Quordle today – my hints and answers for Sunday, December 22 (game #1063)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1063) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1063) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1063) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1063) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1063) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• D

• S

• P

• C

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1063) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1063, are…

• DOUBT
• SLURP
• PAPER
• CIVIL

A tricky one today. I was doing really well until I guessed PAGER and PAVER ahead of the far more obvious PAPER.

Still, sometimes getting things wrong can help you out and the rare letter V helped me correctly solve CIVIL in the bottom right.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

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Daily Sequence today (game #1063) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1063, are…

• SHOVE
• DANCE
• GUSTO
• STEEP

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1062, Saturday 21 December: STRIP, BUDGE, SAPPY, SHELF
• Quordle #1061, Friday 20 December: PENAL, EAGLE, DILLY, QUITE
• Quordle #1060, Thursday 19 December: JEWEL, GNOME, TRAMP, IDLER
• Quordle #1059, Wednesday 18 December: LITHE, BIRTH, HUMID, ROBOT
• Quordle #1058, Tuesday 17 December: DOING, ENJOY, SNAKY, AMPLE
• Quordle #1057, Monday 16 December: HYDRO, CREAM, CHIDE, SLIME
• Quordle #1056, Sunday 15 December: DROVE, STILT, LINEN, GIANT
• Quordle #1055, Saturday 14 December: SPIEL, ONSET, TIGER, DITTO
• Quordle #1054, Friday 13 December: ERECT, REBAR, MOIST, IDIOM
• Quordle #1053, Thursday 12 December: MILKY, CRIER, STORK, DRIER
• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE

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NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Saturday, December 21 (game #293)

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #293) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Keeping the faith

NYT Strands today (game #293) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• MELT
• STEEP
• MORE
• SEEP
• SEED
• PREY

NYT Strands today (game #293) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Places of worship

NYT Strands today (game #293) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 4th row

Last side: left, 6th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #293) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #293, are…

• ABBEY
• TABERNACLE
• MOSQUE
• TEMPLE
• MONASTERY
• SPANGRAM: SACRED SPACES

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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Today’s theme was an obvious one, but for one fleeting moment I thought Strands could be paying tribute to the Northern Soul musical movement of the 1970s, whose slogan was Keeping The Faith.

The scene is quite an anomaly in the history of British music and was centered around a handful of SACRED SPACES (night clubs) in northern English towns, which put on all-nighters playing rare soul records – and the rarer the better. Despite being relatively short lived it had a huge legacy, thanks to the music and the passion and fervour of its followers.

Right, Strands done, I’m off to listen to Tainted Love.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 20 December, game #292)

• LOOP
• FLAKE
• CHARM
• SMACK
• PEBBLE
• CRUNCH
• CHEERIO
• SPANGRAM: CEREAL

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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Google Chrome is testing a new AI tool that scans for scams to help save you from online trickery

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• Google Chrome is testing a new AI-powered scam detection feature
• It seemingly uses an on-device Large Language Model (LLM) to maintain user privacy
• AI-driven safety tools, including scam detection, help to fight the rise of AI-powered threats online

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The world’s most popular browser, Google Chrome, is experimenting with a new AI-powered tool designed to help you avoid online scams.

The feature is currently being tested and apparently uses AI tech, specifically a Large Language Model (LLM) on the device, to analyze web pages and determine if they seem suspicious or scam-related.

This development was spotted by Leopeva64 on X, who regularly highlights web browser features which are being tested. What they actually discovered was a flag that can be enabled called ‘Client Side Detection Brand and Intent for Scam Detection,’ which is present in the latest version of Chrome’s experimental browser, Canary.

It looks like Chrome will also use AI to detect scams, there's a new flag in Canary that suggests this:https://t.co/uQb84zbqeW pic.twitter.com/7CyK5y4gtODecember 19, 2024

The new flag leverages an on-device LLM to investigate the content of any given web page and figure out what it's trying to do, and whether that content falls in line with the website’s supposed purpose or brand.

This is explained in the flag’s description, which reads: “Enables on-device LLM (large language model) output on pages to inquire for brand and intent of the page.”

(Image credit: Robinraj Premchand from Pixabay)

On device is key to privacy

One key detail about this process is that it uses an on-device LLM, which means that the analysis of web pages happens on your device (as opposed to in the cloud somewhere, which would involve sending your browsing data to a third-party). In short, this means your data will stay private.

To try this feature out, you would have to install the latest Google Chrome Canary release, which is not something I’d generally recommend, unless you’re really keen (if so, you can follow Neowin’s advice on how to enable the new flag).

This is the latest in a series of AI-powered tools coming to Chrome, which also includes a ‘Store reviews’ feature that’s currently in testing. This capability uses AI to summarize reviews from platforms like Trustpilot or ScamAdvisor, helping users quickly check if an online store is reliable.

As ever, we don’t know if features in testing will make it through to release, but it’s likely these will - Google is keen on building out AI powers for its browser, and I expect we’ll see this scam warning system rolled out before too long. Unless the Google Chrome team finds some good reasons to go back to the drawing board.

Even though Chrome is the dominant web browser by a long way, Google shouldn’t rest on its laurels, and I think it’s very savvy of the company to keep improving its browser to stay in pole position. And with scammers and hostile actors now having AI-powered tools at their disposal, it’s good to see Google (hopefully) bringing LLMs in to help defend Chrome users from the unwanted attention of these nefarious types.

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Bluesky just made it harder for someone to steal your name, but verification is still a challenge

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• Bluesky updated its slim verification system
• Domains remain critical
• It's also adding Mentions

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Bluesky's soaring popularity as the social media platform of the moment has been somewhat hamstrung by frustrating verification problems. Simply put, there's no official verification system in place, at least not the traditional Blue Check you can find on Instagram, Threads, X, and TikTok. But now the distributed platform has made one relatively minor change that could have a big impact on protecting everyone's names from handle squatters.

In a relatively small update (1.96) released on Thursday, December 19, Bluesky announced that if you change your Bluesky handle to a domain name, the original handle, which might also feature your full name, will be reserved for you. You don't have to use it, but the old handle will never expire and, therefore, never fall into someone else's hands. It's the equivalent of forever ownership of site domains, which doesn't exist. If you stop paying for your website domain, it will go back on the market, and anyone else can take it.

In the case of Bluesky, the focus on domains is important because this is how Bluesky verifies accounts or at least provides a form of verification for account holders. Bluesky explains in a blog post, "On Bluesky, you can set your website as your username. This is one form of verification on Bluesky, and it's our version of a 'blue check.' We highly recommend that official organizations and high-profile individuals do this."

Get a domain check

Bluesky explains how to do this in the post and I walked through the process for myself here. In my case, my handle went from lance.ulanoff@bsky.social to @lanceulanoff.com. I already own my domain, but if you don't, Bluesky is now offering to search for and secure a domain for you.

It can be a little confusing because other social platforms seemingly make it easier, allowing you to verify full names and other custom handles. Bluesky is not, though, your average platform; it's built on the AT Protocol, the benefit being that your profile and social media activity are not owned by Bluesky and are actually portable to any platform built on that protocol. However, AT Protocol is designed to use domains for identification in part because it's a strong verification signal.

Bluesky's system still lacks a visual cue that a handle is verified, though. Of course, if you see a domain, well, you know it is. Even so, who doesn't like a Blue Check?

Bluesky did introduce a couple of other small updates, including a Mentions tab, which, yes, is reminiscent of other micro-blogging social media platforms. It lets you split your notifications into posts that specifically mention your handle.

Even as all these platforms grow (Threads just hit 300M users, Bluesky has around 25 million), these platforms become increasingly alike. As I continue to run X, Threads, and Bluesky, I sometimes struggle to tell which platform I'm in.

Surely, not all three can survive, and while I can't guess which platform wins, Bluesky is making the right moves to remain in the running.

You might also like

• Bluesky doesn't verify but there is a way to prove you are you – here's how
• The Bluesky hype explained – how it compares to Twitter
• I wasted my day on Bluesky Social and no, I'm not sorry
• I tried out this extension to bring my followers from Twitter

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NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Friday, December 20 (game #292)

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #292) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Morning morsel

NYT Strands today (game #292) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• CROP
• ELOPE
• FACE
• SACK
• PURE
• FEAR

NYT Strands today (game #292) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Breakfast bowl

NYT Strands today (game #292) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #292) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #292, are…

• LOOP
• FLAKE
• CHARM
• SMACK
• PEBBLE
• CRUNCH
• CHEERIO
• SPANGRAM: CEREAL

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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The oldest commercial breakfast CEREAL Grape-Nuts doesn’t figure in today’s list of pulverized oats, tempered rice, toasted corn, defatted wheat germ and puffed wheat, aka CEREAL, and its many ultra-processed mouth-feels.

Of course, many cultures would never consider eating multi-colored cereals for breakfast – not even Grape-Nuts, which have managed to retain their air of sandal-wearing outdoorsy good health 127 years on – consuming eggs, rice, or meat-based meals instead. Recently I lasted all of two days following a diet plan that recommended salad for breakfast.

Despite its bad reputation, cereal isn’t always the worst option. Once when I was at a hostel in Amsterdam, I was given the following items for “breakfast”: a crispbread, a small box of chocolate sprinkles, and a can of Heineken. Give me a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch any day.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 19 December, game #291)

• GLAM
• METAL
• PROGRESSIVE
• GRUNGE
• PUNK
• ALTERNATIVE
• SPANGRAM: ROCKING

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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Google plans on a handy fix for all those duplicate Chrome tabs, but it's only for Android

• Google for Android has a new feature for duplicate tabs
• It archives duplicate tabs and displays the most recent one
• It's available in Chrome Canary right now

Avid Google Chrome users often grapple with juggling multiple tabs, especially with duplicate tabs. On the desktop browser, there’s the battery saver and memory saver features to mitigate the massive memory costs of all the open tabs but Android browser users haven’t had a proper option until now.

According to Chrome researcher @Leopeva64 from X (formerly Twitter), the latest Chrome Canary build has a new feature that, when switched on, will automatically archive duplicate tabs. If you have several tabs duplicating information, Chrome will archive the older ones and leave the most recent one in the tab switcher. This is only for the Android version of the browser, with the process remaining manual on the desktop version.

Keep in mind that this is still only usable in Canary and therefore for only developers, meaning there’s no guarantee that it’ll be released globally as a stable build. That said, users can still install the Canary version of the browser and test out the feature for themselves.

What else is new with Google Chrome for mobile?

Google Chrome for Android isn’t the only mobile version that’s been getting attention. The iOS version has been getting plenty of love too. Back in November 2024, four upgrades were announced: improvements to Google Lens search, online shopping, and integrations with Google Drive, Google Photos, and Google Maps.

The Google Lens upgrade affects the search, which already lets you use a photo from the camera or your gallery, by letting you refine them with extra text. The second one is Shopping Insights, in which if you see a product in Chrome that Google knows is available online at a discount, it’ll display a "good deal now" notification in the address bar.

There’s also integration between Chrome for iOS and other Google services, allowing you to transfer files between them. Finally, the process of bringing up a map pop-up without actually opening Google Maps has been streamlined, only requiring a single tap.

That said, in typical iOS fashion it’s late to the party as Android already has these features. But better late than never right?

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Quordle today – my hints and answers for Thursday, December 19 (game #1060)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• J

• G

• T

• I

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1060) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1060, are…

• JEWEL
• GNOME
• TRAMP
• IDLER

Today’s experiment was to see if loading the board with Es would give me a head start.

It sort of worked, but I had to use the next two attempts with the other vowels – and getting very lucky with ANNOY, which gave me no other option than GNOME.

Despite this good start I was still sweating by the end. With my current run I’m beginning to wonder if it is ever possible to complete Quordle with a couple of spaces to spare.

Meanwhile, I’m hitting it out of the park with the Daily Sequence, so maybe I’m overthinking my tactics on the Classic version.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

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Daily Sequence today (game #1060) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1060, are…

• EMCEE
• STINK
• EATER
• AGAIN

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1059, Wednesday 18 December: LITHE, BIRTH, HUMID, ROBOT
• Quordle #1058, Tuesday 17 December: DOING, ENJOY, SNAKY, AMPLE
• Quordle #1057, Monday 16 December: HYDRO, CREAM, CHIDE, SLIME
• Quordle #1056, Sunday 15 December: DROVE, STILT, LINEN, GIANT
• Quordle #1055, Saturday 14 December: SPIEL, ONSET, TIGER, DITTO
• Quordle #1054, Friday 13 December: ERECT, REBAR, MOIST, IDIOM
• Quordle #1053, Thursday 12 December: MILKY, CRIER, STORK, DRIER
• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE

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