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Given that Trump's administration recently placed fresh sanctions on the import of Russian oil and gas, it was something of a surprise when the US itself announced a diesel deal with Russia just weeks later.

Nobody was more baffled than Jon Stewart. Speaking in his Daily Show monologue above, the host digs into the reasons behind the deal using a Russian doll as a visual aid, removing a layer whenever he disagrees with something Energy Secretary Chris Wright says in its defence.

"Why would we motivate a group to sell diesel when we just put sanctions on them for selling diesel?" Stewart asks. "Doing the opposite within a month is insane, it's illogical, it's incoherent."

Stewart finishes with a mock call to Starlink customer service, in an attempt to get to the bottom of why the network recently slowed in Ukraine.

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TL;DR: Daily Red is a free, daily Pokémon battle game where everyone gets one chance a day to defeat Red on Mt. Silver. Red's team stays the same, but your lineup is randomly generated every 24 hours — forcing you to win with whatever random squad you're dealt.

If your morning browser routine already includes Wordle or the Mini Crossword, there is a new fan-made puzzle game making the rounds among Pokémon fans. Daily Red takes the most legendary boss encounter in franchise history and reimagines it as a fast-paced, tactical puzzle you can solve in under five minutes.

Instead of spending dozens of hours training a competitive squad, the game puts you right on top of Mt. Silver for a Level 100 showdown against Red. The catch? You do not get to pick your party. Every 24 hours, every player worldwide is handed the exact same randomly generated lineup of six Pokémon. Your job is to figure out how to pilot whatever unusual, bench-warming team you've been dealt to victory.

Is Daily Red an official Pokémon game?

No. Daily Red is an unofficial, free-to-play fan project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Game Freak, or The Pokémon Company. It runs entirely in your browser with no microtransactions, ads, or sign-ups required.

How to play Daily Red

Getting started takes zero downloads and no account registration. Here is the step-by-step breakdown:

1. Head to the site — Go to daily-red.com on your mobile device or desktop browser.

2. Inspect your squad — Click to begin your daily match at the peak of Mt. Silver. Once the fight starts, inspect your six assigned Level 100 Pokémon — checking their movesets, abilities, and type coverage — before locking in your first move against Red's lead Pikachu.

3. Outsmart Red — Defeat all six of Red's classic Level 100 Pokémon before he wipes your party out.

4. Share and track — Copy your spoiler-free results grid to share with friends, then return the next day to protect your streak.

Your win streaks and battle stats are saved directly to your browser's local cache. If you want to keep a long streak going, stick to the same device and browser for your daily battles. 

Daily Red relies on the same viral mechanics that made Wordle a massive hit: every player tackles the same daily puzzle, your wins are tracked through an ongoing streak, and you can share a color-coded grid of your results without spoiling the winning moves for others.

Knowing your enemy: Red's fixed team

While your party changes every single night, Red's team remains completely static. Knowing who he brings to the fight lets you plan your strategy before making your first move:

• Pikachu (Level 100 — always his starting lead)

• Espeon (Level 100)

• Snorlax (Level 100)

• Venusaur (Level 100)

• Charizard (Level 100)

• Blastoise (Level 100)

Because Red always leads with Pikachu, your first big tactical decision happens the second the match loads. Check your six assigned Pokémon to see who has the best matchup or immunity against an electric lead, then plan how you'll handle his bulkier threats like Snorlax later in the match.

The daily battle resets every night at midnight in your local time zone. A live countdown timer at the top of the site tracks how much time remains in the current window. Once the clock strikes midnight, everyone receives a brand-new randomized party to take on Red all over again.

SEE ALSO: Pokémon x Beats: Where to buy Pokémon collab that turns the Beats Pill into a Pikachu-themed speaker

Whether you get handed an overpowered legendary or find yourself trying to defeat a Level 100 Snorlax using a Luvdisc, it’s easy to see why Daily Red is blowing up across the Pokémon community right now.

If you have to be discreet about your quest for a hookup, you're probably going to put a lot of weight on a service that can protect your privacy and anonymity.

But in their quest to eliminate bots, spammers, and self-promoters, many modern dating apps have implemented verification technologies that make it harder to remain anonymous while you swipe left and right. That's where AdultFriendFinder and Pure come in. These two dating services, the first a website and the second an app, still allow their users a reasonable amount of anonymity while they search for like-minded singles.

Here's how AFF and Pure compare in their privacy features and the extent to which users can maintain their anonymity while using these services.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder   Learn More Opens in a new window Credit: Pure Pure   Learn More Signup requirements

When it comes to privacy concerns, the signup process is extremely significant, because it's the earliest stage at which a dating app or website can start collecting data from you. If privacy and anonymity are top concerns for you, it stands to reason that the less you have to divulge, the less you have to worry about. 

Both AdultFriendFinder and Pure allow faster sign-ins using either a Google account (AFF) or a Google, Facebook, or Apple account (Pure). If you're really concerned about privacy, the smart play here is to create a separate "burner" email account and use it during the sign-up process. 

For both services, the mandatory minimum data you must provide is very similar and is essential to ensuring your experience caters to your needs: date of birth (age), location, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Of course, any photos you upload or additional information you provide will also be stored on their servers.

SEE ALSO: Is AdultFriendFinder legit? Only if you can follow these 4 rules.

The one big difference between the two services is that, because Pure is an app and because it can access your phone's geolocation features, it can track you in real-time, either while you use the app or while you have it installed, depending on your phone's permission settings. While your exact location will never be disclosed to other Pure users, the app will know it, and other users will have a general idea of your proximity, but neither of these things should impose too much on your anonymity, especially if you live in a metropolitan area. 

Winner: Tie

Photo requirements

The next privacy concern comes from mandatory photo sharing. Both AFF and Pure require you to upload photos to your profile, but neither site forces you to show your face, so users who want to remain anonymous on both sites will often upload shots from the neck down or wear a hat and sunglasses to partially disguise their faces. 

The major difference here is that AFF allows nudity, including full-frontal nudity, while even suggested nudity on Pure can result in a temporary account ban. From a strictly privacy perspective, the less you share, the better, especially because if your anonymity is ever blown, the consequences would be worse if naked photos of you were part of the exposure, but sharing these is optional.

It should also be noted that both AFF and Pure offer optional photo verification, which involves sharing photos of your face, but AFF requires you to upload a government-issued ID, while Pure uses an AI-based verification system to match your photos to a live video of you taken from your phone's front-facing camera. From a privacy perspective, we prefer Pure's setup, but because this process is optional on both services, we're not prepared to give either service the edge in the photo requirements department. 

Winner: Tie

Messaging and communication 

If you're really privacy-minded, good news: Pure automatically deletes all chat communications between you and the person or people you're speaking to within 24 hours, unless both parties to the chat agree to turn off the timer. That same self-destruct feature applies to any media you send as well, so both photos and videos are erased within 24 hours. Additionally, you always have the option to manually Clear History or Leave Chat, both of which will instantly delete your chat history for both you and your speaking partner.

AdultFriendFinder is somewhat more complicated, as it offers both a one-on-one messaging platform like a standard dating site and forums, chat rooms, and live webcam feeds, so your security here is heavily dependent on how you use the site. 

SEE ALSO: 6 AdultFriendFinder features other hookup sites lack

One major difference between the two services is that if you delete your account on AFF, your entire chat history is still stored on the servers and remains visible to the people you were chatting with, whereas Pure deletes the chat history for both parties. Because of this, and its self-destructing messaging, we give the edge to the app. 

Winner: Pure

Premium account security

Privacy concerns heighten anytime you have to pay for something online, as not only are you at risk of being defrauded, but your personal information is often inextricably linked to your payment method. Worse still, both AFF and Pure really require premium accounts to get the most of these services, so you should expect to upgrade from the free account sooner rather than later.

Because Pure exists strictly in app form, however, you can only pay for the upgraded membership through your Google or Apple account, using whatever payment methods (debit or credit card) you have linked to your mobile device account. AdultFriendFinder, on the other hand, offers an expansive list of payment methods, including the usual (debit and credit cards) as well as money orders, gift cards, AirTM, and even SMS billing for UK residents. 

When it comes to protecting your privacy, paying with more anonymous options, such as gift cards, helps create an extra layer between your online activities and your data, compared to using your Google or Apple account. We give AFF the edge in this category.

Winner: AdultFriendFinder

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier for people who like the San Francisco 49ers.

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.

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 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.

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: 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: Get that outta here

• Green: Mountain West

• Blue: 49ers QBs

• Purple: Brodie

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Rejects a Shot

• Green: Mountain West Schools

• Blue: 49ers Career Passing Leaders

• Purple: Associated with Russell Westbrook

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 #757 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Rejects a Shot: BLOCKS, DENIES, STUFFS, SWATS

• Mountain West Schools: HAWAII, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, WYOMING

• 49ers Career Passing Leaders: BRODIE, GARCIA, MONTANA, YOUNG

• Associated with Russell Westbrook: 0, OKLAHOMA CITY, TRIPLE-DOUBLES, UCLA

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 20, 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 20, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for October 20 Pips

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

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

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

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for October 20 Pips

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

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

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally.

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

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally.

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

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for October 20 Pips

Greater Than (8): Everything in this space must be greater than 8. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed vertically.

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 5-5, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

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

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 3-3, 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 (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically.

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

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-3, 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 October 20, 2026 Close meaning

The finishing point of a period, event or speech.

End meaning

The final part, limit or conclusion of something in time, space or action.

Stop meaning

To finish, cease or pause an activity, movement or operation

Wrap meaning

To cover, fold, or wind paper, cloth or material around an object or person.

Minion meaning

A humble subordinate, servant or follower who obeys the orders of a powerful boss or leader.

Poodle meaning

A person who is too willing to obey someone else's orders or act as a submissive too.

Puppet meaning

Bite-sized pieces of battered and fried chicken or fish.

Stooge meaning

A person who is used, manipulated,or paid by someone else to do an unpleasant, dishonest or secret task

Arial meaning

A popular sans-serif font.

Bell meaning

A hollow, cup-shaped metallic object that makes a ringing sound when struck or triggered.

Dock meaning

A raised platform at a warehouse or industrial building used to load and unload trucks or freight trains.

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.

Mini meaning

Something that is very small, short or reduced in size, scope or importance compared to a standard version.

Chevron meaning

A V-shaped or inverted V-shaped figure, pattern or object.

Horseshoe meaning

A U-shaped metal plate, traditionally made of iron or steel.

Pencil meaning

A slender writing or drawing instrument with a solid pigment core.

Walrus meaning

A large marine mammal native to Arctic and subarctic waters.

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're obedient.

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 October 19, 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: Cease

• Green: Servant

• Blue: Facial hair

• Purple: Animated roles

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.

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Finish

• Green: Lackey

• Blue: Mustaches

• Purple: Homophones of Disney characters

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 #1226 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Finish: CLOSE, END, STOP, WRAP

• Lackey: MINION, PODDLE, PUPPET, STOOGE

• Mustaches: CHEVRON, HORESHOE, PENCIL, WALRUS

• Homophones of Disney characters: ARIAL, BELL, DOCK, MINI

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 like games.

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 20, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: 🦆🦆...🪿

The words are related games.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe child's play.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Duck Duck Goose.

NYT Strands word list for October 20

• Walk

• Chase

• Select

• Duck Duck Goose

• Playground

• Circle

• Game

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

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a taker, not a giver.

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 20, 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:

To snatch.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter W.

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...

WREST

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.

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.

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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

Suspicious.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

FISHY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Braid.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 20, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

WEAVE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Huge home.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 20, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Oct. 20, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

VILLA

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Contempt.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

SCORN

Final Hurdle hint

Oyster gem.

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

PEARL

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

College athletes already have practice, classes, and games on the calendar. At the University of California, Berkeley, there’s now a place to fit in a Twitch stream, too.

Cal has opened an on-campus production studio where student-athletes across all sports can go live on the school’s StreamU channel. Announced Oct. 12, the space has 10 hours of weekly programming planned, including workouts, teammate challenges, gaming sessions, cooking contests, and campus tours.

The goal is to help athletes turn their personalities and interests into an audience — and potentially new business opportunities.

From the field to the livestream

The studio is the first on-campus facility from StreamU, a college athletics livestreaming network created by NIL platform TheLinkU in partnership with Twitch. UnlimitedIRL built the space, while TheLinkU handles contracts, fund distribution, and reporting for the network.

Athletes have access to professional cameras, lighting, audio, and a video switcher for multi-camera broadcasts. There’s also a PlayStation 5 gaming lounge and portable equipment for streaming around campus.

"Every athlete has a story worth streaming, and the barrier shouldn't be technical," said Taylor Webb, chief of operations at UnlimitedIRL, in the announcement. "We designed the Cal studio so student-athletes can share their story with fans and go live with a professional, multi-camera show. That's the model we're bringing to every StreamU campus."

Why a Twitch audience matters for college athletes

The business opportunity sits within NIL, short for name, image, and likeness. It allows athletes to earn compensation through sponsored posts, endorsements, and promotional appearances, among other activities. The NCAA adopted its interim NIL policy in 2021.

Some athletes have already demonstrated the value of an online following. Livvy Dunne built a huge social media audience while competing for LSU and signed partnerships with brands including Vuori. Basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder similarly paired their college careers with social media success, signing a multiyear Under Armour deal in 2024.

"College athletes are content creators," said StreamU chief revenue officer Landon Goesling in the announcement.

For StreamU, that overlap could even bring college rivalries into gaming. "Eventually, what we want to get to is: If Berkeley is getting ready to play UCLA, their starting wide receiver may be streaming against the football player over at UCLA and promoting to all fan bases," Goesling told NBC News.

Regular streams also offer a way to introduce fans to new players. "There’s new kids every year [in college sports]. There’s turnover," he added.

SEE ALSO: Appeals court says Ohio and Tennessee can regulate Kalshi under gambling laws

Cal is the starting point, with studios also planned at the University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, Baylor University, and the University of Houston, according to the announcement.

That expansion raises a question about where content creation fits alongside athletes' existing commitments. Molly Harry, an assistant professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Sport Management, put it this way to NBC News:

"When does it become an opportunity and something that can be woven into more developmental components of who an athlete is, and when does it become this expectation or an informal norm that you have to be engaged in these spaces?"

Cal isn’t the first school to help athletes get comfortable in front of a camera. Clemson opened its Athletics Branding Institute in 2023, with photo and video studios, an audio suite, and space for media training. LSU's NILSU program offers "Content Days" where athletes learn to create for their social platforms.

Cal's approach puts that support into a regular livestreaming operation, with a dedicated Twitch channel and 10 hours of programming planned each week.

As more schools build out these spaces, it’ll be worth watching who takes the mic: athletes who already wanted to stream, or those who feel they can’t afford to sit it out.

One of the things I like the most about being a Linux user is the wide variety of perspectives and experiences people have on the OS. Earlier this year, I lost an important work machine to a misbegotten Windows update. So I committed to using Linux Mint and Debian 13 for my daily work tasks. I'd already been using Linux for personal stuff, but that botched update really made me go all in on Linux. Several HTG writers have done something similar. So I asked them what prompted them to make the switch (and what they switched to).

You Can See Everything has made it through its first weekend in theaters, and the internet is giddy.

Since Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s documentary on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes opened in the U.S. on Oct. 16, viewers have sent it climbing Letterboxd’s rankings, called it one of the best films they’ve ever seen, and even started making the case for a Best Picture Oscar.

The reactions are enthusiastic, to put it mildly. Even our entertainment editor Kristy Puchko called it, "mesmerizing and mind-bending."

SEE ALSO: Does 'You Can See Everything' live up to the hype?

Between the ratings, the posts, and an estimated $15 million opening weekend, here’s how the film is turning weeks of anticipation into an even bigger conversation.

Letterboxd ratings put it among the platform’s favorites

As of today (Oct. 19), You Can See Everything has reached a 4.71-out-of-five average on Letterboxd, overtaking the 1962 Japanese film Harakiri to become the platform’s highest-rated film.

Reception is similarly strong on Rotten Tomatoes, where the film holds a 98 percent critics' score from 126 reviews and a matching 98 percent verified audience score as of Oct. 19. And to complete the "ratings trilogy," its IMDb score reached 9.4 out of 10, making it the highest-scored movie in IMDb history.

But the written reviews give a more colorful picture of what’s driving that response.

"My mouth was agape for basically the entire last two hours," wrote one reviewer. Another added, "I genuinely don’t think I have ever had more fun watching a movie." As one reviewer wrote, "this is one of the most important works of art of the 21st century. I want more people to watch this than I want them to watch anything right now."

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Over on Threads, the recommendations are just as emphatic. "Holy shit 'You Can See Everything' is one of the best films I’ve seen in so long," one user wrote. "my mind is blown and left speechless," said another. And on X, one user wrote: "You Can See Everything is kind of like if a movie was the best movie of all time. A complete 3 hour electric factory, I was not bored for a moment. Entirely riveting storytelling."

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The three-hour runtime has also become part of the conversation. One Threads user described wondering whether they would stay focused for almost three hours, only to find that "the film becomes more riveting with every passing hour." Another X user praised the theater experience: "We were all locked tf in on it. And it’s 3 frickin hours long." One Threads user added, "the audience reacting the same way in the same moments made it that much better."

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Discussion isn’t all praise, of course. On Letterboxd, the 1/2-or-1-star reviewers found it "tedious and evil," "boring and painfully long," and a "mumbo jumbo, word salad, waste of time movie."

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The attention has also come with substantial ticket sales. You Can See Everything opened to an estimated $15 million from 855 theaters, according to Rotten Tomatoes' weekend box-office report. Excluding concert films, that makes it the second-biggest domestic documentary opening behind Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004.

With numbers and reviews like that, it makes sense You Can See Everything is getting some Oscar buzz. "It was a masterclass in film and SHOULD win best picture (not documentary)," one threads user wrote. "Not only should this be nominated for Best Picture, it should probably win," wrote a user on X. Awards site Next Best Picture ranks You Can See Everything No. 10 in its team’s Best Picture predictions, with seven of its 17 contributors predicting a nomination and one predicting a win.

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There's no rule stopping this from happening, necessarily. There is, however, a considerable historical hurdle: No documentary has ever been nominated for Best Picture. In The Playlist, awards writer Gregory Ellwood argues that enthusiasm alone may not overcome some voters' attitudes toward the format. "As with animated films, they believe those genres should be recognized in those categories," he writes.

The Oscar speculation has reached prediction markets, too. As of Oct. 19, Kalshi put You Can See Everything at an implied 18 percent chance of winning Best Picture and 76 percent for Best Documentary Feature.

SEE ALSO: Elizabeth Holmes prison sentence: When she might be released, latest case developments

We’ll have to wait to see whether Academy voters are as impressed as everyone on your feed. In the meantime, there’s already plenty to discuss — and almost three hours of movie to catch up on.

You Can See Everything is now playing in U.S. theaters.

West End Girl Lily Allen is partnering with a UK sex toy brand to launch a collection of sex toys — including a polka dot butt plug.

SEE ALSO: LELO just released its 2026 Couples Calendar and it's luxe AF

Allen hand-picked and tested each of the six products in Lovehoney's Love, Lily collection, according to a press release shared with Mashable. It features:

• Heart Duo: A dual vibe that offers both clit sucking and "licking," contained in a cute heart shape

• Womanizer Enhance: A sleek clitoral vibrator that comes in four colors

• Peach: Another adorable option, and another clit sucker

• Lovehoney Pleasure Trip Wand: A silicone, wand vibrator option for those who like rumbly vibrations over sucking sensation

• Butt Plug: In Allen's signature polka dots, and a play on a merch item from her tour (it also vibrates!)

• Enjoy Advent Calendar: A 24-day calendar featuring many of Lovehoney's offerings, from vibrators to lube

Allen tried out Lovehoney toys while on her tour, which she said was "the perfect time to decide on the collection because when I had a little down-time, it was a nice way to relax and unwind," she said in the press release.

"The butt plug was a reference on the album that we then made into a limited collection of USBs, which became a really popular collector's item. So we thought it would be fun to make it properly and launch it almost a year to the day since we released West End Girl," she added.

Credit: Lovehoney Credit: Lovehoney

Lovehoney's marketing director, Steve Thomson, said in the release, "For this collection, Lily tried the range herself and chose the products she genuinely loved. We hope it gives people an accessible starting point to explore their own pleasure, whether they already know what works for them or are only just beginning to find out."

And it's not the first time the singer has launched a sex toy. In 2020, Allen and Womanizer teamed up to release a clit sucker called Womanizer Liberty.

After using a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE for a good while (more than three and a half years, if I remember correctly), I switched to a Pixel 10 Pro in March 2026. So far, I’m mostly enjoying the ride, but the Pixel experience feels limiting in ways that really rub me the wrong way, and it lacks some features I took for granted on my Galaxy and now miss dearly.

If you're looking for affordable yet capable power tools, there are two main options to consider: Ryobi at Home Depot and Kobalt at Lowe's. Both brands constantly release new products for fans, and if you're into the Kobalt ecosystem, we've seen several exciting new tools hit the shelves in recent weeks.

I'm not a programmer, so all I can do is watch the events unfolding in the world of coding. Since the first programmable computers, there probably hasn't been a bigger shake-up in software development than the advent of AI-powered vibe coding. It's a little ironic that programming as a human activity is being threatened (or at the very least transformed) by AI.

Thanks to the popularity of card games like Pokémon, the trading card business has boomed into a multi-billion-dollar industry — and criminals want a piece of the action.

Case in point, collectors who sent their valuable trading cards to PSA, or Professional Sports Authenticator, to get their cards graded were shocked to find an email in their inbox on Monday letting them know that their cards had been stolen while in shipment. Images of the email went viral on social media, and a PSA spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that thieves targeted "a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items."

"After leaving our PSA facility in South California, a FedEx vehicle transporting PSA orders was burglarized, and items were stolen," reads an email from the company posted by victims online. "Unfortunately, this theft affected your order."

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Mashable has reported on the intense Pokémon collectibles market, one of the biggest draws in the trading card games (TGC) community, where resellers already make it difficult for everyday players to get their hands on new releases. Sports cards are also in high demand, and rare individual cards have sold for millions of dollars.

In the collectible world, grading a card means getting it authenticated by a professional who also assesses the condition of the item, which could greatly boost its resale value on the aftermarket. PSA is viewed as the industry leader in sports and hobby card grading.

To give an example of just how much could've been stolen in the alleged FedEx truck heist, one X user claimed they had sent cards worth more than $100,000 to PSA for grading — and they were all stolen.

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According to PSA, the company took action once they were made aware of the incident. The company deactivated certificates of stolen items and notified commerce partners of serialized items so that they could be traced.

PSA stated that they are working closely with FedEx and law enforcement to help the investigation.

In a statement provided to Mashable, PSA said that their "facility was not impacted." 

"A third-party carrier vehicle was burglarized after leaving our facility; PSA did not have the impacted items in its possession at the time," the company said.

As for customers who had their cards stolen, PSA said they will compensate them for the stolen items in the order based on their "fair market value up to the Maximum Insured Value."

A PSA spokesperson provided a statement to Mashable as well:

We are aware of a theft involving a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items. We are working closely with law enforcement and the carrier as the investigation continues. 

We have deactivated the certificates for the stolen items and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized items. Our customer service team has contacted affected customers directly and is arranging compensation based on fair market value. 

We understand the impact this has on collectors involved, many of whom see these cards as far more than a financial asset. Our team is focused on supporting them. We take this incident seriously, and we will continue working with law enforcement to hold those responsible accountable.

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SAVE $77.50: As of Oct. 19, Amazon has the Dyson Supersonic Nural on sale for just $372.49 (normally $449.99) in strawberry bronze/blush pink. That's a 17% savings and its lowest price of the year so far.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson Supersonic Nural (Strawberry Bronze/Blush Pink) $372.49 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $77.50   Get Deal at Amazon

Retailers are slashing prices on Dyson hair care tools ahead of the holidays. ('Tis the season: They make great gifts.) Last week, I caught a better-than-Black Friday clearance deal on a Dyson Airwrap i.d. with attachments for curly and coily hair. Now, Amazon has a special-edition Dyson Supersonic Nural on sale for its lowest price all year.

The "strawberry bronze/blush pink" variant of that fancy hair dryer is marked down to $372.49, which is 17% off its usual retail price of $449.99 — a savings of about $78. According to camelcamelcamel, an Amazon price-tracking site, it's only $23 away from its all-time low price from last Black Friday.

Don't count on this Supersonic Nural getting any cheaper for Black Friday 2026. In fact, it will probably sell out long before then: Strawberry bronze is a limited-edition Dyson colorway from late 2024, and the only two other retailers that still carry it are Macy's and Nordstrom; both were low in stock at the time of writing.

Look at you, strawberry bronze, fields rolling on. Credit: Dyson

The Supersonic Nural is a sleek three-speed hair dryer with built-in sensors that constantly measure its temperature to make sure it's not frying your locks. Unlike the regular Dyson Supersonic, sans "Nural," it lowers its temperature when you use it close to your scalp and remembers your preferred heat and speed settings for different attachments. It comes with five, including a diffuser, styling concentrator, wide-tooth comb, flyaway smoother, and a "gentle air" attachment.

Amazon's Supersonic Nural deal comes courtesy of its sixth annual Holiday Beauty Event, which is live now through Nov. 1. If you're not in love with strawberry bronze, I also saw Woot, an Amazon-owned deals site, selling an orangier "amber silk" Supersonic Nural for $379.99 (or $70 off).