Saturday, 28 February 2026

Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 1 (game #1497)

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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, February 28 (game #1496).

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 #1497) - 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 #1497) - 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 #1497) - 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 #1497) - 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 #1497) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• N

• A

• P

• H

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

Quordle today (game #1497) - the answers

Quordle answers for game 1497 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1497, are…

  • NERDY
  • ADEPT
  • PRIMO
  • HUMID

I have questioned my choice of starter words over recent weeks, but they really saved me today, with “crypt” helping me get ADEPT and NERDY and unlocking the letter P for PRIMO.

My only struggle was HUMID — an odd word that took me a bit of experimentation to find.


Daily Sequence today (game #1497) - the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 1497 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1497, are…

  • DIARY
  • BUGGY
  • POUTY
  • SNOOP

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #1496, Saturday, 28 February: BERTH, SNARE, QUILT, CRONE
  • Quordle #1495, Friday, 27 February: STIFF, SINCE, PATSY, METAL
  • Quordle #1494, Thursday, 26 February: ACTOR, ENEMY, GONER, SCENE
  • Quordle #1493, Wednesday, 25 February: SPOOL, INDEX, BLUER, FELON
  • Quordle #1492, Tuesday, 24 February: UDDER, BURNT, PLUSH, VAPOR
  • Quordle #1491, Monday, 23 February: SLINK, SUMAC, FORAY, PRAWN
  • Quordle #1490, Sunday, 22 February: SIXTH, FRAUD, YACHT, LEMUR
  • Quordle #1489, Saturday, 21 February: DRUNK, WITTY, FROWN, REACH
  • Quordle #1488, Friday, 20 February: CARGO, DIRTY, CHILI, TRIAD
  • Quordle #1487, Thursday, 19 February: MODEL, LOAMY, GUMMY, SLEET
  • Quordle #1486, Wednesday, 18 February: SNARL, SOAPY, RUSTY, SERUM
  • Quordle #1485, Tuesday, 17 February: MUSTY, FICUS, BINGE, FROND
  • Quordle #1484, Monday, 16 February: CANAL, JELLY, FALSE, NAVAL
  • Quordle #1483, Sunday, 15 February: VOILA, SHAKY, WHEAT, GUMBO
  • Quordle #1482, Saturday, 14 February: TABOO, BASIC, SLOOP, VOICE
  • Quordle #1481, Friday, 13 February: ALLOT, LEERY, SCALD, STEED
  • Quordle #1480, Thursday, 12 February: POLYP, GUIDE, MILKY, MINER
  • Quordle #1479, Wednesday, 11 February: TRYST, LIEGE, ANGER, HUTCH
  • Quordle #1478, Tuesday, 10 February: DRAPE, RAMEN, TITAN, IMPLY
  • Quordle #1477, Monday, 9 February: TODDY, DELVE, BLUSH, WORST
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NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 1 (game #728)

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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, February 28 (game #727).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Dressing down

NYT Strands today (game #728) - hint #2 - clue words

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

  • RAGE
  • HERD
  • STIR
  • COMPEL
  • PRIDE
  • STAND

NYT Strands today (game #728) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #728) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: top, 1st row

Last side: bottom, 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 #728) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 728 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #728, are…

  • SCOLD
  • UPBRAID
  • REPRIMAND
  • ADMONISH
  • CASTIGATE
  • SPANGRAM: THERIOTACT

  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 2 hints

I really struggled to see today’s words — they were even invisible to me after getting “cast”, “gate” and “braid” as non-game words. I needed a hint to understand what the theme was — I took it literally as wearing casual clothes — and still failed to make headway.

Between my two hints one thing I did see clearly was the spangram THERIOTACT — something you apparently read to someone after they’ve crossed a line and their behavior can no longer be tolerated. It reminded me of the time when my daughter would constantly refuse to go to sleep every night — yes, folks, she was resisting a rest.

Anyway with three down, I had now more excuses and somehow got to the end of the search. Not my finest 21 minutes.


Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, February 28, game #727)

  • GOWN
  • TUXEDO
  • NECKTIE
  • HEELS
  • CUFFLINKS
  • DIAMONDS
  • SPANGRAM: GLAMOROUS

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.

https://ift.tt/A4zoe5F

Friday, 27 February 2026

NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, February 28 (game #727)

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, February 27 (game #726).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Dressing up

NYT Strands today (game #727) - hint #2 - clue words

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

  • CLEAN
  • SUNK
  • MAID
  • DOOR
  • TRUNK
  • SKIFF

NYT Strands today (game #727) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #727) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: top, 2nd column

Last side: bottom, 2nd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #727) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 727 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #727, are…

  • GOWN
  • TUXEDO
  • NECKTIE
  • HEELS
  • CUFFLINKS
  • DIAMONDS
  • SPANGRAM: GLAMOROUS

  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 1 hint

You could say it’s a byproduct of being unsuccessful and never attending a fancy event, but I’m glad I’ve never had to wear any of the things considered GLAMOROUS in today’s search — and frankly, I find it weird that HEELS, CUFFLINKS and DIAMONDS are still considered as such.

Anyway, I digress. Very possibly uninspired by today’s theme I struggled to get going and took a hint after finding plenty of non-game words, with GOWN setting me on the way.

Of course, I should have spotted TUXEDO sooner, with the rare letter X standing out in the middle of the game — especially as I am the owner of a very debonair tuxedo cat.


Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, February 27, game #726)

  • EXCESS
  • SURPLUS
  • GLUT
  • OVERKILL
  • REDUNDANCY
  • SPANGRAM: ENOUGHALREADY

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.

https://ift.tt/yerI3lJ

Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, February 28 (game #1496)

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, February 27 (game #1495).

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 #1496) - 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 #1496) - 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 #1496) - 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 #1496) - 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 #1496) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• S

• Q

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1496) - the answers

Quordle answers for game 1496 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1496, are…

  • BERTH
  • SNARE
  • QUILT
  • CRONE

I had a hunch that there would be a rare letter in today’s game, but I regret jumping in and guessing QUILT.

If I had first guessed the far more common “built” then I wouldn’t have labored for so long before getting BERTH.


Daily Sequence today (game #1496) - the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 1496 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1496, are…

  • TRYST
  • CRUMB
  • FORGO
  • SNORT

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #1495, Friday, 27 February: STIFF, SINCE, PATSY, METAL
  • Quordle #1494, Thursday, 26 February: ACTOR, ENEMY, GONER, SCENE
  • Quordle #1493, Wednesday, 25 February: SPOOL, INDEX, BLUER, FELON
  • Quordle #1492, Tuesday, 24 February: UDDER, BURNT, PLUSH, VAPOR
  • Quordle #1491, Monday, 23 February: SLINK, SUMAC, FORAY, PRAWN
  • Quordle #1490, Sunday, 22 February: SIXTH, FRAUD, YACHT, LEMUR
  • Quordle #1489, Saturday, 21 February: DRUNK, WITTY, FROWN, REACH
  • Quordle #1488, Friday, 20 February: CARGO, DIRTY, CHILI, TRIAD
  • Quordle #1487, Thursday, 19 February: MODEL, LOAMY, GUMMY, SLEET
  • Quordle #1486, Wednesday, 18 February: SNARL, SOAPY, RUSTY, SERUM
  • Quordle #1485, Tuesday, 17 February: MUSTY, FICUS, BINGE, FROND
  • Quordle #1484, Monday, 16 February: CANAL, JELLY, FALSE, NAVAL
  • Quordle #1483, Sunday, 15 February: VOILA, SHAKY, WHEAT, GUMBO
  • Quordle #1482, Saturday, 14 February: TABOO, BASIC, SLOOP, VOICE
  • Quordle #1481, Friday, 13 February: ALLOT, LEERY, SCALD, STEED
  • Quordle #1480, Thursday, 12 February: POLYP, GUIDE, MILKY, MINER
  • Quordle #1479, Wednesday, 11 February: TRYST, LIEGE, ANGER, HUTCH
  • Quordle #1478, Tuesday, 10 February: DRAPE, RAMEN, TITAN, IMPLY
  • Quordle #1477, Monday, 9 February: TODDY, DELVE, BLUSH, WORST
  • Quordle #1476, Sunday, 8 February: ENJOY, MAMBO, WRATH, STRAP
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Thursday, 26 February 2026

YouTube's bizarre live chat bug has been fixed — but the chat system is still fundamentally flawed


  • YouTube fixed a recent bug that meant non-English comments in live chats wouldn't be delivered
  • Multiple users took to voicing complaints on the YouTube Help platform
  • It remains unclear what caused the bug, but it may have been a caching or AI moderation error

YouTube has undergone numerous changes over the years, with content creators frequently voicing frustrations regarding moderation and monetization — and the platform's latest issue sums up these concerns.

Several users noticed a strange bug on YouTube's live chats, which only allowed emojis or non-English text to be sent and delivered, and was subsequently fixed, as noted by YouTube on its support page. This applied to both standard and super chat messages, temporarily spoiling live chat functionality.

I spotted this while chatting in a live stream, and found that only incoherent text (or text in different languages) would be delivered, making it one of the most bizarre bugs on the platform. It's not exactly clear what caused the issue, as YouTube gave little to no explanation to users.

On paper, however, it appears that the issue may have originated from a caching error on YouTube's backend. The worst-case scenario is an error that may have occurred on the side of chat moderation, and YouTube has openly admitted that it uses AI for content moderation.

The potential cause behind the bug is open to speculation unless YouTube provides any further details, which I would say is unlikely at this stage, now that the bug is resolved. However, the live chat bug sheds light on a bigger issue that YouTube needs to address as soon as possible.

Screenshot of YouTube help comments

(Image credit: YouTube)

YouTube's AI chat moderation is too aggressive

Having used YouTube's live chat during streams, many other users and I have noticed how aggressive the chat moderation can be, even when content creators aren't actively blocking keywords.

While not safe-for-work text is unsurprisingly blocked a majority of the time, there are multiple scenarios where safe-for-work content is also blocked, and that's where YouTube's AI chat moderation is to blame.

AI is far from perfect, and that statement particularly applies to discerning whether comments in live chats are appropriate or not. Without humans reviewing content, false flags are likely, and the controversy grows when noting that AI moderation supposedly extends to scans of channels that may be violating community guidelines.

Unfortunately, platforms and companies beyond YouTube are also relying on AI to complete human tasks, and it's proving problematic for job security, hardware availability in tech, and the normal functionality of multiple systems. It seems like AI is here to stay, and that's very worrying.


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Wednesday, 25 February 2026

NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, February 26 (game #725)

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, February 25 (game #724).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Watch the attitude!

NYT Strands today (game #725) - hint #2 - clue words

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

  • TEACH
  • CLASS
  • CREPT
  • SHEEN
  • DUES
  • STAIN

NYT Strands today (game #725) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #725) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: top, 3rd column

Last side: bottom, 2nd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #725) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 725 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #725, are…

  • CHEEKY
  • CUTE
  • SASSY
  • PERT
  • IMPUDENT
  • SAUCY
  • FRESH
  • SPANGRAM: TALKINGBACK

  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: Perfect

“Watch the attitude!” sounds like the sort of thing a teacher would say to a disruptive pupil, which is possibly why the first words I found were non-game ones for “teach” and “class”.

After abandoning my school-based search, I discovered CHEEKY and navigated the board hunting for synonyms.

The corner that included SAUCY and FRESH was the only section where I struggled — if I had seen these words first I would have been pretty confused.


Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, February 25, game #724)

  • PROBE
  • ROVER
  • SATELLITE
  • LANDER
  • MODULE
  • ORBITER
  • SPANGRAM: SPACECRAFT

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.

https://ift.tt/cNjGXS6

YouTube Premium’s cheapest tier just got better — with background play and downloads


  • YouTube is adding downloads and background play to its Premium Lite plan
  • It's the first upgrade to the Premium Lite plan since its inception last year
  • Music fans will still have to upgrade however, as ad-free music videos are still paywalled into the Premium Plan

YouTube locks tons of features behind the walls of its rather pricey Premium tier, but now it’s bringing a few of them over to its more affordable Premium Lite plan.

The platform announced on its blog that offline downloads and background play are both being integrated into YouTube Premium Lite, and are being rolled out now. This is a big upgrade; when YouTube launched Premium Lite in March 2025, it offered ad-free viewing for most videos (with the exception of music videos and music content) and not much else. Premium Lite subscribers don’t get the YouTube Music perk, either.

Until now, the only way subscribers could view all videos ad-free was by signing up to the full-price YouTube Premium plan for $13.99 / £12.99 (about AU$20) a month. While YouTube Premium Lite ($7.99 / £7.99, or about AU$10 a month) is still missing features such as jump ahead, queuing, and continue watching, downloads and background play were the most-requested features.

A table showing the differences between YouTube Premium and YouTube Premium Lite

(Image credit: YouTube )

“Last year, we expanded our Premium Lite pilot to more markets​ and heard feedback about wanting these additional features included in the service. ​We're excited for today's update and to continue testing and building products that best meet our users’ needs,” the YouTube team shared in its announcement.

Going forward, the YouTube Premium Lite experience will give you an even bigger taste of what the standard plan has to offer. For most people who just want to enjoy mostly ad-free viewing and now the added benefits of downloads and background play on most videos, YouTube Premium Lite will be the ideal option, and the next step is to roll out a Premium Lite Family plan to give households a more affordable alternative.

That’s not the reason why I’m still more attracted to the standard YouTube Premium plan, though.

I’m nothing without YouTube music videos

YouTube Music

(Image credit: YouTube)

I’ve been eyeing up a YouTube Premium subscription for quite a while now, and though I’ve come close to it many times, for some reason I always pull myself back. For the most part YouTube Premium Lite is the ideal plan, but leaving out ad-free music videos is a bit of a kick in the teeth. That said, I know exactly why YouTube does this.

As far as the best music streaming services go, YouTube Music is no match to Spotify or Apple Music on the features and popularity front. However, it has the edge over its competitors with one particular thing: music videos.

I’ve tested Spotify’s music video ecosystem many times, and despite being a subscriber for the last decade, I can see it doesn’t even come close to what YouTube has to offer with music videos. It’s all over the place, and the way videos appear in the playback page is quite unflattering. I’m not the only one who thinks so, and Spotify music videos have been at the center of heated discussions since their inception.

I hate "listening" to music videos :( from r/truespotify

I think I speak on behalf of many music fans when I say that, despite being subscribed to audio streaming platforms that aren’t YouTube Music, we still revert to the standard YouTube app for the visual elements, whether that’s for music videos or live performances. So the fact that YouTube has identified and paywalled this advantage is no surprise whatsoever — it’s just frustrating to know that the Premium temptation is inevitable.


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