microsoft 365 subscriptions run $99.99 a year at their lowest tier, which adds up if all you need is Word, Excel, and PowerPoint working reliably. A lifetime license skips that structure entirely: one payment of $29.97 (reg. $219.99), and it’s yours through Oct. 11.

This isn’t a stripped-down version. It’s a one-time download of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, the free version of Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access for one Windows PC. The apps are built for the fundamentals — reports, spreadsheets, presentations, email, and databases — without the newer AI integrations that come bundled into Microsoft 365 whether you want them or not.

Because the license is tied to the device rather than a Microsoft account, it’s a fit for a computer you plan on using for years rather than one you swap out annually. Once it’s installed, there’s no subscription to track, no renewal date to remember, and no risk of losing access if a monthly payment lapses.

Setup is instant: the license delivers right after purchase, and support is included if you run into installation issues.

Get Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for $29.97 through Oct. 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Fake profiles have been ruining the fun of online dating for far too long. And with the rise of AI and deep fakes, it's only getting worse. It is just so easy for scammers and bad-faith actors to create realistic profiles using generative AI, which can easily falsify photos, videos, and profile bios. AI can even mimic humans in text conversations. Vigilance in online dating and hookup apps has never been more important. 

AdultFriendFinder one of the world's longest-running and largest online dating sites. It's also chock-full of adult content, with eye-popping nudity in every corner of the site and its interface. That's why it's been a breeding ground for scammers over the years. Users are horny and susceptible to nefarious fakery. And while AFF likes to boast about its huge user base — it has hundreds of millions of accounts worldwide — many of these accounts are, in fact, inactive or bots.

The good news is that it doesn't need to ruin your AFF experience. You just need to use judgment when you're on the site. Here are the best tips for sorting legit profiles from fake.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder   Learn More Prioritize verified accounts

AFF is well aware of the fake profile issue and has implemented robust safeguards that will give users peace of mind. AdultFriendFinder now encourages you to verify your profile via the Confirm ID service. This two-step process is effective, but it isn't a hassle to action, which some verification processes absolutely can be in 2026.

The first step is providing AFF with a piece of government-issued identification. The site will then scan your face using your webcam. It's a catch-all verification process that verifies not just your age but also your age, location, and gender. Once complete, AFF will add a blue checkmark on your profile, signaling to other users that you are indeed a genuine person. And don't worry about the face scan — you don't have to show your face on AFF (even if you plan on showing plenty more).

SEE ALSO: Is Hinge really 'designed to be deleted'? I tested it to find out.

Once you've verified your profile, it's a good idea to limit your on-site interactions to other verified profiles as well. If you do decide to chat with unverified people, be especially vigilant about not sharing personal information.

Finally, don't assume that because a profile is verified, it is also legitimate. Accounts can be sold or stolen, so treat profile verification as a positive sign rather than an absolute indication of legitimacy. 

Scrutinize their photos

Because people curate their own profiles, the photos they choose to share speak volumes about them, so if you're at all suspicious that you may be viewing a fake account, take a closer look at the pics the person has shared. If they look AI-generated, if they're all of professional quality, or if they're incredibly generic, hit pause for a second — these are all immediate red flags.

To take things a step further, you can use a reverse image search on Google to see whether the photos appear elsewhere. If they do, chances are they're not original to the person or profile. You can also use a service like ZeroGPT or Sightengine to test whether they're AI-generated. 

SEE ALSO: All your Tinder questions, answered

Just as you look for red flags, you should also look for green flags, which include photos with friends or groups, a mix of selfies and more staged shots, and photos featuring unique landmarks specific to your location, such as a well-known store, restaurant, or public area. These are all positive signs that your new connection is a real person.

Engage in conversation

If you're on the fence about whether or not a profile is fake, the next step is to actually talk to the person (or bot?) in question. This doesn't mean you should let your guard down, though — far from it. Pay very close attention to the things the other person says, the questions they ask, and the replies they give. Here are some common warning signs that indicate you're connecting with a scammer or bot:

• They push for specific information about you early in the conversation

• They send links to outside websites or chat platforms like WhatsApp or Telegram

• They tell you a sad story to create a sense of urgency in you

• They ask for nude or compromising photos of you 

If you're still uncertain, you can request a video call or an in-person meet-up in a public place. Scammers will be reluctant to verify their identities over video calls and especially reluctant — or even incapable — of meeting in person. 

SEE ALSO: What are romance scams and how can you avoid them?

Finally, remember that while all of the above are useful guidelines, they're not iron-clad or foolproof. A clever scammer, catfisher, or bad actor will always find ways to circumvent these safeguards. Remember to always be cautious about whom you speak to, what you share, and under what circumstances — especially when it comes to giving out personal or financial information.

SAVE $200.02: As of Sept. 28, the Bluetti Apex 300 is on sale for $1,498.98 at Amazon. That's a 13% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Apex 300 $1,498.98 at Amazon
$1,699 Save $200.02   Get Deal

Amazon's Big Deal Days officially gets underway next week, but early deals have been popping up for some time. With everything from robot vacuums to portable power stations already on sale, there's no need to wait for the sale if you need to make a purchase now.

If you've been eyeing the Bluetti Apex 300, it's currently $200 off, bringing the price down to $1,498.98.

The Apex 300 starts with a 2,765Wh capacity and can provide both 120V and 240V power, so it has enough capacity to handle a range of appliances, for use as home backup or on the go during camping or RV trips.

And if you need more power, you can increase your setup's capacity with additional Bluetti devices. Additional B300K or B500K batteries can be added as your power needs increase, with optional accessories providing features such as RV 12V DC power, faster charging from your vehicle, and increased solar input.

Plus, this model is built to last, thanks to its LiFePO4 battery. This means it is designed to provide more than 6,000 charge cycles, while retaining 80% of its capacity. According to Bluetti, this equates to a lifespan of around 17 years.

You can find this portable power station deal at Amazon now.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by our shopping experts

• Apple iPhone 18 Pro — free at T-Mobile 

• Paramount+ — $0.99 for 2 months with code p2mcs26prem

• Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box — $89.99 (save vs. market price)

• Apple iPad Pro — $1,899 $2,099 (save $200)

• TCL 85-Inch Class QM8L Series TV — $2,497.99 $3,999.99 (save $1,502)

SAVE $13.01: As of Sept. 28, the Xteink X4 Classic Pocket e-Reader is on sale for $75.99 at Amazon. That's down from its $89 list price — giving you a 15% discount on this paper-feel reading device.

Opens in a new window Credit: Xteink Xteink X4 Classic Pocket e-Reader $75.99 at Amazon
$89 Save $13.01   Get Deal

The newly launched Xteink X4 Classic Pocket e-Reader is on sale for $75.99 at Amazon, down from its $89 list price. That 15% markdown marks the absolute lowest price we've seen on this ultra-portable reader since it hit the site.

If your smartphone screen is constantly frying your eyes before bed, this tiny pocket gadget wants to take you back to basics. The Xteink X4 is designed for distraction-free reading, skipping the loud notifications, pop-up ads, and social media rabbit holes entirely. It weighs just 2.4 ounces (roughly 68 grams) and sits at an impossibly thin 0.19 inches. That means it is thin enough to slip into your shirt pocket or a tiny crossbody bag without adding bulk to your daily carry.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best e-readers we've ever tested

Despite its tiny footprint, the 4.3-inch E-Ink display gives you a glare-free, paper-like reading experience that holds up even in direct sunlight. Rather than smudging a touchscreen, page-turning controls are built into dedicated physical buttons along the body — or you can shake the whole device to flip pages when reading one-handed on a crammed subway.

Managing your library is also equally low-friction. You can load TXT, EPUB, MOBI, and PDF files directly onto a microSD card, connect over a USB port, or transfer them wirelessly through their companion app. Add in a built-in magnetic back that snaps onto metal surfaces or magnetic phone accessories, plus a 920mAh battery designed for low-power consumption, and you get a dead-simple, zero-distraction reader for killing time on your commute.

If you want to read more without carrying around a bulky tablet, snag this discount before the price jumps back to $89.

TL;DR: The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is free right now with T-Mobile. To qualify for this offer, switch and bring your number or trade in an eligible phone in any condition on an Experience Beyond plan.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple T-Mobile: Apple iPhone 18 Pro for free   Shop Now

After months and months of speculation, rumors, and leaks, Apple finally announced new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and more. It's all very exciting, but it's the iPhones that really get the people going.

Like everyone else, we dug deep into all the specs and features to give you an insight into exactly what these new iPhones offer. Now that the dust has settled, the focus naturally switches to deals. And there's one standout option right now.

We've searched high and low for the best launch offers, but it's tough to ignore T-Mobile right now.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is available for free right now with T-Mobile. To qualify for this promotion, you can switch to an Experience Beyond plan and bring your existing phone number. Alternatively, you can trade in a qualifying phone (in any condition) on an Experience Beyond plan. The choice is yours.

The full savings are distributed as monthly credits over a 36-month payment plan. As long as you intend to stay locked into T-Mobile for three years, it's easily one of the best ways to score Apple's premier hardware without a major hit to your budget.

T-Mobile does require you to pay local sales tax on the phone's full retail value upfront, plus a standard $35 device connection fee per line at checkout. That's a minor inconvenience to score the latest iPhone without a huge upfront cost.

Score the iPhone 18 Pro for free this week from T-Mobile.

Apple just had a very busy September, but from what we're hearing, the company plans to continue launching new products in quick succession over the next couple of months.

Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, launches this October, and it may seem like it could seal the fate of the iPad mini. But the smallest of iPads has proven to be quite resilient over the years, and given just how much cheaper it is than the iPhone Duo ($599 vs. $1,999), it'll probably stick around for a while.

According to MacRumors, Apple is preparing to launch the next-gen iPad mini, with an A20 Pro chip, a landscape-oriented front camera, as well as a new speaker system. We've also previously heard that the iPad mini will be water resistant, and it might come with a slightly larger OLED display.

There's no word on exact launch date, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously said it could launch by the end of October.

That's not all, though. Apple is also planning to launch the HomePod mini 2, which is likely to feature a new chip and support for Siri AI. It will also come in five colors: green, pink, blue, white, and black (all of these are new besides white and blue, but even that one will reportedly be slightly lighter than the shade of blue that's currently on offer).

The launch window for the HomePod mini 2 is less clear, but it should happen before year's end.

Finally, Apple is likely to launch the fourth generation Apple TV 4K. It'll look exactly the same as the current model, but it will come with a new chip (probably A17 Pro or better), 8GB of RAM (up from 4GB on the current model), Siri AI support, new N1 chip that supports Wi-Fi 7, and a redesigned remote.

SEE ALSO: Apple to fix iPhone 18 Pro Face ID bug

All of the above info comes from actual image files hidden in Apple's code, so it's quite likely to be real. Again, this doesn't tell us much about exact launch date, but it's likely Apple will reveal several of these products together, possibly in October.

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.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

Taylor ___.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

SWIFT

Hurdle Word 2 hint

"I looked all over."

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 28, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

SCOUR

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Clingy.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for September 28, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Sept. 28, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

NEEDY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Rubbish

Hurdle Word 4 answer

TRASH

Final Hurdle hint

Parched.

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

DRIED

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 Full Moon has passed, but the Moon will still look almost completely lit tonight. It's now beginning to wane, although you probably won't notice much difference from the night before. Here's what you can spot on the lunar surface tonight.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Monday, Sept. 28, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase, with 97% of its surface visible.

There's still so much to see tonight, including the Mare Imbrium, Mare Serenitatis, and Mare Tranquillitatis which can be spotted without visual aids. If you have binoculars, they'll also help you see the Clavius Crater, the Alphonsus Crater, and the Gassendi Crater. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, you'll see the Apollo 12 and 16 landing spots, plus the Rima Caucasus Mountains.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on October 25 or 26, depending on your timezone.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon goes through a repeating cycle as it orbits Earth, taking roughly 29.5 days to complete. During that time, the amount of its sunlit side visible from Earth changes, giving us the different lunar phases. It starts with a slim crescent, grows to a half Moon and eventually reaches the Full Moon, before beginning the cycle again. NASA explains that which phase we see depends on where the Moon is in relation to Earth and the Sun.

The eight phases are:

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.

There's a unique heartbreak to realizing our parents aren't who we imagined. A Long Winter is about that agony, and how one might grow from it.

From English writer/director Andrew Haigh (Weekend, All of Us Strangers) A Long Winter centers on a quietly queer protagonist, who comes to understand himself and what he wants through the hard, cold lesson of who his parents really are. And the result is elegant in its heartbreak.

SEE ALSO: TIFF 2026 preview: 18 films (and shows) you'll want to see (and how) What is A Long Winter About?  Fred Hechinger and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in "A Long Winter." Credit: TIFF

Adapted from Colm Tóibín's short story of the same name, A Long Winter is set in the brutally cold mountains of Colorado, during the early 1950s. There, despite the hard work of maintaining the house and farm animals, Mike (Fear Street's Fred Hechinger) enjoys a rather blissful existence, relishing the time with his younger brother (Heartstopper's Kit Connor), his mother (Outlander's Caitríona Balfe), and father (The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bachrach). However, once his brother takes a job far away, Mike witnesses another side of his parents, one tarnished by regret and recrimination.

As another winter approaches, his mother Louise's smiles turn to snarls. Her empty water glass reeks of alcohol, and her fury at her hard-headed husband Lester boils over. One day, she wanders off with their dog, Sandy. Hours later, a blizzard turns the familiar hills to treacherous, frigid white. Where did she go? Could she have survived?

Featured Video For You Andrew Garfield on the meaning of 'no kings' in 'The Uprising'

For months, Mike will seek her out in the not-so-near town, an abandoned mine, the home of his posh uncle (a terrifically festering Martin Freeman), and again and again in the long, blank expanse of the mountain. 

In his search, he has time and space to reflect, and so comes across a better understanding of who his mother was, who his father is, and what he wants for his own life. Mike also makes a new acquaintance in Jimmy (Reservation Dogs' D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), an abandoned teen Lester brings on to do the "women's work" on the property that neither he nor his son has any talent for. 

Fred Hechinger delivers his best performance yet in A Long Winter.  Fred Hechinger in "A Long Winter." Credit: TIFF

Hechinger first hit my radar in 2021, playing the chaotically charismatic Simon in Fear Street: Part One - 1994. Where others in the film had to deliver the horror of the slasher's slaughters, Simon was reliably and warmly the comic relief. Hechinger brought Matthew Lillard vibes, offering an unapologetically gawky confidence and sharp comedic timing. 

From there, he'd earn praise for his role as Quinn on White Lotus Season 1. Then, in 2024, he popped up in a string of movies, taking on wildly different supporting roles. In Thelma, he was a doting grandson. In Nickel Boys, he was a friendly face amid a squadron of abusive school staffers. Gladiator II gave him a chance to play a villain, opposite his onscreen twin emperor Joseph Quinn. Then, in Kraven the Hunter, he played the title character's demure younger brother, Dmitri "Chameleon" Smerdyakov, who used his power to sing like Harry Styles, Ozzy Osbourne, and Tony Bennett. 

Simply put, Hechinger has swiftly established himself as an actor who is exciting at every appearance, because you never know where he might go. 

In A Long Winter, Hechinger packs away his goofy grin and playfulness for a more restrained yet brilliantly alive performance. In the first act, Mike recounts to his brother about how, when he went away for contracted work, he missed home, reminiscing in his childhood bed about his family and the meals his mother made. In these scenes, his voice has a folksy touch, while his word choice is simple. But after weeks without his mother and months without his brother, with Jimmy in the bed beside him, Mike's accent has softened, and he'll use words like "cope," which feel out of place in his father's idea of mountain masculinity. These simple diction shifts reflect how Mike's vision for himself has become less reliant on his father's example, even as his is the only one around. 

Frustratingly, Moss fumbles in his role as the tough guy, much like he did in Broadway's Dog Day Afternoon. His bluster feels flaccid, making the years his wife submitted to his demands a bit perplexing. In scenes where Moss and Hechinger face off, A Long Winter struggles when the former cannot match the latter in onscreen intensity, even though the younger actor is playing openness rather than rage.

Hechinger, who has been a stellar supporting player, proves his leading man chops by shouldering A Long Winter in scenes of delicate dialogue, earnest confrontation, and moments alone, where it's just Mike and the wilderness that has likely consumed his lost and loved mother. 

A Long Winter works as a sister film All of Us Strangers.  Caitríona Balfe and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in "A Long Winter." Credit: TIFF

Make no mistake, A Long Winter won't be as gut-wrenching or as hot as Haigh's last film. Yet both share a common core. Both center on a gay man learning to trust himself and his desire, while making sense of who his parents are or were. The intensity of All of Us Strangers perfectly encapsulates the first stage of such scary journeys, enhanced by the ghost story elements that make the film a soft horror movie. 

In A Long Winter, the arc is less rigorous because Mike — unlike Andrew Scott's hero — is not alone. All of Us Strangers plays, in some respects, like a haunted house movie because of its protagonist's isolation. While Haigh will bring in some surreal and spooky elements to A Long Winter, it's not horror. Instead, he lets the reality of a scene bend to reflect the yearning of his hero, who's coming to realize that death — like winter — is a part of life that is unavoidable, but not inherently bad. 

There's a profound maturity in Haigh's latest, as he trusts Hechinger to infuse mood and growth without genre flourishes or the actor's signature mirth. Keen performances by Balfe, Freeman, and Woon-A-Tai bolster their vision of this world, cold but wondrous. It is not a tearjerker, but a rapturous and meditative look at growing up and growing into ourselves. 

A Long Winter was reviewed out its Canadian Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It will open in NYC on Dec. 4, then in select U.S. theaters Jan. 27, 2027.

Want more film and TV news and reviews delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier for people who like the SEC.

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.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

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.

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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.

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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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Animals in the SEC

• Green: Fantasy

• Blue: QBs

• Purple: Hidden WNBA teams

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: An SEC Athlete

• Green: Fantasy Football Apps

• Blue: NFL QBs Drafted in Second Round

• Purple: Ends in a WNBA Team

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 #731 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• An SEC Athlete: BULLDOG, GATOR, RAZORBACK, TIGER

• Fantasy Football Apps: ESPN, FANTRAX, SLEEPER, YAHOO

• NFL QBs Drafted in Second Round: DALTON, HURTS, LOCK, SHOUGH

• Ends in a WNBA Team: DAYDREAM, GRIMACES, HUSKY, THUNDERSTORM

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 catalog.

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 September 28, 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 September 28, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for September 28 Pips

Less than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

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

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

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 5-2, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically.

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for September 28 Pips

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally.

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

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

Greater Than (10): Everything in this space must be greater than 10. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 4-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (18): Everything in this space must be greater than 18. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-5, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Less than (8): Everything in this space must be less than 8. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for September 28 Pips

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this red space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 1-3, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 0-3, placed vertically.

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

Greater Than (9): Everything in this space must be greater than 9. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (14): Everything in this space must be greater than 14. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 3-6, 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.

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 28, 2026 Challenger meaning

A person or thing that competes against a current titleholder to win a prize.

Charger meaning

A device used to put electrical energy back into a rechargeable battery..

Durango meaning

A state in northern Mexico.

Viper meaning

A venomous snake with long fangs.

Horseradish meaning

A perennial root vegetable from the mustard family.

Lemon meaning

A round, yellow and sour citrus fruit.

Mignonette meaning

A tangy condiment made with vinegar, shallots and black pepper. It's typically served with oysters.

Tabasco meaning

An American brand of hot sauce made from tabasco chili peppers, salt and vinegar.

Bamboo meaning

A tall, fast-growing tropical plant with hard, hallow stems.

Celery meaning

A crunchy green vegetable with long, fibrous stems.

Corn meaning

A tall cereal plant that produces edible yellow kernels.

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Wheat meaning

A cereal grain from grass.

Arkansans meaning

A Midwestern US stat, known as "The Natural State."

Chihuahua meaning

A tiny dog breed.

Possesses meaning

To have or to own something.

Springing meaning

Jumping or moving quickly.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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

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.

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

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 September 28, 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: Jack and the bean___

• Green: Seafood

• Blue: Cars

• Purple: Philosophical symbols

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Things with stalks

• Green: Oyster condiments

• Blue: Dodge models

• Purple: Three letters plus repeated trigrams

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 #1204 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Things with stalks: BAMBOO, CELERY, CORN, WHEAT

• Oyster condiments: HORSERADISH, LEMON, MIGNONETTE, TABASCO

• Dodge models: CHALLENGER, CHARGER, DURANGO, VIPER

• Three letters plus repeated trigrams: ARKANSNS, CHIHUAHUA, POSSESSES, SPRINGING

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

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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

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 will be easy if you're a creative.

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 September 28, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: A form of art

The words are related to art.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe creative mediums.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Sculpture.

NYT Strands word list for September 28

• Soapstone

• Glass

• Marble

• Sculpture

• Wood

• Clay

• Bronze

• Steel

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

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 know about trees.

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 September 28, 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 September 28, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Stem.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

No, there are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter T.

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...

TRUNK

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.

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

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

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

TL;DR: Learn how to get more out of Claude with the Claude AI Professional E-Degree, on sale for $14.97 (reg. $49) through Sept. 29.

Opens in a new window Credit: Eduonix Learning Solutions Claude AI Professional E-Degree $14.97
$159 Save $144.03   Get Deal

More companies are building their workflows around Claude, and Forbes reports it has become the enterprise favorite. That shift can feel like one more thing to keep up with, but it can also be an opening. Knowing how to get strong results from Claude could make you the go-to person on your team when questions come up, and this four-course bundle can help guide you there for $14.97 (reg. $49). That breaks down to less than $4 per course.

The courses come from Eduonix Learning Solutions, a team of industry professionals who teach technology the way it’s used on the job. You get over 8 hours of video lessons that start with the basics and progress to more advanced material. It fits whether you’ve only asked Claude a handful of questions or already use it every day.

Here’s what the lessons cover

• Writing more effective prompts and building chain-of-thought workflows

• AI-assisted coding and debugging techniques

• Connecting Claude with Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Chrome, and MCP connectors

• Hands-on projects for marketing workflows, AI websites, and automated systems

The project work is where you turn your learning into action. Instead of watching someone else use the tool, you’ll build things that mirror the tasks you’d actually hand off to Claude at work. Quizzes along the way show you what’s sticking, and you’ll earn a professional eDegree certification when you finish.

It’s a great low-effort way for developers, freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs who want to move beyond basic chats and into AI use that saves real time. The material is split into four modules so that you can take them one at a time.

Get the Claude AI Professional E-Degree for $14.97 (reg. $49) through Sept. 29.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

First came the hand across the dinner table. Then the second drink, the carefully cropped shoulder, and the suspiciously tall shadow. Now Instagram has a new way to hint that you’re seeing someone.

The platform’s new Pixel effect lets you blur a person or object in a Story by describing what you want pixelated in a text prompt. In a post showing off the effect, Instagram leaned into its dating potential: "Soft launching? We got you."

If you’re unfamiliar with the ritual, a soft launch lets your followers know there’s a new person in your life without telling them exactly who it is. You might post their hand or the back of their head. Pixel takes that idea a step further: Everyone can see that your date is in the photo, but their identity remains a mystery.

And there’s an audience for that kind of reveal. Tinder data reported by Mashable in 2023 found that 26 percent of UK 18- to 34-year-olds would rather gradually reveal a new partner online, compared with 8 percent who preferred a big announcement. In a recent Tinder survey, 46 percent of single Gen Z social media users in the U.S. said they soft-launch relationships, while 37 percent said they hard-launch them.

SEE ALSO: Young people want to soft launch their partners, Tinder says

Of course, blurring a date is its own kind of announcement, and people have thoughts about what it might feel like to be on the other side of it. In an r/popculturechat thread about the feature, one commenter asked whether a pixelated partner was in "witness protection." Another summed up the appeal, or lack of it, as "For when you want to share pictures but not really." Someone else could already see the argument coming: "Fights about why someone blurred the other happening in 3..2..1."

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There’s another option, too: Keep the relationship off Instagram. In a 2024 survey of 1,000 Gen Z and millennial adults, 45 percent said they didn’t share their relationships online or didn’t use social media. The same survey found that respecting their own or their partner’s privacy was the top reason respondents gave for soft launching. For some couples, a partial reveal feels like a comfortable middle ground. For others, it might be more attention than they want.

Pixel also has uses unrelated to dating. You could blur a child’s face in a family photo or obscure a stranger who ended up in the background. "This makes most sense for background people in your picture who didn’t consent to being in a picture posted online," one Reddit commenter wrote.

That concern lands amid other questions about how Meta handles people’s images. In July, the company briefly let users reference public Instagram accounts in AI-generated images, then removed the feature after criticism. Its camera-equipped smart glasses have also raised concerns about bystanders being recorded without their knowledge. Now, Pixel gives someone posting a Story a way to blur a person first.

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As for dating, Pixel makes the soft launch easier to pull off — though it doesn’t tell you how your date will feel about it. That may be a conversation to have before the Story goes up.

"We do not condone what we are doing." It’s a bold thing for an AI company CEO to say on television, even when that CEO is actually Jane Wickline in a wig.

During the Sept. 26 premiere of Saturday Night Live’s new season, Wickline played Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Weekend Update, answering Michael Che’s questions as two versions of the same man. One tried to sound like a reassuring tech CEO. The other kept saying things a reassuring tech CEO probably shouldn’t say on television.

The second version won. "AI is the devil and I its maker!" Wickline’s Amodei declared. Asked about the industry’s position on its own work, the character offered another less-than-comforting assurance: "We do not condone what we are doing."

Even the segment’s attempt to find a bright side took a turn. Asked whether AI could cure cancer, Wickline’s Amodei replied, "In 10 years, there’s about a 10% chance that cancer won’t be a problem for anyone," leaving audiences wondering if he's predicting a cure or a world with no one left to get cancer.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic's CEO urges the industry to slow down, and Sam Altman agrees

Amodei leads the company behind Claude, but he has also warned about the risks of developing increasingly powerful AI too quickly. In a recent essay, he called for companies to slow the pace of development so safety work has time to catch up, with outside evaluators and shared standards to help keep them accountable. He argues that AI could bring enormous benefits, too; his proposal is to develop it more carefully.

With SNL back for a new season, it was only a matter of time before the AI debate reached the Weekend Update desk. Wickline got plenty of material out of one CEO trying to explain himself. We’ll see which tech executive the show characterizes next.

A refrigerator has one job you really don’t want interrupted by a software update. For some Samsung owners in South Korea, though, an update left their fridges unable to keep food cold.

The trouble began Sept. 22, when customers installed refrigerator software through Samsung’s SmartThings app. Owners reported dark interior lights, screens stuck on an "updating" message, and fridges that had stopped cooling. The affected models were reportedly mostly Bespoke AI four-door refrigerators released since 2024.

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPhone Duo is here, and Samsung is already throwing shade

The timing made a bad situation worse. Chuseok, a major Korean holiday centered on family gatherings and food, was about to begin. One owner told Seoul Shinmun they had thrown away 20 kilograms of food; others worried about meat and other groceries they had bought for the holiday.

Samsung acknowledged the problem on its community forum, saying an error during software testing had caused power and screen problems for some customers. According to South Korean reporting, software meant for internal testing was mistakenly sent to customers. Samsung stopped distributing it, offered free repairs, and aimed to restore affected refrigerators by Sept. 24. The company said it was still reviewing compensation for spoiled food. It has not publicly confirmed how many fridges were affected or whether every repair was completed by that target date.

The outage raises a question that goes well beyond Samsung. Fridges can recognize food and suggest recipes. LG sells washers that detect fabric types and adjust the cycle. Dyson’s new CameraJet toothbrush even uses a tiny camera and AI to find the gaps between your teeth. Some of those features may be genuinely useful.

But Samsung’s fridge failure shows what’s at stake when the software inside an everyday appliance goes wrong: you might lose the basic thing you bought the appliance to do in the first place.

Updated at 10:32 a.m. CT: According to The Hollywood Reporter, it appears that YouTube and Meta will allow distributor Bleeker Street to run paid ads on Alex Gibney's Musk documentary.

The reversal follows a wave of social media backlash accusing YouTube, Meta, and TikTok of suppressing a film critical of Elon Musk to avoid drawing the ire of the SpaceX and X CEO.

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In a comment left under THR's original report of the story, YouTube's X account replied that the ads were "temporarily restricted" and are now cleared to run. Meta will also run the ads as well, telling THR that the decision was "an error". However, TikTok and X have yet to make a decision.

You can read our original report of the story below.

Musk, Alex Gibney's four-hour documentary about Elon Musk, hits theaters in two weeks and received rave reviews out of its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. Yet distributor Bleecker Street can't buy ads on major social media platforms in order to promote it.

SEE ALSO: 'Musk' documentary trailer is finally here

According to The Hollywood Reporter, YouTube, TikTok, and Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, have all refused to run the trailer for Musk. The same goes for X, which is owned by Musk and which reportedly won't accept advertising for Bleecker Street's other upcoming releases.

YouTube, TikTok, and Meta told Bleecker Street representatives that they rejected the trailer because of "political content." TikTok and Meta do not allow paid political and campaign ads, with Meta's rules stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. YouTube does, with ads requiring "paid for" disclosures. The Musk trailer contains references to the 2024 election, but it is not itself a political campaign.

Bleecker Street has appealed YouTube, TikTok, and Meta's decision. While YouTube and TikTok are still mulling over the request, Meta has rejected it outright.

This isn't the first bump in the road for Musk. Universal Pictures, which is distributing the film internationally, reportedly got cold feet on releasing Musk. Evan Langweiler, Universal's Executive Vice President of Global Communications and Media Relations, has since told The Hollywood Reporter that, "the studio remains committed to releasing [Musk] in theaters internationally."

The incident recalls Amazon MGM Studios' dropping of Luca Guadagnino's OpenAI and Sam Altman film Artificial, another fall release that looks to take a prominent tech figure to task. Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning, also out this fall, will follow a similar path with Mark Zuckerberg.

Musk hits theaters Oct. 9.