NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Saturday, May 18 (game #76)

The weekend is the perfect time to play the NYT's Strands game, because you don't have to worry about work and can therefore dedicate as much time as you want to solving it! Unless you do work today, of course, which is quite possible. If so, I'm sorry for making you feel worse about that. Please take my hints for today's game by way of apology.

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Part of the equation

NYT Strands today (game #76) - hint #2 - clue words

What are some good clue words today?

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

• REEDY

• LEVER

• TALE

• CLAM

• DIVE

• LAME

NYT Strands today (game #76) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Summing it up

NYT Strands today (game #76) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First: left, 1st 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 #76) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #76, are…

• DIVIDE
• MULTIPLY
• CALCULATE
• SUBTRACT
• DERIVE
• SPANGRAM: MATHEMATICS

---

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

---

A surprisingly tough Strands puzzle today, considering there are limited options once you know what the theme is. Much of that difficulty comes from the fact that there are only five answers plus the spangram, and that almost all of them are quite long words that require some unpicking. Even those that aren't (DERIVE and DIVIDE are the shortest, at six characters each) foxed me for quite some time, because I couldn't work out how to actually construct the word out of the letters on offer. Too many Es and Is and Vs! 

It is, however, a Strands puzzle that you can solve through a combination of brute force and knowing what the likely answers are – and there really are only so many once you realise it's all about math.

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

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday 17 May, game #75)

• CHOPSTICK
• MITTEN
• PLIER
• BOOKEND
• TONG
• WING
• EARPLUG
• SPANGRAM: PAIRED

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's currently in Beta 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/fD5WInA

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Friday, May 17 (game #75)

It's Friday, the sun is shining (where I am at least) and it's a fine day to play Strands, the NYT's new-ish word game. If you haven't played before and have landed here curious to see what it's about, check out my What is NYT Strands? hub. If you already know all about it, read on for my hints and to see how I did today.

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Looking for a mate

NYT Strands today (game #75) - hint #2 - clue words

What are some good clue words today?

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

• PRIME

• LIME

• PREEN

• GOING

• CHOPS

• BETTER

NYT Strands today (game #75) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Singular vision

NYT Strands today (game #75) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First: left, 4th row

• Second: 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 #75) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #75, are…

• CHOPSTICK
• MITTEN
• PLIER
• BOOKEND
• TONG
• WING
• EARPLUG
• SPANGRAM: PAIRED

---

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

---

It took me a while to make a breakthrough here, but once I had the concept it wasn't too bad. The theme clue of 'Looking for a mate' is nicely cryptic; it makes sense once you know that the spangram is PAIRED or identify an answer or two, but could be several other things until then. For instance, I thought it was a chess reference at first, so was delighted when I spotted 'rook', but that was either a coincidence or a deliberate red herring.

It was only when I randomly uncovered CHOPSTICK that I realized what was going on. Even then, it was quite hard to find other answers, because 'things that go in pairs' is not as obvious as some other recent Strands puzzles. However, finding the spangram made the task a bit simpler by virtue of reducing the number of permutations for many of the letters, and I eventually managed to find the other solutions.  

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

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday 16 May, game #74)

• BITTER
• SALTY
• SWEET
• SOUR
• UMAMI
• PIQUANT
• SPICY
• TART
• SPANGRAM: FLAVORS

---

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's currently in Beta 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/zVednMO

Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, May 16 (game #843)

It's Quordle time once again, and today's puzzle (or rather puzzles, because there are four of them to solve, as always) may well cause you some problems. Don't worry if you get stuck, though – because I have some hints to help you out. Read on if you need them.

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 #843) - 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 #843) - 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 #843) - 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 #843) - 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 2.

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

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• C

• T

• D

• D

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

Quordle today (game #843) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #843, are…

• COVEY
• TWEAK
• DITTO
• DECAY

I got a little lucky with today's Quordle. The word COVEY is not one I was familiar with until long ago, and frankly it may well have caused me significant problems if not for a fortunate coincidence. 

I use a random start word in Wordle now (having previously opened with STARE each day), and COVEY was the word that my computer dealt up to me on Tuesday. It wasn't massively helpful in that game, but was fresh in my mind for this Quordle. 

TWEAK and DITTO were also relatively tough, making this a moderately hard game overall. The Daily Sequence puzzle, meanwhile, was even harder; who knew that TONGA was a noun? Not me...

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

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Daily Sequence today (game #843) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #843, are…

• POUCH
• JAZZY
• TONGA
• POSIT

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #842, Wednesday 15 May: ABUSE, MANGY, WAGER, AHEAD
• Quordle #841, Tuesday 14 May: FLUTE, CARRY, BULLY, PURSE
• Quordle #840, Monday 13 May: CRASS, NICHE, CHEST, PRIZE
• Quordle #839, Sunday 12 May: BLAST, FRONT, CLACK, EAGLE
• Quordle #838, Saturday 11 May: SPINY, FRAME, GOOEY, FERAL
• Quordle #837, Friday 10 May: QUASH, PERKY, ENSUE, HARPY
• Quordle #836, Thursday 9 May: WOUND, IGLOO, MEALY, PASTY
• Quordle #835, Wednesday 8 May: SEVER, GLORY, RADAR, SMALL
• Quordle #834, Tuesday 7 May: DEFER, BOUGH, MISER, MAGMA
• Quordle #833, Monday 6 May: STAIN, GENIE, LEVEL, RELAY
• Quordle #832, Sunday 5 May: GAZER, TWEET, FERRY, THUMB
• Quordle #831, Saturday 4 May: WAGON, QUICK, MURAL, LIEGE
• Quordle #830, Friday 3 May: NUDGE, CLASH, KNAVE, AGENT
• Quordle #829, Thursday 2 May: TULIP, PLAZA, DAILY, SINGE
• Quordle #828, Wednesday 1 May: ROUGH, SYNOD, POSSE, PARRY
• Quordle #827, Tuesday 30 April: STASH, FUSSY, REEDY, WALTZ
• Quordle #826, Monday 29 April: STAKE, PURGE, PECAN, PLANT
• Quordle #825, Sunday 28 April: LLAMA, CUMIN, CAULK, RABID
• Quordle #824, Saturday 27 April: QUACK, BERET, SKULL, LATHE
• Quordle #823, Friday 26 April: AMONG, FLING, SOUND, AGILE

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NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Thursday, May 16 (game #74)

How's your day going? Mine starts with a round of the NYT's Strands, then Connections, then Quordle and finishes with Wordle. If you're as obsessed with word games as I am, then read on for my hints and commentary on Strands – and by all means also check out my Quordle hints and Wordle today pages too.

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Tasty!

NYT Strands today (game #74) - hint #2 - clue words

What are some good clue words today?

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

• LAST

• FLAT

• AMUSE

• TRIP

• STRIP

• RUSE

NYT Strands today (game #74) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Some like it hot

NYT Strands today (game #74) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First: left, 8th row

• Second: right, 2nd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #74) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #74, are…

• BITTER
• SALTY
• SWEET
• SOUR
• UMAMI
• PIQUANT
• SPICY
• TART
• SPANGRAM: FLAVORS

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

I hated Tuesday's Strands puzzle (the one about charcuterie), but despite covering a similar food-based topic, this one was much more satisfying – not least because it makes sense! The only trouble with it is that similar to yesterday's (see below) it's arguably too easy. 

I found BITTER, SALTY, SWEET and SOUR swiftly, based on the theme clue and on all four being rather simple words. UMAMI was a little harder because I couldn't remember how it was spelled, but once I had the spangram I ticked that one off too. The remaining answers followed quickly afterwards.

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

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday 15 May, game #73)

• MOUND
• BASE
• PLATE
• DUGOUT
• INFIELD
• STANDS
• BULLPEN
• SPANGRAM: BALLPARK

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's currently in Beta 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/MO0hkBi

Firefox 126 is out – and it’ll make a huge difference to the quality of videos in the browser, for those with the right hardware

Mozilla just powered up its Firefox browser by bringing on board a new tech from Nvidia to provide better-quality video playback.

The release of Firefox v126 introduces RTX Video, one part of which is Nvidia’s RTX Video Super Resolution tech. That already debuted in Mozilla’s browser previously, and it upscales video clips to an artificially higher resolution using AI to add the extra detail.

That extra sharpness and detail is now accompanied by a second piece of Nvidia tech in Firefox: RTX Video HDR. This feature does much the same thing, but for colors, improving SDR colors to (artificially) become HDR – giving the image a lot more vibrancy and pop.

So, the overall effect now when watching video clips in the latest version of Firefox is that the experience will be much improved. Indeed, we were seriously impressed with the HDR emulation (which is essentially what this is) on offer with RTX Video HDR when we experienced it first-hand.

RTX means what it says

There are a couple of caveats, though (aren’t there always?) and as the name suggests, RTX Video is only for those who own an Nvidia RTX graphics card. Secondly, at the risk of stating the obvious, you’ll need an HDR-capable monitor to enjoy RTX HDR colors.

Assuming you’re correctly equipped on the hardware front like so, it might be a good idea to grab the new version now, if Firefox is your browser of choice – you’re in for a treat.

Mozilla was relatively slow to pick up on RTX Video Super Resolution, mind you, while some of its best web browser rivals were very quick to adopt this tech when it emerged last year. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge had it in play at the beginning of the year, just after it was announced, whereas Firefox didn’t get it for some months after.

However, the second part of the equation that makes up RTX Video, the HDR trickery, has been deployed in a much timelier manner by Mozilla.

You might also like

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NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Wednesday, May 15 (game #73)

Wednesday's Strands puzzle is a lot easier than yesterday's, in my humble opinion. But as always, you may disagree – so if you get a little stuck, read on for some helpful hints.

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… American pastime

NYT Strands today (game #73) - hint #2 - clue words

What are some good clue words today?

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

• LURK

• SOUND

• BLADE

• GAIN

• STAND

• LATE

NYT Strands today (game #73) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Field of dreams

NYT Strands today (game #73) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

• First: left, 4th row

• Second: 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 #73) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #73, are…

• MOUND
• BASE
• PLATE
• DUGOUT
• INFIELD
• STANDS
• BULLPEN
• SPANGRAM: BALLPARK

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

I've never played baseball, because here in the UK we play cricket instead. However, I've seen enough US movies and TV shows that I had the knowledge I needed to easily solve this edition of the NYT's Strands puzzle.

The task was made easier by the word MOUND standing out so prominently, and that combined with the theme clue of American pastime set me on my way. None of the other answers caused me any trouble at all and I solved this Strands game in super-quick time. I doubt too many people will be troubled by it at all. 

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

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday 14 May, game #72)

• FRUIT
• CRACKER
• NUTS
• OLIVE
• BRIE
• SALAMI
• SPREAD
• SPANGRAM: CHARCUTERIE

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's currently in Beta 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/wTJt6vi

Microsoft Edge looks to be getting more AI - this time it should help make the browser look better

Microsoft Edge, the pre-installed default browser for Windows devices, could be getting a new AI-powered capability that will enable you to create custom browser themes. This might be the next step in Edge’s AI evolution, with the browser already having Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant, integrated into its user interface. This development will affect Microsoft Edge in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

As highlighted by Windows Latest, the revelation comes courtesy of a section in the Microsoft 365 roadmap titled ‘Microsoft Edge: AI theme generator,’ which explains how the new feature will allow you to enter a text prompt and generate a series of images to preview as potential Edge themes. If you choose one of these images to apply, it will become the background in newly opened tab pages, and the dominant color in the image will be applied to the browser’s frame. 

Currently, Edge only supports Windows 10’s and Windows 11’s default themes (dark or light) and other built-in themes. While there are more themes available for download in Microsoft’s Edge Add-Ons store (in the Themes section), the AI-generated theme feature will allow you to whip up a theme that’s unique to your PC. 

(Image credit: Microsoft; Shutterstock)

An AI image generation tool already exists within Edge in the form of Copilot’s image generator feature that’s powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 tech. Microsoft’s classic Paint app has also got an AI tune-up, with its own image generator named Image Creator (formerly Cocreator).

One catch with these, though, is that they produce images with a 1,024 x 1,024 resolution. With Edge, though, the resolution will be ramped up to cater for creating backgrounds that will be displayed sharply and clearly on 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) or higher resolution monitors.

Edge could also get ‘clutter-free’ printing

Windows Latest further observes that Microsoft is also testing a ‘clutter-free’ printing feature in Edge, with the reference ‘ClutterFreePrinting’ found in a test build of the browser (from the Canary channel).

This feature appears in the Edge interface as a ‘Smart Print’ toggle, and when used it automatically removes ads from the page you’re trying to print, leaving only the main contents of the page. Windows Latest gave this a go and didn’t have much luck, trying the tool on a page with no adverts (from Wikipedia) and a page with ads (from its own site). The former resulted in the site’s structure being jumbled, and the latter cut out all the images on the site, whether an ad or relevant to the article. Of course, the tool is still being tested and Microsoft is still working on it, so it’ll doubtless be improved by the time it’s included in a future Edge update. 

The AI theme generation feature is kind of neat, I suppose, but it’s not totally necessary and I don’t know how much it’ll meaningfully improve the core Edge user experience. Still, it might be fun to try, and a way of adding more visual customization to your software. On the other hand, there are people out there who will likely feel it’s about capitalizing on AI hype by sticking this functionality in everywhere possible, whether there’s a substantial benefit or not. 

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