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SAVE $161.99: As of Sept. 9, the Garmin Venu 3S is on sale for $288 at Amazon. That's a 36 percent discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin Venu 3S $288 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $161.99   Get Deal

The Garmin Venu 3S is designed to track both your workouts and everyday activity, with features that cover everything from steps and heart rate to sleep and exercise. And, as of Sept. 9, it's currently available at its lowest price to date. Normally priced at $449.99, you can buy this fitness tracker for just $288 right now, saving you over $160. Not only is that a hefty discount, but according to price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is also a new low price for this watch.

It's available in four color options: French gray, sage gray, ivory, and pebble gray, although the only one available at this price is the French gray. For the others, you'll need to pay $11 more.

This Garmin watch includes several health and activity features, such as Body Battery, which takes factors like sleep, naps, stress, and workouts into account when estimating your energy levels. Sleep tracking provides a daily sleep score, along with information such as HRV status and personalized coaching.

And, of course, several sports functions let you track every kind of workout, from runs and swims to Pilates and hikes. You'll also get Workout Benefit, a feature that shows how an exercise session affects your body and recovery time, which estimates how long you may need to recover before your next workout.

Head to Amazon now to get this new low price on the Garmin Venu 3S.

An AI researcher has quit Anthropic due to ethical concerns, claiming that the technology could kill countless people within the next 10 years — if not everyone. Jacob Coxon announced his resignation in a post on X on Tuesday, criticising both Anthropic and his former employer OpenAI for the ways in which they are developing AI.

"I spent the last three years doing pretraining research at both OpenAI and Anthropic," wrote Coxon. "Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives."

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Both Anthropic and OpenAI have been rapidly developing and releasing new AI models as they work toward creating artificial general intelligence (AGI). Long considered the holy grail of AI technology, an AGI model would theoretically have the intellectual capabilities of a human, including reasoning, common sense, and creativity. An artificial superintelligence would surpass humans.

However, even before such milestones have been reached, there have already been multiple instances of AI models going rogue. Earlier this year, researchers testing Anthropic and OpenAI's AI models observed them act outside their parameters and hack into external organisations without authorisation. In a high-profile incident this July, an OpenAI model autonomously hacked Hugging Face, an open-source library of AI tools. At around the same time, Anthropic's Claude AI model accessed the internet from within a testing environment without authorisation, then went on to hack three other companies.

Combined with the increasing use of AI across every industry, including in weapons and surveillance, such developments have prompted serious concerns.

"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade," Coxon wrote. "This is not a marketing stunt. If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible — but I hear the same people express fear privately. No other human activity poses this level of danger."

Yet despite this grave hazard, AI companies continue to forge ahead at top speed. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has said superhuman AI could be here by 2027, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes it will develop AGI before the end of the year.

"A common response is 'if they truly believe this, why are they still building it?'" said Coxon. "At OpenAI, many have not deeply internalized the civilizational stakes. At Anthropic, the stakes are well-understood, but they are locked in a race to get there first — they believe no one else will act responsibly, so they must do it themselves, despite the risk."

As such, Coxon called for AI researchers to examine the ethics and implications of their work, and to advocate for change.

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While Coxon's warnings are dire, they don't appear to be baseless. Responding to his X posts, Anthropic team lead Even Hubinger confirmed that the company believes AI poses an existential threat to all human life, but has no clear strategy in place to mitigate it. 

Hubinger does consider the current risk low — at least for the next few years. However, he cautioned that the danger lies in AI models continuing to autonomously improve themselves until they evolve into a superintelligence, which "is happening faster than we thought."

"Jacob is correct here — we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans!" Hubinger wrote. "I personally think it is >10% within the next decade. I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to."

Ethical concerns about AI have prompted several resignations

Coxon is far from the first person working in AI to quit due to ethical concerns. Anthropic's safety lead Mrinank Sharma previously resigned in February, stating that the world is "in peril" from AI, bioweapons, and other interconnected crises.

"We appear to be approaching a threshold where our wisdom must grow in equal measure to our capacity to affect the world, lest we face the consequences," Sharma wrote in his widely circulated resignation letter at the time. "Moreover, throughout my time here, I've repeatedly seen how hard it is to truly let our values govern our actions. I've seen this within myself, within the organization, where we constantly face pressures to set aside what matters most, and throughout broader society too."

That same month, AI researcher Zoë Hitzig quit her role at OpenAI, stating in a New York Times opinion piece that she had "deep reservations" about the company's advertising strategy.

"For several years, ChatGPT users have generated an archive of human candor that has no precedent, in part because people believed they were talking to something that had no ulterior agenda," Hitzig wrote. "Users are interacting with an adaptive, conversational voice to which they have revealed their most private thoughts... Advertising built on that archive creates a potential for manipulating users in ways we don’t have the tools to understand, let alone prevent."

Even back in 2024, Jan Leike left his position as an executive at OpenAI, claiming that it was prioritising "shiny new products" over safety. Though he swiftly joined Anthropic, it appears as though the company is also struggling to grapple with the ethical issues surrounding AI.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

In Apple TV's new thriller Last Seen, police dispatcher Ian Ridley (Patrick Brammall) still grieves the disappearance of his young daughter, Maggie. By the time the show begins, it's been 11 years since she went missing. Yet in Last Seen's two-episode premiere, a series of curious events brings her case right back into the public eye.

SEE ALSO: 'Ted Lasso's latest cameo is proof of Season 4's identity crisis

First, residents of the fictional Australian town Port McKenna discover the remains of a young girl in a nearby forest. Then, Ian receives a call from a teenage girl he believes to be Maggie, now all grown up. So, what really happened to Maggie? Was she killed and left to rot in the woods? Or has she survived right under Ian's nose for 11 years? In its first two episodes, Last Seen lays its cards fully on the table and reveals exactly where Maggie is. However, there are still several mysteries to uncover.

Here's what happened to Maggie, along with the biggest questions Last Seen still has to answer.

Where is Maggie? Chloe Jean Lourdes in "Last Seen." Credit: Apple TV

For much of Last Seen's first episode, Ian and his ex-wife, Debbie (Jessica Wren), agonize over whether the discovered remains could be Maggie's body. By the episode's end, they don't have a definite answer on whether they are or not, but the audience does. We know that Maggie is still alive, and that she's living on what appears to be a small homestead.

The reveal comes in the episode's final moments, when cleaner Henry Reid (Brendan Cowell), whom we meet briefly earlier on, arrives home to his wife, Jenna (Maxine Peake). Their daughter, Sarah (Chloe Jean Lourdes), heads out to check on the chickens. As she makes her way through the gardens surrounding the house, the show cuts between her and police sketches that show Maggie's hypothetical age progression. Their version of teen Maggie matches up almost perfectly with Maggie, meaning that she's alive and well.

If you had any doubts, episode 2 confirms this further. Quick flashbacks show that during Sarah/Maggie's early days at Henry and Jenna's farm, she carved her nickname "Mags" into a wall in the garden.

Who are Maggie's kidnappers, Henry and Jenna? Maxine Peake and Brendan Cowell in "Last Seen." Credit: Apple TV

Henry and Jenna still remain somewhat of a mystery. We know that Henry is a cleaner at the police station, and that he's the brother of Donald Reid (Daniel Henshall), Ian's friend and a key figure in his journey to stay sober. In their first scene together in episode 1, Donnie mentions that he'd love to see "Sarah," but Henry is cagey, suggesting he and Jenna keep her under a tight watch.

SEE ALSO: 2026 fall TV preview: Every show you should know about

Their tight grip on Maggie becomes even clearer in episode 2, which reveals that Henry and Jenna have an comprehensive alarm system in place and don't let outsiders — not even neighbors! — through their gate. Nor do they let Maggie outside their compound.

Apparently, Maggie's been raised to believe that, as "people of faith," she and her (fake!) family are under fire from the outside world. If she were to leave, the government would take her away and force her to attend school. These outlandish claims suggest that Henry and Jenna are religious fundamentalists, perhaps verging on cultists, who use their belief as a means of controlling Maggie and covering up their crime.

Why did Henry and Jenna kidnap Maggie?

So now we have the "who" of who kidnapped Maggie, along with the "where" of her current location. However, we still don't know the "why." Perhaps it all ties back to their religious fervor. Maybe they they believed they "saved" Maggie from a family of "non-believers."

Who is the Jane Doe in the woods?

By the end of episode 2, Last Seen confirms through DNA evidence that the body in the woods is not Maggie, but rather a Jane Doe. While that closes the case on Maggie, it still raises a ton of questions: Who was this child, and why was she discovered in Maggie's pajamas?

Maybe she was another kidnapping victim of Henry and Jenna's who passed away, and they dressed her in Maggie's clothes to convince others Maggie was dead. Or, on an even more upsetting level, perhaps she was Henry and Jenna's own child, and they've raised Maggie as a replacement. Whatever the answer, it's bound to be bleak, and Last Seen definitely has more twists up its sleeve.

New episodes of Last Seen premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.

"Did you miss me?"

So speaks Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), Ted Lasso's lovably arrogant striker. In the show's fourth season, he's no longer a Richmond Greyhound. Instead, his stardom has reached new heights in Barcelona, leading him to launch an apple vodka brand. (The branding is Adam and Eve-themed, naturally.)

Jamie's vodka launch is one of the centerpieces of Ted Lasso Season 4, episode 6, which is also the show's take on a New Year's special. However, while New Year's would be the perfect time for the Apple TV series to look to the future, it remains frustratingly stuck in the past.

SEE ALSO: 'Ted Lasso' Season 4 review: Women's soccer is just what this show needs

When Season 4 first launched, a common concern among critics was that a fourth season of Ted Lasso — which had ostensibly ended with Season 3 — had no purpose. From my perspective, the purpose seemed clear: to examine women's sports in tandem with their meteoric rise around the world. But as the season rolls on, it's become increasingly evident that Ted Lasso only views its women's sports angle as window dressing to bring the old gang together and rehash tired old storylines.

Why, three years after Ted Lasso first packed up its cleats, are we still spending time on the unfunny, unsettling relationship between Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and Jane (Phoebe Walsh)? Why has the show trapped Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley (Juno Temple) in a labyrinth of hackneyed rom-com plotlines? Even Jamie's appearance, likely a one-episode event before he returns to Barcelona, screams that the show has little idea of what to do this season other than ruminate on what came before. (Credit where credit is due: This self-reflection can occasionally work, as evidenced by the sweet discussion between Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and Michelle (Andrea Anders) in episode 6.)

SEE ALSO: When is 'Silo' Season 4 coming out?

Still, there is one very clear, very obvious place Ted Lasso can be focusing all the energy it's spending on dredging up the past, and that is Richmond's Lady Greyhounds. The show has invested a lot of time in Coach Alice (Tanya Reynolds), and thank goodness for that, because Reynolds is giving a dynamite deadpan performance that's the perfect foil for Ted Lasso's trademark optimism. If the show gets too saccharine, you can always count on her to cut through the sweetness.

Annelise Heywood, Rex Hayes, Jude Mack, Abbie Hern, and Tanya Reynolds in "Ted Lasso." Credit: Apple TV

The same can't be said for the rest of the team, though. Most players have one or two identifying characteristics. Gemma (Abbie Hern) is a law student by day, elite striker by night. Lizzie (Faye Marsay) is a single mother. Boots (Jude Mack) never wears her goalie gloves. Siobhan (Rex Hayes) and Niamh (Aisling Sharkey) are twins whose favorite activity is bickering. But Ted Lasso needs to go deeper with these characters to truly make them stick.

Think of all the chances Ted Lasso has missed to help us get to know the Lady Greyhounds better. On a broader level, the show highlights the sexism female athletes face, but it never acknowledges very real issues like the pay gap between men's and women's soccer players. How does this impact the relationship between the Lady Greyhounds and their male counterparts?

Think of all the chances 'Ted Lasso' has missed to help us get to know the Lady Greyhounds better.

There are several missed opportunities for more granular character work too. During her tryout, Lizzie talks about being unable to find childcare for her son, and at the New Year's party, she mentions paying for a babysitter. Other than that, Ted Lasso doesn't spend much time examining how her newfound pro footballer status has impacted her relationship with her son. Elsewhere, both Gemma and Niamh have extra reason to be heartbroken after Richmond's close to Chelsea: Gemma because of a missed goal, Niamh because she scored an own goal while trying to deflect a shot. Yet Ted doesn't sit either of his players down for a one-on-one "be a goldfish"-style pep talk the way he did with Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) during a Season 1 scrimmage. Instead, he gives a pep talk to the entire team.

That's one of Ted Lasso's biggest problems with the Lady Greyhounds so far: treating them solely as a collective, instead of a group of individuals with rich potential. Yes, not all of the male Greyhounds were too deeply defined, but the grand majority had personalities beyond just yelling at one another. Perhaps Ted Lasso is just playing the long game with its Lady Greyhounds and will further develop them this season, but with only four episodes left, that possibility seems unlikely.

The lack of depth to the Lady Greyhounds is just one part of Ted Lasso Season 4's biggest problems. In an effort to tell a story about the future of women's sports and reunite fans with beloved characters from the first three seasons, Ted Lasso has spread itself far too thin. Now, it's in the middle of an identity crisis, caught between what the show once was and what it could be. If it could just return to basics by focusing on its core team and ditching the supersized episodes, maybe it could rekindle some of that Season 1 magic. Until then, it's been one own goal after another.

New episodes of Ted Lasso premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.

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TL;DR: Get AdGuard’s Family Plan lifetime license for $14.97 (reg. $169.99) through Sept. 10 at 11:59 p.m. PT, with parental controls and malware protection built in for up to nine devices.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $14.97
$169.99 Save $155.02   Get Deal

School’s back in session, and so are the tablets, laptops, and phones every kid in the house suddenly needs for homework. More devices online means more exposure to malicious ads, sketchy pop-ups, and content parents would rather filter out. AdGuard’s Family Plan covers it under a single license for $14.97, paid once.

Instead of setting up filtering and protection on each kid’s device separately, one AdGuard license applies the same rules everywhere it’s installed. It’s the kind of thing that’s easy to set up once and forget about for the rest of the school year.

What the lifetime ad blocker covers:

• Filters inappropriate content with built-in parental controls

• Checks sites against known phishing and malware lists in real time

• Removes ads, pop-ups, and autoplay video

• Strips tracking scripts that build a profile of browsing activity

• Covers up to 9 devices across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android

• One-time purchase, lifetime access

For parents who’d rather manage one dashboard than juggle separate settings on every kid’s device, this is for you.

Activate a lifetime AdGuard Family Plan license for $14.97 before Sept. 10, and get every device in the house covered without configuring each one on its own.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Can you see anything in the sky tonight? The Moon is approaching the New Moon phase, so only a small sliver of light should be visible.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Wednesday, Sept. 9, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in Waning Crescent phase, with 4% of its surface visible.

Tonight's only real feature is the Grimaldi Basin, which should be visible with a telescope or binoculars.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on September 26.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon's appearance gradually changes as it travels around Earth, completing a full lunar cycle in approximately 29.5 days, NASA tells us. What we see from Earth depends on the Moon's position in relation to the Sun, which affects how much of its illuminated side is visible. As the cycle progresses, the Moon passes through a series of phases, from a thin crescent to a half Moon and then a Full Moon, before starting over.

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.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you like to eat and drink before a football game.

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: BBQ equipment

• Green: Iconic Super Bowl athletes

• Blue: Seahawks stadium history

• Purple: Rearranged NFL teams

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Tailgating Needs

• Green: Super Bowl MVPs

• Blue: Names of Seahawks Stadiums

• Purple: Anagrams of NFL Teams

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 #716 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Tailgating Needs: CHAIRS, COOLER, GRILL, TENT

• Super Bowl MVPs: BRADY, BRANCH, EDELMAN, WALKER

• Names of Seahawks Stadiums: CENTURYLINK, KINGDOME, LUMEN, QWEST

• Anagrams of NFL Teams: BANGLES, SABRE, TAR PITS, TREELESS

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 September 9, 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 9, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for September 9 Pips

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for September 9 Pips

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally.

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

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for September 9 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed vertically.

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

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

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.

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

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

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

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically; 0-6, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.

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

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

Number (13): Everything in this space must add up to 13. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 5-1, placed horizontally.

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

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 9, 2026 Bewildering meaning

Extremely confusing.

Esoteric meaning

Super niche, only understood by those in the know.

Incomprehensible meaning

Impossible to comprehend.

Opaue meaning

The blocking of radiant or something that's hard to explain.

Microbrewery meaning

Boutique brewery that makes craft beer.

Minivan meaning

Small passenger van.

Nanotechnology meaning

Materials that can be assembled at an atomic or molecular level.

Picosecond meaning

One trillionth of a second.

Arachnophobia meaning

Fear of spiders.

Halloween meaning

October 31. Also, the title of a famous slasher movie franchise.

IT meaning

A pronoun used to refer to a lifeless thing or a person of unknown sex. Also, the name of a famous Stephen King novel.

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.

Saw meaning

A power tool with toothed blades. Also, the name of a famous horror franchise created by James Wan.

Brute meaning

An adjective used to describe one's physical strength.

Electromagnetic meaning

Magnetism developed by a current of electricity.

G meaning

Symbol for gravitational, not to be confused with "g" for grams.

Task meaning

Work or an assignment that needs to be completed. Can assemble a group of people to complete.

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 yesterday's Connections.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you like cars.

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.

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

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.

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

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 6, 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: Unintelligible

• Green: Sounds small

• Blue: Fright Night Classics

• Purple: Invovles a little force

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Hard to Understand

• Green: Words with "Small" Prefixes

• Blue: Horror Movies

• Purple: Words before "Force"

Play our Big Guessing Game: Make your predictions now for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. Time's running out!

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 #1186 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Hard to Understand: BEWILDERING, ESOTERIC, INCOMPREHENSIBLE, OPAQUE

• Words with "Small" Prefixes: MICROBREWERY, MINIVAN, NANOTECHNOLOGY, PICOSECOND

• Horror Movies: ARACHNOPHOBIA, HALLOWEEN, IT, SAW

• Words before "Force": BRUTE, ELECTROMAGNETIC, G, TASK

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 involve a shady areas.

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 9, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Over and out(side)

The words are related to sun coverings.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe things found in a garden or park that provide shading.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is diagonal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Sun and Shade.

NYT Strands word list for September 9

• Gazebo

• Pergola

• Pavillion

• Canopy

• Arbor

• Bower

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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 like to go fast.

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 9, 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 9, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

An energy boost.

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 B.

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...

BURST

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.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve opened Google Maps, typed in my destination, and blindly followed the blue arrow as if it knows my life inside out. Whether I’m rushing to pick my daughter up from her drawing class or trying to find a new restaurant, I usually let Maps take over. But recently, I realized I’ve been using Google Maps the same way I did when I first installed it. It turns out I was leaving several underused features untouched. If you want more from Google Maps, go through the settings below. They might make you realize how much more Maps can do beyond basic navigation.

For years, Netflix remained steadfast in its belief in putting its biggest original movies on the service and only allowing small theatrical windows for its awards-season contenders. That mindset is slowly starting to change, as Netflix will allow larger theatrical rollouts for its originals. The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth will receive a two-week IMAX release this Thanksgiving, and Narnia: The Magician's Nephew will get a wide theatrical release starting in February 2027.

If you want a fast, stable connection, and you want to do it properly, you go wired. We all know this, but just because wired is the right answer doesn't mean there's no wrong way to do it. If you traipse one long cable all around the house and out to the annex, you may hit a wall you didn't know existed. Ethernet has a hard distance ceiling, and once you pass it, things will start going wonky.

I'm probably guilty of making Excel spreadsheets more complicated than they need to be, but I have one rule I keep coming back to: if I'm going to build a PivotTable, I want to actually enjoy using it. The basic summary is useful, but a few small additions can make a surprisingly big difference.

Last week, the White House unveiled a new government website called Arcade.gov, which hosted five web-based games that promoted President Trump's agenda. Following accusations of racism and veiled threats of potential legal action, only four of those games are now visible on Arcade.gov.

"Build the Wall," a Tetris clone that promoted an anti-immigrant ideology and challenged players to  "protect the border from the coming horde" is no longer on the Arcade.gov website.

The White House launched the arcade website last Thursday through a series of social media videos spoofing classic game console opening screens from companies like Nintendo and Sega. The five playable games on the site were all knockoffs of titles like Flappy Bird.

SEE ALSO: 4 things we learned from the 'Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' Nintendo Direct

However, the website's Tetris clone, "Build the Wall," received the most attention for its virulently anti-immigrant messaging.

Just one day later, the team behind Tetris issued an official statement distancing itself from the game and floating potential legal action.

"At Tetris, we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them," Tetris said in a statement posted to its official social media accounts. "To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community."

"P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of 'Build the Wall'," the statement continued. "P.P.S. We take copyright infringement very seriously."

It's unclear if The Tetris Company officially took action against the White House's knockoff puzzle game. However, it does seem that the threat spooked the Trump administration enough to have the game removed.

Apple's big "Surprise and Shine" event is almost upon us. One of the big announcements is almost certainly going to be a foldable iPhone, a first for Apple. But what will the phone actually be called?

No one knows yet at the time of publication, but there have been multiple names used regularly by tech media and rumor-mongers over the years. With mere hours to go until Apple shows off its latest wares, let's go over the most commonly used names for the foldable iPhone, and talk about which one is most likely to be correct.

SEE ALSO: Apple's first foldable: What 3 years with a Fold taught me Foldable iPhone: All the rumored names

On the even of the iPhone launch event, there are three names that most commonly come up in reporting around the unreleased device:

• iPhone Fold

• iPhone Ultra

• iPhone Duo

We asked Mashable readers what they expect the device to be called in our Big Guessing Game, and 27 percent guessed the iPhone Fold, with another five percent guessing The Fold. Another 38 percent predicted the name would be the iPhone Ultra, with the final 30 percent choosing "Something else" as their answer.

For a long time, iPhone Fold was the name we used in articles about the rumored device. Makes sense, right? It's an iPhone that folds, after all. However, there are good reasons to explain why Apple would probably not use that name in practice. For starters, Samsung's foldables are also known as "Fold" devices, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Samsung certainly doesn't have exclusive rights to use the word "Fold" as a proper noun, but Apple most likely doesn't want to confuse customers or draw direct comparisons to other devices. That's why I'm inclined to believe the phone is not called the iPhone Fold.

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For most of the last several months, we've been going with "iPhone Ultra" in our reporting. That didn't come out of nowhere. Well-connected Apple reporter Mark Gurman said on X earlier this year that most Apple employees call it that internally, for example. MacWorld also reported that Apple is working on a new "Ultra" product tier that this phone would theoretically belong to. It really, really seems likely that the device is called iPhone Ultra, without the 18 numbering that the other new iPhones will have. But we'll have to wait and see.

That said, there have been some vague rumblings online that it might be called the iPhone Duo. It doesn't seem like there's a lot of firm reporting suggesting this, but it's definitely in the air as we get closer to the event. I would not be surprised at all if Apple pulled a minor bait-and-switch and went with Duo after months of basically everyone agreeing that it's Ultra.

We've also seen lots of variations on these themes, with possible names such as the iPhone Ultra Fold, or the iPhone 18 Ultra.

In less than 24 hours, we'll know for sure, one way or another.

Apple usually hosts an iPhone launch event in September, but this year's event is shaping up to be a lot more interesting than normal. For starters, it's the first event of the post-Tim Cook era, with new CEO John Ternus taking center stage. Apple's tagline for the event — "Surprise and Shine" — also points to unexpected twists. We'll find out what's in store at 1 p.m. ET Sept. 9, when the event livestream kicks off.

So, while we've been working hard to bring you all of the latest iPhone 18 rumors and news, we also asked Mashable readers to predict what's going down at the Apple event. In round three of the Mashable Big Guessing Game, we asked readers about price hikes, new devices, and more.

On the eve of the event, let's break down the answers from the Mashable Big Guessing Game: Round 3.

Question 1: Where in Apple Park will John Ternus first appear during the event broadcast?

Apple has made great use of its Apple Park campus in past events like WWDC. So, will John Ternus make his first appearance on a keynote stage, harkening back to the Steve Jobs days, or in front of the Apple rainbow arch, like his predecessor Cook?

Half of our readers expect Ternus to first appear on stage, which would be a big departure from recent precedent, as Apple has long since ditched the live keynote format. If he does make his first appearance on the roof of Apple Park, then 8 percent of Mashable readers called it.

Question 2: The iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a starting price closest to ____:

Thanks to the global memory shortage, smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles are all getting more expensive, and iPhone price hikes are all but inevitable. While 16 percent of you optimistically predicted the iPhone 18 Pro Max would cost $1,199 (the same as the iPhone 17 Pro Max), 77 percent predicted a higher starting price, with readers split on whether it would be a $100 or $200 price increase.

Question 3: If Apple announces a foldable phone, what will it be called?

The foldable iPhone is the biggest open secret in Silicon Valley right now, but we still don't know its official name. (We've been calling it the iPhone Ultra.) The most recent rumors refer to the device as the iPhone Duo, but the truth is we don't know yet.

If the device is called the iPhone Duo, then the 30 percent of readers who guessed "Something else" will have gotten this question right.

Question 4: Will Tim Cook make an appearance during the main keynote?

We're very curious to see if there's an official passing of the torch moment at this year's "Surprise and Shine" keynote. Interestingly, a majority (65 percent) of Mashable readers do expect Cook to make some type of appearance.

Question 5: To the nearest minute, how long will the main keynote last?

We asked this same question ahead of WWDC 2026, and no Mashable readers got the answer exactly right. (That keynote was 76 minutes.) About 52 percent of our respondents predicted the Apple event livestream will last less than 60 minutes, which would definitely be on the shorter side. Another 23 percent of respondents guessed the livestream will last 91 minutes or more.

If you want to find out live, tune into the CNET Apple Event livestream, where Mashable and other sites in the CNET group will provide pre- and post-event analysis, with live reporting from Apple Park.

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A smartwatch can do far more than show notifications or count your steps, especially if it's connected to the rest of your smart home. Google's ecosystem has quietly turned the wrist-worn device into a surprisingly capable remote control, letting you interact with devices around your home without reaching for your phone.