NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Wednesday, November 6 (game #248)

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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 #248) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Strumming right along ...

NYT Strands today (game #248) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• BLOAT
• GLEN
• THIS
• GLINT
• RISK
• LION

NYT Strands today (game #248) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Finger-pickin' good

NYT Strands today (game #248) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #248) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #248, are…

• GUITAR
• VIOLIN
• BANJO
• MANDOLIN
• UKULELE
• SITAR
• HARP
• SPANGRAM: STRINGY

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

One of my many regrets in life is that I never learned to play a musical instrument. If I had, it would definitely have been a guitar. I suppose it's not too late for me to change that, but for now I'll have to content myself with solving a Strands game about stringed instruments – or, as the spangram would have it, STRINGY. I didn't much like that as a spangram, but that aside this is a reasonable game, with several easy answers (GUITAR, VIOLIN) and a few that are possibly less common, depending on where in the world you are and what type of music you listen to (SITAR, HARP, UKULELE). I solved it without needing any hints, which is a far cry from yesterday's near-disastrous game – though Strands is typically so easy that I can't really imagine ever failing a game entirely.

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

---

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, 5 November, game #247)

• BAND
• CHOIR
• DRAMA
• DEBATE
• YEARBOOK
• ORCHESTRA
• SPANGRAM: AFTERSCHOOL

---

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.

https://ift.tt/9ULfPuH

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Tuesday, November 5 (game #247)

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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 #247) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… More than just sports

NYT Strands today (game #247) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• BEAT
• DART
• CHAT
• MARE
• DARE
• STORE

NYT Strands today (game #247) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• In the club

NYT Strands today (game #247) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First: left, 4th row

Last: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #247) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #247, are…

• BAND
• CHOIR
• DRAMA
• DEBATE
• YEARBOOK
• ORCHESTRA
• SPANGRAM: AFTERSCHOOL

---

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 6 hints

---

Well, this was a disaster. I needed six hints to solve today's Strands, which means I needed hints for every single answer bar the spangram, which I got at the end when there were no other words that could possibly fit. And really I had no idea what the theme was until very late on.

Part of the problem was that in the UK, where I am, several of these AFTERSCHOOL activities are not common – or at least have different names. I've never seen the likes of BAND, YEARBOOK or ORCHESTRA listed among my kids' after-school activities, anyway. DEBATE, CHOIR and DRAMA are there – plus dozens of sports and many other activities – but I didn't put them together to make the theme.

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

---

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 4 November, game #246)

• TICK
• MINUTE
• JIFFY
• FLASH
• MOMENT
• SECOND
• MOMENT
• INSTANT
• SPANGRAM: SMALLTIME

---

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.

https://ift.tt/fjn8lEt

Microsoft is so desperate for people to drop Google for Bing it’s offering a $1 million reward

As if Microsoft’s Rewards loyalty program couldn’t get any better; it’s offering a chance to win $1,000,000 (USD) if you make a transition from your current search engine to Bing - starting October 8.

It may sound too good to be true but as Windows Central reports, anyone in the United States, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Canada, France, and Germany has the chance of becoming a millionaire, just by browsing on Bing and entering the sweepstake for free.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has done this, with the possibility of earning points just by searching using Bing previously - but now the stakes are much higher, and it hardly requires any effort. You’ll instantly gain five entries when sharing your link with friends once they enter, increasing your chances of winning.

If you aren’t lucky enough to net the jackpot (there can only be one winner), ten more winners will receive $10,000, which isn’t too shabby!

Is this a sign of bigger rewards in the future?

While we’ve seen a plethora of gifts available to win via Microsoft Rewards before, none of them have been at this magnitude - it’s essentially a free lottery ticket, that only needs you to use your internet browser as normal. Of course, the catch is using Bing over Google (which is still behind Google in terms of usage) and waiting to see if you’re lucky enough.

This is a clear attempt by Microsoft to convince users to switch over to Bing, even if it’s only for the time being. Despite the big push for Bing to dethrone Google (especially with ads on Windows 11), the chances of this making a significant impact on the popular search engine are minimal - especially considering Google’s search functionality in comparison to Bing’s.

Will this work in the long run? Probably not, but it's certainly a great opportunity to showcase the benefits of the search engine such as AI searching capabilities (uses Open AI GPT-4 which has conversational capabilities), that could potentially retain users.

If the jump from rewards like Xbox Game Pass subscriptions to a $1 million prize is any indication, then we could be seeing Microsoft Rewards become far more generous in the near future than before. Sure, this might be a sign of desperation from Microsoft, but we’re not complaining.

You might also like...

• Curious about what’s in your photos, Windows 11 users? Soon you’ll be able to investigate with Bing reverse image search right from the Photos app
• Another day, another Windows 11 24H2 update bug – this time, Task Manager shows zero apps running
• Google News went down and I tried Bing News – I might never go back

https://ift.tt/BR8kuy2

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Monday, November 4 (game #246)

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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 #246) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… In a(n) ...

NYT Strands today (game #246) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• TOES
• DIAL
• FAIL
• TIME
• STAIN
• TOLL

NYT Strands today (game #246) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• It won't take long!

NYT Strands today (game #246) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First: top, 3rd column

Last: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #246) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #246, are…

• TICK
• MINUTE
• JIFFY
• FLASH
• MOMENT
• SECOND
• MOMENT
• INSTANT
• SPANGRAM: SMALLTIME

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

The subtitle to this Strands puzzle could easily be "Words you use when you tell someone you're going to do something immediately but really you're just going to finish scrolling through social media/complete this video game boss fight/watch the end of this episode/fail to raise yourself off the couch". Or at least that's my experience, because I am always telling people – mainly my other half – that I will get that washing up done in a SECOND, or walk the dog in a MOMENT, when really it's more a long or at least medium amount of time, rather than SMALLTIME as the spangram would have it.

None of that made this game any harder to solve – it's a pretty simple one – but playing it did delay the household chores I was supposed to be doing in a JIFFY, so it was at least apt.

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

---

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 3 November, game #245)

• CLASS
• PHYLUM
• ORDER
• FAMILY
• SPECIES
• GENUS
• DOMAIN
• SPANGRAM: TAXONOMY

---

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.

https://ift.tt/4bujcO0

Quordle today – hints and answers for Sunday, November 3 (game #1014)

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #1014) - 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 #1014) - 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 #1014) - 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 #1014) - 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 #1014) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• Q

• H

• E

• K

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

Quordle today (game #1014) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1014, are…

• QUIRK
• HEART
• ELBOW
• KNOWN

The puzzle setters at Merriam-Webster really threw the full gamut of Quordle complications at us today. KNOWN contains a repeated letter and also two uncommon letters in K and W, and also an uncommon spelling in the form of that KN at the start. ELBOW has a W at the end of the word, QUIRK has a very rare Q. On the plus side, none of the four words are obscure, at least.

Still, it was a difficult one, and I didn't make the task easier for myself by stupidly guessing BOWEL when the E had already been ruled out in that place. I nearly followed up with an also-impossible BELOW before taking a pause and spotting ELBOW. Phew!

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

---

Daily Sequence today (game #1014) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1014, are…

• FORGE
• OTTER
• SCOUR
• MIDGE

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST
• Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET
• Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND
• Quordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUID
• Quordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYP
• Quordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGO
• Quordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASIS
• Quordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART
• Quordle #1005, Friday 25 October: PRANK, EXIST, RUDDY, PICKY
• Quordle #1004, Thursday 24 October: DAIRY, RALLY, CURLY, LABEL
• Quordle #1003, Wednesday 23 October: DROSS, ANNEX, GRAVE, BROKE
• Quordle #1002, Tuesday 22 October: ADORE, SMITH, AFOOT, LUCID
• Quordle #1001, Monday 21 October: TREAD, NINTH, GRIEF, UNSET
• Quordle #1000, Sunday 20 October: CORAL, WHOSE, HEIST, SOAPY
• Quordle #999, Saturday 19 October: GUSTY, BROKE, ENJOY, HAZEL
• Quordle #998, Friday 18 October: PUPIL, MOCHA, EGRET, NATAL
• Quordle #997, Thursday 17 October: BUILD, BIRTH, LURCH, SASSY
• Quordle #996, Wednesday 16 October: EERIE, SMIRK, HUNCH, EMBED
• Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
• Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY

https://ift.tt/8Ym42ro

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Saturday, November 2 (game #244)

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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 #244) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Good on paper

NYT Strands today (game #244) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• LATE
• LAST
• STALE
• STARE
• PUFF
• CLIP

NYT Strands today (game #244) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Stationery cupboard

NYT Strands today (game #244) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First: left, 4th row

Last: 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 #244) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #244, are…

• PRINTER
• SCISSORS
• PENCILS
• STAPLER
• RULER
• SPANGRAM: OFFICESUPPLIES

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

As the father of teenage daughters I am well aware of all of the OFFICESUPPLIES in today's Strands. Not because they work in an office, obviously, but because they are at school and seem to get through about 20 RULERs and 50 PENCILS a year, constantly need me to help them use the PRINTER and still seem a little clueless about how to use SCISSORS or a STAPLER. Kids today, eh? Too much time spent in front of a screen, clearly.

My own parental issues aside, this was an easy Strands puzzle to solve. The theme clue provided a good push in the right direction, and when I found PRINTER by accident my course was duly charted. None of the words were had to think of, and only the rather long and complex spangram provided any real challenge.

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

---

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 1 November, game #243)

• QUEEN
• KING
• ROOK
• TIMER
• BISHOP
• PAWN
• KNIGHT
• BOARD
• SPANGRAM: CHECKMATE

---

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.

https://ift.tt/BMuIqEk

Apple buys popular photo editing app Pixelmator – and Photos could soon get a massive upgrade

---

• Apple has just acquired the popular photo editing app Pixelmator
• There won't be any changes to Pixelmator's app "at this time"
• The move could be a big boost for photo editing on iPhones and Macs

---

Apple has just bought the popular photo editing app Pixelmator – and that could be huge news for photo editing on iPhones, iPads and Macs.

The news was shared by Pixelmator in a surprise blog post, which says that it's "signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval". That approval is likely to be a formality, given Pixelmator is far from the biggest fish in the image editing pool.

If you're a Pixelmator fan, you don't need to worry about big changes for now – the app maker says there will not be "material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time".

However, it added to "stay tuned for exciting updates to come" and it's hard not look ahead to what Apple could do with the apps. The obvious parallel is Dark Sky, a relatively small startup that Apple acquired in early 2020, before folding it into its own Weather app.

It looks highly likely that Apple will do the same with Pixelmator's tech and its Photos app, which similarly exists on the iPhone, iPad and Mac. And that would be big news for photo editing on those platforms...

The new Aperture?

(Image credit: Future)

Apple once made a pro-level image editor and organizer called Aperture for the Mac, which existed between 2005 and 2015, when it was discontinued. This Pixelmator acquisition could potentially fill that hole – and also give Apple fans a powerful native alternative to the likes of Photoshop.

On the iPhone, many photography fans prefer Pixelmator to Adobe's apps. TechRadar contributor Paul Hatton recently wrote that the iOS app let him say goodbye to Photoshop, partly because it's designed specifically for iOS and iPadOS (so can take full advantage of Apple silicon).

We also rate Pixelmator Pro highly in our guide to the best photo editing apps for Mac, calling it a "great all-rounder" and better value than an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. If Apple does ultimately fold Pixelmator's tech into the Photos app, it could become even better value – perhaps even free, for Apple fans.

The potential for that move has understandably made Pixelmator fans a little nervous. Apple won't necessarily absorb Pixelmator into Photos, but it seems the most likely future scenario.

While Apple Intelligence does now power features like Clean Up for removing distractions from photos, the acquisition of Pixelmator suggests that Apple still thinks it's behind the likes of Google's Magic Editor and Adobe when it comes to native AI image editing and organizing.

That's certainly the case when you look at TechRadar's Phone of the year, the Google Pixel 9 Pro, but we could soon see Apple catch up

You might also like...

• This app let me say goodbye to Photoshop and I might be better off for it
• I tested Photoshop's new AI tool for fixing old photos – and it's seriously impressive
• I tested the Google Pixel’s Long Exposure photo mode – and it’s another reason to leave my pro mirrorless camera at home

https://ift.tt/bnNVLH7