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The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

AcrossRoughly 20 million people in India, religiously

• The answer is Sikhs.

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

"No need to remind me"

• The answer is I know.

Insurance company whose mascot helped to solve a crossword in a 2025 ad

• The answer is Geico.

Ultra-masculine

• The answer is Macho.

Invite to enter

• The answer is Askin.

DownGreek "S"

• The answer is Sigma.

Swedish furniture stores

• The answer is Ikeas.

2026 N.B.A champion

• The answer is Knick.

Vietnamese revolutionary ___ Minh

• The answer is Ho Chi.

Faint after eye contact with one's crush, say

• The answer is Swoon.

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

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

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

SAVE $700: As of July 21, the LG 100-Inch Class QNED evo AI QNED84B is on sale for $3,299.99 at Amazon. That's a 17% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 100-Inch Class QNED evo AI QNED84B $3,299.99 at Amazon
$3,999 Save $699.01   Get Deal

If you’re looking to create a movie theater experience at home, a 100-inch TV is about as close as you can get. And as of July 21, the stunning LG 100-Inch Class QNED evo AI TV has dropped to its lowest-ever price, so you can achieve your goal for less. Normally $3,999, this TV is now down to $3,299.99 for a limited time.

It's a seriously high-quality TV, using Mini LED technology and Precision Dimming Pro to provide detailed images with brighter highlights, deeper blacks, and improved contrast. Its QNED Color Pro technology delivers a wide range of colors for a more vivid and accurate picture, while HDR10 Pro adjusts brightness to reveal details in both bright and dark scenes.

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And because it's powered by the A8 AI Processor 4K Gen3, the TV can analyze the content being watched and automatically optimize the picture and sound settings. It also supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Filmmaker Mode with Ambient Light Technology.

This impressive TV deal is available on Amazon right now.

SAVE $240: As of July 21, the Lexar 4TB NM790 SSD is on sale for $509.99 at Amazon. That's a 32% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lexar Lexar 4TB NM790 SSD $509.99 at Amazon
$749.99 Save $240   Get Deal

Modern games are getting bigger all the time, so having extra storage space is more important than ever. The Lexar 4TB NM790 SSD gives you a huge amount of storage space, while its high speeds keep loading times and transfer times short. Better still, as of July 21, it’s heavily discounted at Amazon, bringing the price down from $749.99 to $509.99.

This device is designed for gamers, professionals, and creators who need fast storage performance. It delivers read speeds of up to 7,400 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,500 MB/s. With a 3,000TBW endurance rating, it is built for demanding workloads, including gaming, content creation, and large file transfers.

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It uses Host Memory Buffer (HMB) 3.0 technology, enabling smoother data transfers and responsive performance without relying on a traditional DRAM cache. It is also designed to use up to 40% less power than PCIe Gen 4 SSDs with DRAM cache.

Plus, the single-sided M.2 2280 design makes it suitable for laptops and smaller, more compact systems. It's also compatible with the PlayStation 5, so it can be used as expanded storage for compatible games.

Get this deal at Amazon now.

SAVE $700: As of July 21, the Roborock RockMow X120H is on sale for $2,499.99 at Amazon. That's a 22% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: roborock Roborock RockMow X120H $2,499.99 at Amazon
$3,199 Save $699.01   Get Deal

Keeping your lawn looking neat and tidy doesn't have to mean spending every weekend behind a mower. Robot lawn mowers can take care of the hard work for you.

As of July 21, you can find a great deal at Amazon on the Roborock RockMow X120H. Right now, this model has dropped in price from $3,199 to $2,499.99. That's a $700 savings, plus the best-ever price for this mower.

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This Roborock robot lawn mower is designed to maintain lawns up to 0.49 acres without perimeter wires or an RTK base station. It uses 360° 3D LiDAR navigation and dual-camera vision mapping to create a 3D map of your yard. Once set up, everything is controlled through the Roborock app. On this, you can manage multiple mowing zones, adjust cutting heights, schedule mowing sessions, and monitor progress.

And if your outdoor space is more challenging, this model is perfect. It features an all-wheel-drive system capable of tackling slopes of up to 80% and obstacles up to 3.15 inches high. Its Active Steering System, suspension, and floating cutting deck help it maneuver across uneven terrain while maintaining a consistent cut.

Head to Amazon now to get this robot lawn mower deal.

Rhoda AI is betting the future of robotics starts with internet video, not lab data. We visited the company’s headquarters to see how its Direct Video Action model learns physics from hundreds of millions of clips.

SAVE $50: As of July 21, the 43-inch Samsung Class QLED Q7F Series TV is on sale for $297.99 at Amazon. That's a 14% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung 43-inch Samsung Class QLED Q7F Series $297.99 at Amazon
$347.99 Save $50   Get Deal

Looking for a new TV? If you head to Amazon now, there's a great deal on the 43-inch Samsung Class QLED Q7F Series. In fact, according to camelcamelcamel, it's currently down to its best-ever price, dropping from $347.99 to $297.99.

This TV uses Quantum Dot technology to deliver over a billion shades of color, helping keep things looking accurate and vibrant across a range of brightness levels. It also benefits from AI-powered picture and sound optimization that automatically adjusts settings based on the type of content being watched. And for older content, the 4K upscaling enhances lower-resolution content for a better viewing experience.

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You'll also get access to Samsung TV Plus. This means thousands of free channels and streaming apps are available at your fingertips, including news, sports, films, and entertainment.

We all know protecting your personal data is important, and Samsung knows this too, so this TV is equipped with Samsung Knox Security. This provides multiple layers of protection for your personal data, including PINs and passwords, while also helping secure compatible smart home devices connected through the TV.

This is a limited-time deal at Amazon, so don't miss out.

TL;DR: Sign up for T-Mobile Fiber 2 Gig for $70/month with Fiber AutoPay and get your first month free, plus a $100 virtual prepaid Mastercard for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile T-Mobile Fiber 2 Gig Get your first month free and a $100 prepaid card when you sign up for T-Mobile Fiber 2 Gig. Get Deal

T-Mobile is giving new fiber customers a reason to upgrade their home internet. For a limited time, customers who sign up for the Fiber 2 Gig plan can get their first month free, plus a $100 virtual prepaid Mastercard after installation.

The Fiber 2 Gig plan is $70/month with Fiber AutoPay (plus taxes and fees), saving you $10 compared with the standard $80/month price. The promotion applies to new T-Mobile Fiber internet lines and does not require a T-Mobile wireless plan.

How to get the T-Mobile Fiber 2 Gig deal

To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to:

• Sign up for a new T-Mobile Fiber 2 Gig internet line

• Complete your installation by the required deadline

• Keep your service active and in good standing

T-Mobile will include your first month of service, and the $100 reward will arrive as a virtual prepaid Mastercard after installation. The company says to allow up to 14 weeks for the card to arrive.

T-Mobile Fiber offers a 100% fiber internet connection with unlimited data, including the equipment and installation needed to get started. The Fiber 2 Gig plan comes with:

• WiFi router

• Professional installation

• Mesh WiFi extender if needed, based on installer assessment

• Exclusive T-Mobile Tuesdays perks

Because fiber connections use dedicated fiber lines rather than traditional cable connections, upload speeds can match download speeds, which is helpful for video calls, cloud backups, and transferring large files.

T-Mobile also offers lower-speed Fiber options, including Fiber 300 Mbps for $45/month with AutoPay. It includes unlimited data, a router, installation, and T-Mobile Tuesdays perks, but it does not qualify for the current Month On Us promotion.

Fiber 1 Gig costs $60/month with AutoPay ($70/month standard) and includes the first month on T-Mobile. It comes with a mesh WiFi extender if needed after installation.

What to know before signing up

The Fiber AutoPay discount requires payment with a bank account or debit card. Using another payment method means you’ll pay an additional $10/month.

The $100 reward comes as a virtual prepaid Mastercard that expires after six months. T-Mobile says the value of the card can be charged back if you cancel service within the first year: the full amount if you cancel within 180 days of installation, and 50% if you cancel within 364 days.

T-Mobile Fiber is also not available everywhere, and pricing can vary based on your service address. You’ll need to check availability before signing up.

The 2 Gig plan is the real draw here. Assuming T-Mobile Fiber is available where you live, you can get a month on the house plus $100 back.

Join JD as he breaks down exactly how to choose the right air purifier for your home without overspending. Learn how to match the perfect unit to your specific room size, budget, and air quality goals so you can breathe easier.

The best T-Mobile back-to-school deals for students: Best phone deal Samsung Galaxy S26 or iPhone 17 Free with T-Mobile Get Deal Best wearable deal Apple Watch SE3 Free with T-Mobile Get Deal Best budget phone deal iPhone 16e + $100 Mastercard Free with T-Mobile Get Deal Best tablet deal Galaxy Tab A11+ (New Tablet Line) Free with T-Mobile Get Deal Best budget phone plan deal Metro Unlimited 5G $20/month Get Deal Best home internet deal 5G Home Internet $35/month Get Deal

Back-to-school shopping is already expensive, and this year, tech upgrades aren’t getting any cheaper. Between the ongoing memory crunch (aka RAMageddon), higher hardware costs, and recent Apple price hikes on some products, finding a good deal on the gadgets students need matters more than ever.

Luckily, not every back-to-school tech upgrade has to hurt. T-Mobile’s latest offers are helping students and families save on the stuff they’re most likely shopping for, from free Galaxy S26 and iPhone 17 deals to tablets and home internet.

Before you start picking your new phone color, there’s a catch worth knowing about. These T-Mobile deals do come with a few strings attached. Depending on the offer, you may need to add a new line, pick a qualifying plan, or trade in an eligible phone to get the advertised price. Some savings are also delivered through monthly bill credits.

Best phone deal for students Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Free Samsung Galaxy S26 or iPhone 17 (New Line)   Get Deal

If you were already planning to upgrade your phone before heading back to school, this is one of T-Mobile’s biggest offers. New customers who switch their number can get a Samsung Galaxy S26 or iPhone 17 for $0 with qualifying plans, with the discount applied through 24 monthly bill credits.

You’ll need a qualifying T-Mobile plan, and depending on the offer, you may need to switch your number to get the full discount. If you cancel service before the credits finish, you’ll be responsible for the remaining device balance.

Best budget phone deal for students Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile Free iPhone 16e + $100 Mastercard   Get Deal

Metro by T-Mobile is offering the iPhone 16e for $99.99 upfront when you bring your existing number to its $50 per month AutoPay plan. After three months of service, you’ll also get a $100 virtual prepaid Mastercard, effectively covering the phone’s cost.

The iPhone 16e is Apple’s more affordable iPhone option, giving students access to features like Apple Intelligence support, a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, and a familiar iOS experience without jumping up to the price of a flagship model.

Best tablet deal for students Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile Free Galaxy Tab A11+ (New Tablet Line)   Get Deal

A tablet can be a pretty handy school sidekick, whether you’re downloading textbooks, taking notes, or giving your laptop a break. Right now, T-Mobile is giving the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 5G (128GB) away with a new qualifying tablet line.

The catch? The $289.99 price is covered through 24 monthly bill credits, so you’ll want to stick with the plan for the full promo period to get the complete discount.

Best home internet deal for students Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for $35/month   Get Deal

Moving off campus usually means adding one more thing to your budget: WiFi. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is down to $35 per month when bundled with a qualifying T-Mobile phone plan, saving you $15 per month.

New customers can also get a free month of service plus up to $200 back via virtual prepaid card, making it a great option for students moving into an apartment or anyone who wants simple setup without a long-term price surprise. Eligible plans come with a five-year price guarantee, so your monthly rate won’t change during that period (excluding certain fees and upgrades).

Netflix has released the official trailer for Australian period drama My Brilliant Career, and it looks like Eloise Bridgerton in the Aussie bush.

Based on Miles Franklin's classic novel published in 1901, the series follows aspiring writer Sybylla (Philippa Northeast), who is more interested in building her career than securing a good marriage. With no intentions on becoming a demure wife, she rails against her family's designs as well as societal expectations of her as a young woman.

However, despite Sybylla's ambitions, her plans for an independent life become endangered when she falls in love.

Written and produced by Liz Doran (Please Like Me), the series features Christopher Chung (Slow Horses), Anna Chancellor (My Lady Jane), Genevieve O'Reilly (Andor), Kate Mulvany (Hunters), Jake Dunn (Renegade Nell), Alexander England (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), Sherry-Lee Watson (Heartbreak High), and Miah Madden (The Clearing).

My Brilliant Career arrives Aug. 13 on Netflix.

Seth Meyers has put together a montage of crowds booing President Donald Trump, the latest such incident occurring last Sunday at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. With how often it's happened, Trump's probably gotten used to being booed by thousands of people by now.

"At this point I'm guessing Trump's staff tries to make him feel better by telling him he's just being followed around by ghosts," Meyers quipped.

Trump's approval rating has plummeted since his inauguration last year, with The Economist's polling finding that he is the most unpopular U.S. president since its tracking began in 2009. Sports fans haven't been shy about letting Trump know how they feel either, booing him at multiple events across his second presidential term. These included the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, 2025 US Open men's final, a NFL game last November, the NBA finals last month, and finally the recent World Cup final.

"If that montage gets any longer we're going to have to release it on DVD," joked Meyers.

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

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

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

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

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

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To entice.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

TEMPT

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To shed fluids.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BLEED

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Accurate.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 21 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

EXACT

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Loud.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

NOISY

Final Hurdle hint

Cunningly.

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

SLYLY

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

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

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

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

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

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

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To entice.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

TEMPT

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To shed fluids.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BLEED

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Accurate.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 21 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

EXACT

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Loud.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

NOISY

Final Hurdle hint

Cunningly.

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

SLYLY

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

It's the First Quarter phase of the lunar cycle tonight, which means the Moon is halfway between the New Moon and Full Moon phases.

Keep reading to see what you can spot on the Moon's surface tonight.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Tuesday, July 21, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in First Quarter phase, with 48% of its surface visible.

You won't need any visual aids to be able to spot the Mares Crisium and Fecunditatis. Binoculars will also help you to see the Endymion Crater, Posidonius Crater, and the Mare Nectaris. A telescope helps you see even more, including the Apollo 17 and 11 landing spots, and the Rupes Altai.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on July 29.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon takes roughly 29.5 days to complete its journey around Earth, passing through eight distinct phases during each lunar cycle, according to NASA. While the Moon’s same side is always visible from our planet, the portion of its surface lit by the Sun changes as it moves along its orbit. These shifting levels of illumination are what create the different appearances we see throughout the month, from a slender crescent shape to a half-lit Moon and finally a bright Full Moon, before the cycle begins once again.

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 watch the WNBA.

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: Olympic events

• Green: Rule violations

• Blue: Rooks

• Purple: Similar colors

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Summer Olympic Sports

• Green: Against the Rules in Soccer

• Blue: WNBA Rookies

• Purple: Things That Are Red

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 #666 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Summer Olympic Sports: EQUESTRIAN, FIELD HOCKEY, VOLLEYBALL, WATER POLO

• Against the Rules in Soccer: FOUL, HANDBALL, OFFSIDE, SIMULATION

• WNBA Rookies: BETTS, FAM, FUDD, MILES

• Things That Are Red: BOXING GLOVES, COACH'S CHALLENGE FLAG, DODGEBALL, GOAL LIGHT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 July 21, 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 July 21, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 21 Pips

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

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

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

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

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 21 Pips

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 4-2 placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally.

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

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 21 Pips

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

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

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

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

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

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 2-4, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically; 3-5, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

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

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 July 21, 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 July 21, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 21 Pips

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

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

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

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

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 21 Pips

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 4-2 placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally.

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

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 21 Pips

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

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

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

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

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

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 2-4, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically; 3-5, placed horizontally.

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

You've waited long enough for Apple's relaunch of Siri as an AI assistant, and now you can finally try out the Siri AI beta for iOS. But, psst, don't tell anyone, but there's even more Siri AI for you to try out with a secret Siri AI interface on Mac.

A Reddit user on the r/MacOSBeta subreddit has discovered a "hidden lightweight UI" for Siri AI in the macOS 27 Golden Gate beta. This feature basically provides users with an array of AI tools, presented in a pop-up menu whenever text is highlighted.

Reddit

The Siri AI pop-up interface includes AI tools such as Rewrite, Proofread, "How does this sound?," and "Edit with Siri." There are also menu options for summarization and providing bullet points from the selected text.

Siri AI can also provide a selection of specific tools dependent on the context of what's selected. For example, highlighting a phone number provides a pop-up to "Add to contacts" or when selecting an address the pop-up offers an "Open in Maps" option. There are tools for creating calendar events, composing messages and emails, and tracking flights and packages as well.

Why is the feature hidden? Well, as MacRumors points out, the Siri AI interface in macOS 27 developer beta 3 and public beta 1 is simply an unfinished product. Certain features don't yet work how they're supposed to. Some options don't work at all. Clearly, Apple has yet to make it available because it's simply not ready.

However, Reddit users say there is a way to turn the interface on in the macOS Golden Gate Beta. According to Redditor pdfu, if users running the macOS 27 beta simply need to open up the Terminal and input a few lines of code.

Please note: We do not recommend running terminal instructions or changing important OS files unless you fully understand what you're doing. We have not tested these terminal instructions, so proceed at your own risk.

sudo mkdir -p /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain && sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/WritingTools LightweightUI_macOS -dict Enabled -bool true

After that, the Reddit threat instructs users to restart their computer and the Siri AI interface will be enabled.

If you've had enough of the unfinished interface, you can turn it back off by once again opening Terminal and the following input:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/WritingTools LightweightUI_macOS -dict Enabled -bool false

It's unclear if the Siri AI interface will launch with the official version of the new macOS. However, it's certainly interesting to see Apple further brand its Siri AI relaunch as an all-in-one AI tool across the company's products.

While the rest of the world was watching the World Cup on Sunday evening, mathematician Levent Alpöge casually announced on X that he had used Anthropic's Fable 5 to disprove the Jacobian conjecture.

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The Jacobian conjecture is a long-standing open problem in algebraic geometry that's bedeviled highly accomplished mathematicians for almost 90 years. It was included in "Smale's problems," a list of unresolved math problems put forward by mathematician Stephen Smale in 1998.

But that proved no obstacle for Fable 5, Anthropic's latest frontier AI model. (You may remember Fable 5 as the public version of Claude Mythos Preview, the AI model that Anthropic says has such advanced cybersecurity capabilities that it was too dangerous for public release.)

Alpöge is part of Harvard's Society of Fellows, and his LinkedIn profile notes an affiliation with Anthropic. We've reached out to Anthropic with questions about Alpöge's work, and we'll update this story if we receive more information.

Meanwhile, for those of us who don't understand polynomial functions from n-dimensional space, the question is: Does this represent a major breakthrough in artificial intelligence, or mathematics, or neither?

"This did not cause me to update my priors about what AI can and can't do," professor and mathematician Andrew Blumberg told Mashable. "This is exactly the kind of thing I would expect AI to be able to do. If there was a counterexample that was concise and easy to state that people haven't found because it's a pain to search through all this stuff, AI will find it."

Blumberg has a joint appointment in mathematics and computer science at Columbia University and is on the board of directors of the First Proof project, an effort to test the capabilities of frontier large language models in solving research-level mathematics. So, it's safe to say he understands mathematics and AI better than most of us.

You want to learn something from the answer.

Blumberg affirmed that providing a counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture is still a significant achievement for AI in mathematics. But he also told us there's a big difference between providing a positive proof for a major math problem and providing a single counterexample that disproves it. Here's the metaphor Blumberg used to explain.

"Suppose that Moses came down from the mountain with tablets, and on the tablet was written, 'Cancer can be cured.' Would you care? You don't just want the answer to the question. You want to learn something from the answer. And the reason Smale thought this problem was important is because he thought that if we solved it, we would understand more things about the about the way nature is structured."

In other words, Blumberg says, "this counterexample tells us essentially nothing. It's just, you know, there are a lot of polynomials, and it's hard for people to check them all, but it's not hard for machines."

The Jacobian conjecture isn't the only math problem AI has cracked in recent months. OpenAI announced in May an "internal model" had disproved the Erdős unit distance conjecture, a central conjecture in discrete geometry.

However, in that case, the result was more productive, Blumberg says. That's because OpenAI didn't just provide a counterexample — but a disproof of the problem itself.

"The disproof there already has led to interesting things because experts in the area unpacked what was going on in the disproof and then used it to do other things," Blumberg says.

And that's not necessarily the case with the Jacobian conjecture counterexample, he adds. "I'm not an expert in that area, and so I can't say if there's something special about the structure of this counterexample that people will learn something from, but it's not in and of itself interesting."

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.

Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. can look forward to boldly going where no one has gone before, with Captain Pike and the crew of the Starship Enterprise in the fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds this Thursday. But before then, if you're hunting for a flick or two for movie night this week, I've got some primo selections below.