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SAVE OVER $200: As of Oct. 12, the Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $499.99 at Amazon. That's a $250 discount off its full price of $749.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 Robot Vacuum and Mop $499.99 at Amazon
$749.99 Save $250   Get Deal

A selection of robot vacuums are still discounted at Amazon after October Prime Day. If you're looking for a versatile model that handles both vacuuming and mopping, the Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 is worth checking out, especially since it's discounted by $250 on Amazon right now. That won't be the case for much longer, though.

As of Oct. 12, you can scoop up this Dreame robot vacuum for $499.99 instead of its full price of $749.99. However, Amazon has slapped a 24-hour countdown timer on this deal, so the clock is quite literally ticking to save.

SEE ALSO: I've tested 30+ robot vacuum and mop combos, including CES 2026 models. Here are the top 5 to buy.

From carpets to hard floors, the Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2's 25,000Pa suction — alongside five suction levels you can adjust to — clears up dust, dirt, pet hair, and more. For harder floors, the DuoScrub mopping system also comes in handy, with two high-speed mops to scrub out stains. It even features an extendable brush and mop to reach tough corners or spaces under furniture, so no messy spots are skipped.

The Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 also features Smart Pathfinder and 3DAdapt technologies, which help it map your home and avoid obstacles like shoes or toys. It also has a long battery life, offering up to 231 minutes of runtime when using Vacuum Mode.

Today is your last chance to save on the Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2. Act fast to score $250 off at Amazon.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Booster Bundle is on sale for $89.86 at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Booster Bundle $89.86 at Amazon
  Get Deal

Tracking the Pokémon TCG market is still a wild ride. Sometimes we're looking at record-low prices on new releases. Sometimes we're looking at a "deal" that's actually above market price. It's all about availability and demand.

Demand for Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Booster Bundles is obviously still high. The Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Booster Bundle is listed for $89.86 at Amazon. That's above the $74 market price on TCGplayer, but actual listings for below $100 on that marketplace platform are scarce.

Amazon seems to have plenty of stock at a reasonable price. In this case, that constitutes a "good deal."

The six-pack Booster Bundle is a popular pick for collectors. Each booster contains six holographic cards, including one of 30 different Pikachu rare variants. The collection features Mewtwo ex, Mew ex, Umbreon ex, Salamence ex, and Greninja ex. You're unlikely to pull the most valuable cards, but you never know. That's the joy of ripping packs.

SAVE $120: As of Oct. 12, the Apple Watch Series 10 is on sale for $679 at Amazon. That's a 15% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 $679 at Amazon
$799 Save $120   Get Deal

Looking to upgrade your fitness tracker? The Apple Watch Series 10 is back on sale at Amazon, but only for a limited time. Normally $799, you can get it for $679 right now. This price is specifically for the 42mm watch with both cellular and GPS connectivity, and in the gold titanium case with the gold milanese loop.

If you're looking for a workout companion, this Apple Watch is a great choice. It tracks activities ranging from running to swimming, with advanced workout metrics and training load insights to help you understand your performance.

But it's not just for runners; it can be used underwater, and swimmers also get additional measurements, including water temperature and depth.

Beyond exercise, the Series 10 also offers a range of safety tools, including Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS, and Check In notifications. You'll even get an extensive selection of health features, including ECG readings, blood oxygen monitoring, heart rate alerts, sleep tracking, and menstrual cycle tracking.

This Apple Watch deal is available at Amazon now, but only for a limited time.

SAVE OVER $90: As of Oct. 12, the Sony WH-CH720N headphones are on sale for $88 at Amazon. That's a 51% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-CH720N $88 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $91.99   Get Deal

Whether you're commuting, working from home, or working out, a good pair of noise-canceling headphones can make all the difference. And if you've been thinking about upgrading your audio setup, but don't want to spend a small fortune, this latest Amazon discount on the Sony WH-CH720N headphones will save you over $90.

As of Oct. 12, these budget-friendly headphones have dropped in price from $179.99 to just $88. That's more than half off the list price. They come in two colors (white and pink), both at the same low price.

If you care about good audio, these headphones are seriously impressive. And for such a low price, you're really getting great noise cancellation. Sony's Integrated Processor V1 works with Dual Noise Sensor Technology to help block out unwanted background sounds, and the Adaptive Sound Control automatically adjusts your listening experience to your surroundings. There's also an adjustable Ambient Sound mode for when you want to stay aware of what's happening around you. It also helps with audio output, with the Precise Voice Pickup Technology keeping your voice clear during calls.

Battery life is another plus, giving you up to 35 hours of listening time on a full charge. If you're running low, a quick three-minute USB-C charge will give you up to an hour of playback, so you won't have to wait long to get back to listening.

Find this Sony deal at Amazon now.

SAVE $120: As of Oct. 12, Apple AirPods Max 2 are down to $429 on Amazon. The H2 chip powers active noise cancellation, adaptive audio, and even live translation.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Max 2 $429 at Amazon
$549 Save $120   Get Deal

If you’ve been eyeing Apple's flagship over-ears but couldn't stomach the eye-watering $549 price tag, now is your chance to snag them. The Apple AirPods Max 2 just hit $429 at Amazon, cutting a massive 22% off the list price. That saves you $120, knocking Apple's premium H2-powered cans down to a far more palatable price point.

The core upgrade is Apple swapping in its H2 chip. That unlocks 1.5x better Active Noise Cancellation, alongside smart features like Adaptive Audio — which tweaks noise control based on your surroundings — and Conversation Awareness, which automatically drops your volume when you speak.

SEE ALSO: AirPods Max 2 vs. Sony WH-1000XM6: Which headphones win?

Apple also packed in a few features for power users and frequent travelers. If you hold down the listening mode button, you can trigger real-time Live Translation (powered by Apple Intelligence), which translates what someone is saying straight into your ears. On the hardware side, Apple ditched Lightning for USB-C, meaning you can charge them with the same cable as your Mac or iPad and plug them directly into your devices for ultra-low-latency, 24-bit lossless audio.

Everything else retains Apple's signature luxury build, including the breathable knit-mesh canopy, custom memory foam ear cushions, and standard 20-hour battery life with ANC cranked.

If you’ve been holding off on Apple’s ultimate over-ears, grab a pair of AirPods Max 2 while this $120 price cut is still live on Amazon.

SAVE $10: As of Oct. 12, the latest Apple AirTag (2nd Generation) 4-Pack is down to $89 at Amazon. That's a 10% discount off its $99 retail price, bringing the cost down to just $22.25 per tracker.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirTag (2nd Gen) 4-Pack $89 at Amazon
$99 Save $10   Get Deal

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to finally tag all your gear with Apple’s Bluetooth trackers, this is it. The Apple AirTag (2nd Generation) 4-pack is currently down to $89 at Amazon, a 10% markdown off its usual $99 list price.

Apple’s second-gen AirTag doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, and honestly, it didn't need to. Visually, it’s identical to the original — same white puck design, same coin-cell battery setup, and same stainless steel back. But Apple threw in upgraded Bluetooth and Ultra Wideband wireless chips that turn this tiny tracker into a much better item finder.

The new internal hardware pushes Precision Finding out to nearly 50 feet through multiple interior walls. That means your iPhone locks onto the tracker from a completely different room instead of forcing you to walk aimlessly around your apartment waiting for a signal. Apple gave the built-in speaker a massive volume boost. The chime is now around 50% louder, so if your AirTag is buried deep inside a thick leather backpack or stuck in the trunk of your car, you can easily hear where it’s hiding.

They also expanded how you track your gear. For the first time, you can trigger Precision Finding directly from an Apple Watch (Series 9 or Ultra 2 and newer running watchOS 26.2.1), complete with step-by-step directional arrows on your wrist.

There is one important catch: to get the upgraded range and precision features, you need a newer iPhone (iPhone 15 or later, excluding the 16e) running iOS 26. If you're still rocking an older iPhone, stick with the first-gen model.

Grabbing this 4-pack while it's down to $89 drops the per-tracker price to just $22.25 — making it the cheapest way to tag your keys, wallet, backpack, and luggage all at once.

TL;DR: Get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote with a Microsoft Office 2024 lifetime license for $114.97. Sale ends Oct. 15 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Home for Mac or PC: One-Time Purchase $114.97
$149.99 Save $35.02   Get Deal

Microsoft 365 Personal costs $99.99 a year. That’s actually the cheapest option, and you only get that if you pay the full price all at once. Every year. Forever.

If you want a better option, Microsoft Office 2024 gives you many of the same apps for PC or Mac, lasts for life, and is on sale now during extended Deal Days for $114.97 (reg. $149.99).

Your license includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. That’s enough for students writing papers and building presentations, or for families keeping a household budget in a spreadsheet. All four apps work fully offline, and your files stay on your device and sync when you reconnect to the internet. Free tools like Google Docs and Sheets need a browser and a connection before they’ll work at all.

Office 2024 also adds newer tools to each app. Smart Compose in Word suggests text as you type, based on what you’ve already written. In Excel, dynamic array formulas like FILTER, SORT, and UNIQUE update their results automatically when the data changes, so a filtered sales list stays current as new entries come in. PowerPoint can record a presentation with voice, video, and closed captions for online classes or remote meetings. Real-time co-authoring lets classmates or family members edit the same document at once, with comments and chat built in.

This license isn’t for Microsoft 365. It doesn’t have the little things like cloud storage or Copilot, but there are better ways to store your files or ask an AI questions that don’t require paying nearly $100 every year.

Get the Office apps you use every day without paying for them every year.

Get a Microsoft Office 2024 Home lifetime license while it’s on sale for $114.97. Sale ends Oct. 15 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Convert files offline on your own computer with a Morphjet lifetime subscription on sale for $39.99 (reg. $79).

Opens in a new window Credit: Morphjet Morphjet Single Plan: Lifetime Subscription $39.99
$79 Save $39.01   Get Deal

Free online file converters make you upload your files to someone else’s server, and many of them limit you to a few files a day or add a watermark to the result. Morphjet is a desktop app that converts images, video, audio, documents, and archives on your own computer instead, and a lifetime subscription is on sale for $39.99 right now.

Morphjet reads files from your drive and writes the results back to that same drive, so nothing leaves your computer. Each type of conversion downloads its engine the first time you use it. After that, you can keep converting with the Wi-Fi off, whether you’re on a plane or working in an air-gapped office. You won’t need to make an account either. Install the app, enter your key, and start converting.

In total, Morphjet supports 2,911 conversions across images, documents, video, audio, ebooks, spreadsheets, and subtitles. That list includes iPhone HEIC photos and conversion from 21 camera RAW formats, although converting to RAW isn’t supported. Batch mode converts 5 files or 5,000 at once with no daily cap and no watermark. If an attachment has to fit under an email limit, you can set a target like 8 MB, and Morphjet picks the right quality setting for you. Watch folders automatically convert, rename, and file anything you drop into a chosen folder.

Morphjet also includes a full PDF toolkit for merging, splitting, rotating, compressing, locking, unlocking, and reordering PDFs. Its OCR tool turns scanned PDFs into searchable files without sending them anywhere. Local AI tools transcribe audio, upscale photos, and remove backgrounds on your computer instead of a cloud service. Before sharing a photo, you can view and remove GPS location, camera serial numbers, and owner names without re-encoding the image. An archive tool opens zip, 7z, tar, and rar files, including password-protected ones.

Get a Morphjet lifetime subscription on sale for $39.99.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Mini Tin is available for $34.98 at Amazon, considerably cheaper than the $59 price we spotted earlier this month.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Mini Tin $34.98 at Amazon
$69.95 Save $34.97   Get Deal

Getting hold of Pokémon's 30th Celebration Mini Tins without spending a fortune has become a lot easier since the expansion launched. After weeks of prices hovering around $50 or higher, new Amazon listings have brought individual tins below $35 for the first time.

As of Oct. 12, the Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Mini Tin (randomly selected from the 10 versions available) is now $34.98 at Amazon, with free shipping through its third-party sellers. That's the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the site (confirmed via price tracker camelcamelcamel), and $24.02 less than the $59 Amazon price we covered earlier this month.

This deal works out at around $17.49 per booster pack before accounting for the other collectibles included.

Walmart has gone one better, with Mini Tins now available for $31.99 through marketplace seller Petty Commodities. This undercuts Amazon by another $2.99, with free shipping estimated to arrive by Oct. 20 at the time of writing. Just be aware that Walmart lists these as non-returnable.

SEE ALSO: The Pokémon TCG Delta Reign Elite Trainer Box is close to market price at Amazon — buy for under $140

Each Mini Tin comes with two 30th Celebration booster packs, a sticker sheet, a matching Pokémon art card, and a code card for Pokémon TCG Live.

There are 10 designs to collect altogether, with their respective art cards combining into two larger scenes. Both Amazon and Walmart are selling these tins at random, so you won't know which design you're getting until it arrives.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Poster Collection is on sale for $51.98 at Amazon, down from its $66.93 typical price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box $51.98 at Amazon
$66.93 Save $14.95   Get Deal

The 30th Celebration Poster Collection has been one of the more affordable ways to get into Pokémon's anniversary expansion, especially compared to the bigger boxes. After some decent discounts at Walmart in September, one of Amazon’s sellers has now offered a new record low. 

As of Oct. 12, the Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Poster Collection is available for $51.98 at Amazon, down $14.95 from its previous $66.93 price. This 22% discount through third-party seller Gem City Supplies comes with free shipping, estimated between Oct. 19 and 23, and a handy 30-day refund/replacement policy.

That's cheaper than Walmart’s sale price of $57.77 and the lowest price Amazon has ever offered, confirmed by the price tracker camelcamelcamel.

SEE ALSO: The Pokémon TCG Delta Reign Elite Trainer Box is close to market price at Amazon — buy for under $140

For the money, you'll get three 30th Celebration booster packs of trading cards, three foil promo cards featuring Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, and a double-sided poster showcasing artwork from over 160 cards in the expansion.

To check out what valuable Pokemon chase cards you can pull (including the $6,000+ RGB Rare Mew), you can buy almost every single 30th Celebration card at TCGplayer.  

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign 3-Pack Blister is available to preorder for $42.93 at Amazon, but Walmart is cheaper at $39.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign 3-Pack Blister $43.49 at Amazon
  Get Deal

With Delta Reign preorders now appearing across major retailers, Pokémon TCG collectors don't have to spend hundreds on a Booster Display Box to get packs ahead of launch. The go-to triple pack of boosters has finally hit Amazon, Walmart, and TCGplayer at or below market price — with some prices better than others. 

As of Oct. 12, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign 3-Pack Blister is available to preorder for $39.99 at Walmart, sold and shipped by third-party seller T. Gaming. At the time of writing, free delivery is currently estimated for Nov. 18, 12 days after the expansion’s Nov. 6 release date. 

If you want yours earlier, Amazon has the same blister listed for $42.93 through third-party seller Collectors Expedition — $2.94 more than Walmart, but estimated to arrive earlier on Nov. 10.

SEE ALSO: The Pokémon TCG Delta Reign Elite Trainer Box is close to market price at Amazon — buy for under $140

At Walmart's price, you're effectively paying $13.33 for each of the three Delta Reign booster packs, with an additional Seel promo card included. That’s 19 cents cheaper per pack compared to the $13.52 price we’re seeing for single boosters on TCGplayer. You can think of the Seel promo as a free bonus.

As standard, each pack provides 10 trading cards from the titular Delta Reign expansion — 135+ cards revolving around Mega Rayquaza ex and other powerful Mega Evolutions, like Mega Golurk ex, Mega Malamar ex, and Mega Golisopod. 

You know how security experts always tell you to be careful about posting your private (and especially private financial) data online? Yeah, what do they know. Elon Musk knows better.

Over the weekend, whilst explaining to X users how the company's AI helper Grok can do the shopping for them, Musk suggested that they should simply feed the AI a photo of their credit card.

"To buy stuff, you can just take a picture of your credit card, drop it in the chat and Grok @Bot will scour the Internet for the best deal on the item you want and order it," Musk wrote.

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The X community soon reacted with a community note that says what most people already know.

"xAI explicitly warns users not to include personal information in prompts, yet credit card photos may contain such information. Grok Bot's terms state that user data and credentials may be stored in its cloud environment and require human review for financial transactions," the note said.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

When asked by a users whether this was "totally safe or stupid and dangerous," Grok itself called it "neither," but did warn people they should "not drop an actual credit card photo."

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk to rename SpaceXAI as SpaceXSI

The replies ranged from memes (so many memes) and people asking Grok for Musk's credit card to folks taking it a step further and (ironically) recommending sharing your entire DNA sequence with the bot.

Anyways, it's all fun and games until you really start trusting a trillionaire's advice and post photos of your credit card online. Don't do that, folks.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier for who watch football.

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: Capitol sports

• Green: Famous Georges

• Blue: Nicknames

• Purple: Dribbling

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: DC Sports Teams

• Green: Georges

• Blue: Nicknames of NFL Cornerbacks

• Purple: ___Dribble

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 #749 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• DC Sports Teams: CAPITALS, COMMANDERS, SPIRIT, WIZARDS

• Georges: FOREMAN, GERVIN, KITTLE, SPRINGER

• Nicknames of NFL Cornerbacks: KOOL-AID, PS2, SAUCE, SPOON

• ___Dribble: CROSSOVER, DOUBLE, SEAL, SPEED

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 yesterday'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 October 12, 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 October 12, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for October 12 Pips

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

Greater Than (8): Everything in this space must be greater than 8. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed horizontally.

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for October 12 Pips

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

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

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

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

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 4-5, placed horizontally.

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

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for October 12 Pips

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

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

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

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

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

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically; 3-6, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Provider.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

GIVER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Greek letter.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 12, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GAMMA

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Relish.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 12, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Oct. 12, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

SAVOR

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Celtic priest.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

DRUID

Final Hurdle hint

Overturn.

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

UPEND

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 Moon is slowly starting to make its way back into the sky. Just a small crescent is visible for now, but it will continue to grow over the coming nights.

What is today's Moon phase?

As of Monday, Oct. 12, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waxing Crescent phase, with 3% of its surface visible.

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 completes an orbit around Earth in roughly 29.5 days. During that time, its position changes relative to the Earth and Sun, altering how much of the Moon's illuminated surface is visible to us. This produces the familiar lunar phases, beginning with a thin crescent and progressing through the quarter phases before reaching a Full Moon. The sequence then repeats as the Moon continues its orbit. According to NASA, the phase visible from Earth is determined by the Moon's changing position in relation to both 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.

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 October 12, 2026 Condition meaning

The physical state or situation that a person, animal or object is in.

Shape meaning

The external boundary, outline or surface form of an object, distinct from color, texture or material.

Situation meaning

A combination of circumstances, conditions or events happening at a particular time and place.

State meaning

A condition or way of being that exists at a particular time

Bear meaning

To accept or put up with something painful, difficult or unpleasant

Handle meaning

To put up with or tolerate stress or pressure.

Stand meaning

To endure something difficult, unpleasant or painful.

Weather meaning

The short-term state of the Earth's atmosphere at a specific place and time, measured by factors like temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation.

Abbreviation meaning

A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used to represent the full version.

Contraction meaning

The act or result of becoming smaller, shorter or reduced

Elision meaning

The omission of a sound, syllable or word in speech or writing, often to make pronunciation faster, easier or to fit a poetic meter.

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Nickname meaning

An informal name used instead of a person's, place's or thing's real name

Alkylamide meaning

An organic compound made by combining a fatty acid chain with an amine group.

Calamari meaning

The culinary term for squid.

Mandarin meaning

The most widely spoken form of the Chinese language.

Melamine meaning

A white, crystalline organic compound with the chemical formula C₃H₆N₆ that is widely used to manufacture durable plastics.

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.

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

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

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you can handle anything.

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 October 12, 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: Position

• Green: Put up with

• Blue: Cut it short

• Purple: State shortenings

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Status

• Green: Tolerate

• Blue: Word shortenings, often

• Purple: Words made using U.S. postal abbreviations

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 #1218 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Status: CONDITION, SHAPE, SITUATION, STATE

• Tolerate: BEAR, HANDLE, STAND, WEATHER

• Word shortenings, often: ABBREVIATION, CONTRACTION, ELISION, NICKNAME

• Words made using U.S. postal abbreviations: ALKYLAMIDE, CALAMARI, MANDARIN, MELAMINE

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 yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you're talkative.

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 October 12, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: In a manner of speaking

The words are related to language.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe how people talk.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Turn of Phrase.

NYT Strands word list for October 12

• Dialect

• Lingo

• Turn of Phrase

• Vernacular

• Jargon

• Parlance

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Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love to sing.

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 October 12, 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.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Carol.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

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 Y.

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...

YODEL

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 yesterday's Wordle.