Quordle hints and answers for Friday, May 29 (game #1586)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, May 28 (game #1585).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 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 #1586) - 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 #1586) - 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 0.

Quordle today (game #1586) - 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 #1586) - 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 #1586) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• D

• C

• E

• D

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

Quordle today (game #1586) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1586, are…

• DRIFT
• CREPT
• ETHOS
• DECAY

It’s quite unusual in Quordle to get an anagram where every letter is in an incorrect position, so it took me a while to convert “those” into ETHOS.

This minor struggle aside, I was gifted the other three words — especially CREPT, which is just one letter out from my starter word of “crypt”.

Daily Sequence today (game #1586) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1586, are…

• SHEET
• SONAR
• SALON
• SLIME

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1585, Thursday, 28 May: GRAPE, VALUE, YEARN, INFER
• Quordle #1584, Wednesday, 27 May: GAUZE, REPAY, GIANT, STEEP
• Quordle #1583, Tuesday, 26 May: MODAL, MELON, PSALM, DRAWN
• Quordle #1582, Monday, 25 May: SLIME, ARISE, EAGER, SHEIK
• Quordle #1581, Sunday, 24 May: RIGHT, STALE, FLUKE, LINEN
• Quordle #1580, Saturday, 23 May: JUICY, DREAM, IDYLL, BRAID
• Quordle #1579, Friday, 22 May: GAILY, HITCH, DRUNK, COUNT
• Quordle #1578, Thursday, 21 May: RANCH, OTTER, WREST, ILIAC
• Quordle #1577, Wednesday, 20 May: TEDDY, MINUS, TRULY, STARK
• Quordle #1576, Tuesday, 19 May: HIPPY, FORTE, HORSE, QUELL
• Quordle #1575, Monday, 18 May: CLANK, SWINE, STEAM, DRAPE
• Quordle #1574, Sunday, 17 May: WHINE, TENET, KNAVE, GREED
• Quordle #1573, Satuday, 16 May: DEMUR, THREE, SLEEP, CRUDE
• Quordle #1572, Friday, 15 May: EPOCH, SPIKY, FAINT, PENNE
• Quordle #1571, Thursday, 14 May: SEVEN, DECRY, VILLA, MILKY
• Quordle #1570, Wednesday, 13 May: SKUNK, CHAFE, INTER, SOOTH
• Quordle #1569, Tuesday, 12 May: AGLOW, AVAIL, BADLY, STING
• Quordle #1568, Monday, 11 May: CLUMP, SALTY, BOAST, YIELD
• Quordle #1567, Sunday, 10 May: DONOR, FAITH, ROBOT, EXILE
• Quordle #1566, Saturday, 9 May: SHALL, ERUPT, WISER, DRIER

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Websites are using this FROST-y new technique to spy on users by snooping on their SSD activity

• Researchers at Graz University of Technology unveiled FROST, a browser side‑channel attack
• The method can reveal visited websites and opened desktop apps, but requires large file creation
• Limitations exist, yet the study highlights how modern browser features expand the attack surface for surveillance

Security researchers have come up with a new way of spying on internet users, and they’re calling it FROST. Recently, more than half a dozen researchers from the Graz University of Technology (Austria) published a new report called “FROST: Fingerprinting Remotely using OPFS-based SSD Timing” in which they claim that there is a way to spy on user activities directly through the browser.

This is a remote side-channel technique that exploits a standard browser feature called the Origin Private File System (OPFS). Generally, a side-channel attack is a way of stealing secrets by measuring physical side effects, such as how long an action takes, how much power it uses. In this case, the researchers measured solid-state drive (SSD) access speeds, allowing them to track which websites a victim visited, and what desktop applications they opened.

“Web browsers have evolved from simple document viewers into complex platforms capable of running sophisticated applications,” the research paper says. “Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Adobe have developed full-fledged office suites, photo- and video editors, or even integrated development environments (IDEs) that run entirely within the browser.”

Limitations exist

“While these features enhance the capabilities of web applications and allow completely novel use cases, they also increase the browser’s attack surface, and some have already been shown to introduce new vulnerabilities.”

Unlike real-life exploits, those discovered in controlled environments have limitations, which make it somewhat harder to pull off in the wild. For example, the attack only works if the victim’s activity and the browser are running on the same SSD. The attack requires creating an exceptionally large file to bypass the computer’s memory cache, which can noticeably drain the victim’s free disk space and since Firefox limits storage space per website to 10GB, the attack is a little more difficult to pull off on that specific browser.

It was also said that the attacker cannot perform a quick, short measurement, because the large file must first be cleared out of the system’s memory cache. And finally, if a user runs software that completely moves their browser profile into RAM, the zero-interaction attack is successfully blocked.

Still, if you are worried about someone using FROST to snoop on you, just make sure you only keep one tab open at a time.

Via Ars Technica

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, May 28 (game #816)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, May 27 (game #815).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Talking scents

NYT Strands today (game #816) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• DAWDLE
• SOON
• LIME
• MINER
• SLAW

NYT Strands today (game #816) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #816) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: bottom, 5th column

Last side: top, 3rd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #816) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #816, are…

• JASMINE
• PEAR
• SANDALWOOD
• BERAMOT
• NEROLI
• SPANGRAM: FRAGRANCE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Apart from NEROLI taking me ages, despite it being my final word, this was a fairly straightforward game with a, thankfully, sensible (unlike yesterday) spangram.

Rare letters are hard to ignore in Strands, so I went straight to JASMINE — which immediately opened up PEAR.

I was surprised that my favorite FRAGRANCE of lime was missing, but at least it made an appearance as a non-game word.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, May 27, game #815)

• FRANKFURTER
• BRAT
• FOOTLONG
• BANGER
• WEENIE
• SPANGRAM: HOTDIGGITYDOG

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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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Researchers say Google AI Mode changes recommendations based on your emails — and it risks creating a giant confirmation-bias machine

• Researchers found brands linked to Gmail activity appeared far more often in Google AI Mode results
• The effect was strongest for shopping searches like clothing, coffee machines and running shoes
• AI-powered search could reinforce existing habits instead of helping users discover new things

We all know that AI is often so eager to help that it can feel like it's simply reflecting whatever you think back at you in a way that feels sycophantic and artificial. We’ve written quite a few articles about how to stop chatbots like Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini from doing this, usually using some variation of the “be brutally honest” or “invert” prompt.

Now it turns out that AI’s tendency to keep you inside an echo chamber may extend beyond chatting with a bot. Researchers claim that if you’ve got Google’s Personal Intelligence switched on, AI Mode could start feeding more brands from your Gmail activity back into your search results.

Gmail has the biggest influence on AI Mode

Researchers at iPullRank tested nearly 2,000 Google AI Mode responses and found that brands connected to a user’s Personal Intelligence data appeared dramatically more often in results. In accounts linked to services like Gmail, certain brands showed up in AI answers almost three times as frequently and were far more likely to appear in the top recommendations.

Gmail appeared to have the biggest influence. Brands connected through email activity were cited far more often than brands linked through other Google services like Photos. The effect was especially noticeable for everyday shopping categories such as hoodies, coffee machines and running shoes, suggesting Google’s AI recommendations may become easier to shape based on a user’s personal data and habits.

As we reported recently, Google Search is increasingly turning into AI search, whether you like it or not, but if the new research from iPullRank is accurate then Google’s new AI-powered search risks becoming a giant confirmation-bias machine, feeding users more of the brands and products they already know instead of helping them discover new ones.

Turning Personal Intelligence off

Personally, I can see the benefits of Google wanting to become an answer engine rather than just a search engine. A lot of the time when I’m using search, I’m simply looking for a fast answer to a question, so this change can genuinely save me time. But the danger of personalization replacing exploration is that we lose some of the magic of Google Search leading us toward unexpected websites, products or ideas that turn out to be genuinely useful.

Before we raid Google towers carrying pitchforks and torches, it’s worth remembering that Personal Intelligence is an opt-in feature designed to make AI feel more useful and personalized to you. If you’re worried about it reducing the chance of serendipity in your search results, you can turn it off.

Personal Intelligence is off by default, but if you’ve enabled it and now want to disable it, open Gemini’s Settings (the gear icon at the bottom left), select Personal Intelligence, then click Connected Apps and toggle the services you want Gemini to access, such as Gmail.

It’s also important to note that this testing was carried out by external researchers, rather than Google publicly confirming exactly how AI Mode rankings and recommendations are generated.

Still, the findings raise an interesting question about the future of AI-powered search. If search engines become increasingly personalized around our habits, purchases, conversations and preferences, are they actually helping us explore the web, or just building increasingly convincing digital mirrors that reflect our existing tastes right back at us?

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Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, May 27 (game #1584)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, May 26 (game #1583).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 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 #1584) - 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 #1584) - 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 #1584) - 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 #1584) - 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 #1584) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• R

• G

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1584) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1584, are…

• GAUZE
• REPAY
• GIANT
• STEEP

With an A and U in the wrong positions and knowing it ended in an E, I felt certain that I was looking for a word with the other two vowels second and third.

I could think of a few using letters I had already used (cause, pause, sauce), but ones from the letters I had left eluded me. It was therefore a bit annoying that when my brain did eventually get there, “mauve” was wrong. I got to GAUZE in the end, but it was all a bit too painful.

Daily Sequence today (game #1584) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1584, are…

• PRIVY
• FINCH
• PRANK
• CIVIL

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1583, Tuesday, 26 May: MODAL, MELON, PSALM, DRAWN
• Quordle #1582, Monday, 25 May: SLIME, ARISE, EAGER, SHEIK
• Quordle #1581, Sunday, 24 May: RIGHT, STALE, FLUKE, LINEN
• Quordle #1580, Saturday, 23 May: JUICY, DREAM, IDYLL, BRAID
• Quordle #1579, Friday, 22 May: GAILY, HITCH, DRUNK, COUNT
• Quordle #1578, Thursday, 21 May: RANCH, OTTER, WREST, ILIAC
• Quordle #1577, Wednesday, 20 May: TEDDY, MINUS, TRULY, STARK
• Quordle #1576, Tuesday, 19 May: HIPPY, FORTE, HORSE, QUELL
• Quordle #1575, Monday, 18 May: CLANK, SWINE, STEAM, DRAPE
• Quordle #1574, Sunday, 17 May: WHINE, TENET, KNAVE, GREED
• Quordle #1573, Satuday, 16 May: DEMUR, THREE, SLEEP, CRUDE
• Quordle #1572, Friday, 15 May: EPOCH, SPIKY, FAINT, PENNE
• Quordle #1571, Thursday, 14 May: SEVEN, DECRY, VILLA, MILKY
• Quordle #1570, Wednesday, 13 May: SKUNK, CHAFE, INTER, SOOTH
• Quordle #1569, Tuesday, 12 May: AGLOW, AVAIL, BADLY, STING
• Quordle #1568, Monday, 11 May: CLUMP, SALTY, BOAST, YIELD
• Quordle #1567, Sunday, 10 May: DONOR, FAITH, ROBOT, EXILE
• Quordle #1566, Saturday, 9 May: SHALL, ERUPT, WISER, DRIER
• Quordle #1565, Friday, 8 May: TOXIN, HELIX, FLOUT, ADULT
• Quordle #1564, Thursday, 7 May: DEALT, LOWLY, AHEAD, CHEEK

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‘Social media should be treated like tobacco’: health experts say the internet is just as bad as smoking for under-16s as UK government edges closer to introducing ban

• A medical report compares the threats of social media to smoking
• Medical professionals are being encouraged to ask young patients about their screen time
• The UK government is weighing a blanket ban on social media use for under-16s, but some are called for a different approach

Health experts have likened the health risks of social media use by young people to the dangers of smoking, as the UK government moves closer to introducing a social media ban for under-16s.

The UK’s Academy of Medical Royal Colleges says in a report that social media use poses significant damage to children who are “continuously exposed to hateful, addictive and grossly distressing content”. The report, submitted as part of the government’s consultation process, also says social media use by young people now sits alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts “as a unifying force for the medical profession”.

The report also highlights the responsibility of medical professionals in protecting children, saying doctors should now be asking children about their screen time and social media use when they first assess them. Half of the 454 medical professionals surveyed by the academy said they treated a child with social media-linked mental ill health at least once a week.

The guidance would make it easier for doctors to quickly assess if a child’s social media use is excessive and unhealthy, encouraging medical professionals to record any long-term health issues that could arise in their younger patients. “The difference now is that the harm being done to children online is not hypothetical … It is immediate, it is documented, and it is happening at scale,” the report adds.

One of the leading supporters of government action, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, also said social media should be treated in a similar way to tobacco. “It’s extremely addictive, bad for our health, and big tech is borrowing the big tobacco playbook to avoid regulation”, he added.

The government’s consultation period, which received contributions from more than 70,000 individuals and groups, ends today (May 26), with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall telling the BBC: “The question isn't whether we're going to act — we will.”

She said the government would respond to the consultation over the summer, with measures being introduced before the end of the year.

As part of the consultation process, a number of bereaved parents who believe social media contributed to the loss of their children will meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer to share their experiences. Starmer was initially opposed to an outright ban for under-16s, but has since said he is “open-minded” about enacting stronger measures.

Weighing the pros and the cons

While many parents, family groups, and health professionals favor some form of government action, opinion is divided on what form it should take.

Some argue that imposing a blanket ban for under-16s could backfire and actually cause greater harm, as it could cause young people to seek out banned content on the dark web, or even leave them unequipped to navigate online content when they turn 16.

The chair of the Molly Rose Foundation, Ian Russell, said that instead of an outright ban, existing laws should be enforced for a more holistic approach. The organization was founded and named after Molly Rose, a teenager who lost her life in 2017 after being exposed to harmful content through social media.

Critics of a blanket ban have pointed to Australia, which introduced a wide-ranging crackdown on social media use by young people in December 2025, banning children under 16 from holding accounts on major social media platforms.

A recent study conducted by the Molly Rose Foundation revealed that 60% of under-16s were still using platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, even though these services were required to shut down the accounts of under-age users.

Since that study was published, the UK has been experimenting with restrictive features before it considers a wider ban. In March, the UK government kick-started a pilot scheme, where it tested screentime limits and curfews in 300 teenage homes to trial different kinds of bans.

To add to this, further restrictive measures are also being considered including auto-play functions and infinite scrolling being disabled to stop young users from being caught in endless webs of potentially harmful content.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, May 26 (game #814)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, May 25 (game #813).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… On the nature trail

NYT Strands today (game #814) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SLED
• DUMP
• CRADLE
• WAFT
• RAVE
• HEAVEN

NYT Strands today (game #814) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 13 letters

NYT Strands today (game #814) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: left, 1st row

Last side: left, 8th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #814) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #814, are…

• MOSS
• ACORN
• DAISY
• PUDDLE
• FEATHER
• PAWPRINT
• SPANGRAM: SCAVENGERHUNT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

It’s been a while since we’ve had a 13-letter spangram, but even though it took up a huge chunk of the board I completely failed to see SCAVENGERHUNT.

However, if you were looking for non-game words to get hints the letters containing what became the spangram contained plenty so I got “revenge”, “avenge”, “avenger”, “cave” and “hunt” long before I began searching properly — this is possibly why I took two hints to get me started.

MOSS and ACORN were a confusing opening, as at this stage I thought our trail could be limited to a woodland setting, but DAISY finally helped me realize this was a far more random search — although if it was like the scavenger hunts I went on as a kid you’d need to throw a Mars bar in there as well just to keep me interested.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, May 25, game #813)

• SERVICE
• SACRIFICE
• HONOR
• VIRTUE
• PROTECTION
• SPANGRAM: MEMORIALDAY

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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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