NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, February 21 (game #720)

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 20 (game #719).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… The beer necessities

NYT Strands today (game #720) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• WARM
• THEY
• SURE
• WART
• SHARE
• SWAY

NYT Strands today (game #720) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 8 letters

NYT Strands today (game #720) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: top, 3rd column

Last side: 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 #720) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #720, are…

• HOPS
• BARLEY
• WATER
• MALT
• FLAVOR
• YEAST
• SUGAR
• WHEAT
• SPANGRAM: HOMEBREW

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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I can remember clearly the first time I tried someone’s HOMEBREW. I was about 14 and a boy in my class had brought a flask of his homemade ale into school inside a plastic flask.

At break, a crowd gathered to taste it and I can still recall the horror now when, as I swallowed a mouthful, he told me he had brewed it in his bath. Having visited his home and seen the tide mark around his bath my mouth was filled with notes of grime. Needless to say it put me off beer for about 20 years. I’ve since recovered and realize it's one of mankind’s greatest achievements.

Anyway, I digress. A pretty straightforward game today with HOPS and BARLEY getting me onto a winning run.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, February 20, game #719)

• HARSH
• COARSE
• ROUGH
• SCRATCHY
• PRICKLY
• ABRASIVE
• SPANGRAM: SANDPAPER

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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/PjREmI5

WhatsApp is lifting a frustrating group-chat limitation I’ve hated for years — giving it the upper hand over iMessage and Telegram

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• WhatsApp is rolling out a group-chat feature called Group Message History
• It gives new group members an easier way to catch up on conversations
• Existing group members can choose to share between 25-100 previously-sent messages with new members

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WhatsApp is my go-to for group chats despite me being an iPhone user with iMessage at my fingertips, but I do have my issues with the platform, and one of them is that when a new member is added to a chat they can't see previous messages — but that's about to change.

In a blog post, WhatsApp announced the launch of Group Message History, a function that gives new group members an easy way to catch up on previously sent messages. WhatsApp says it has "started rolling out Group Message History gradually".

The post says: “One of our most requested features, it’s another example of how WhatsApp is leading the way in group messaging, no matter your device. Group Message History remains end-to-end encrypted like all other personal messages, giving you a quicker, more private way to keep conversations flowing.”

When the update arrives, existing members have the option to share previously-sent messages with new members when adding them to a group chat, although admins can choose to restrict this capability to themselves.

Though new members won’t get access to the full chat history, members will have the option to share the last 25-100 messages in a chat with them, which should be enough to bring new joiners up to speed. It’s a slight catch, but one that WhatsApp has implemented for privacy reasons.

(Image credit: WhatsApp)

With that in mind, if you forget to do this when adding new members to a conversation, you won’t be able to share messages with them after you’ve added them, meaning you’ll need to remove them and add them again to share messages.

Once you’ve shared your selected messages with a new member, WhatsApp will notify existing chat members when message history has been shared, including timestamps and sender information which is displayed differently from standard messages.

Until now, new group chat members have never been able to view the full conversation that happened prior to being added which, from my experience, only makes understanding group context even more difficult.

This means the group admin, or other members, would have to rely on forwarding messages or taking screenshots to give new members some context — resulting in a massive build-up in your camera roll.

There's no doubt this will lift a huge weight off serial group-chatters, myself included, and it also gives WhatsApp the upper hand over its messaging rivals. Though Telegram has a similar message history-sharing tool, it’s all or nothing, so you can’t select the amount of messages you share with new members. As for Apple’s iMessage, no such feature exists.

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Teens had ‘an addicts' narrative about their Instagram use’ — Mark Zuckerberg takes stand in trail which could reshape not just social media, but his AI and Ray-Ban XR dreams

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• Mark Zuckerberg spoke at the LA social media addiction trial
• He defended Meta's approach to protecting teen users
• The plantiff's lawyer argued Meta was targeting teens for platform growth

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Meta's focus might look to be more on AI and smart glasses than the social media platforms which saw it rise to prominence, but errors its accused of making with regards to keeping teens safe online could affect the whole company, and the whole tech industry.

To catch you up to speed, Meta and YouTube are currently involved in a social media addiction trial being held in Los Angeles, which pits the duo against a plaintiff accusing the companies of intentionally creating damagingly addictive platforms.

It’s one of thousands of similar lawsuits that have been filed against social media giants, which are attempting to argue that platform features rather than platform content have created negative addictive tendencies in younger users. Social media content is protected by the infamous Section 230 federal rule, which shields platforms from liability for the user-generated content on their sites, but lawyers for the plaintiff argue the law doesn’t protect features like infinite scroll.

The trial started a little over a week ago, and after opening arguments from lawyers for each side, key figures are taking the stand, including, recently, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg defended the actions of his company, saying that, while he regrets Meta not making faster progress in its efforts to identify users under 13, the teams working on platforms like Facebook and Instagram have spent years addressing “problematic use” because “it’s the right thing to do” (via the BBC).

This includes adding features such as daily use limits, usage alerts, and the ability to switch notifications off in the evening and overnight.

He was, however, questioned about various internal messages, such as one in 2017 which sees an executive saying “Mark has decided the top priority for the company is teens," and another from 2015 in which Zuckerberg and others discuss strategies to increase "teen usage."

Zuckerberg was also asked about a 2019 research report from an independent company done on behalf of Instagram, which said teen users had "an addicts' narrative about their Instagram use."

(Image credit: Meta)

More than a social media trial?

As we've discussed in previous articles about this ongoing story, the verdict made in this trial could have major ramifications for social media companies. There are thousands of similar lawsuits making their way through the US courts that would take precedent from the decisions made here, and a negative result for Meta and YouTube could embolden more governments to introduce or tighten social media restrictions for younger users, following the lead of Australia.

But for both of these companies, a negative result – or even simply a negative result in the court of public opinion – could impact not only their past mistakes but their future projects too.

Both Meta and Google, the parent of YouTube, are currently pushing hard into AI and wearables with Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Android XR. Smart glasses are the big new thing in tech, and there are rumors that Meta might finally launch a smart watch to compete with Android and Apple bands, but these gadgets can give these companies a lot of insight into our lives and our physical health.

(Image credit: Future)

A recent New York Times report has suggested Meta wants to add facial recognition to its specs, and numerous wearables brands have dreamed up visions of glasses that can remind you where you left your keys before you leave home. But these features only work effectively if your tech is always watching your every move, listening to all your conversations, and deeply involved in your life.

If the perception (even if the trial’s verdict disputes it) is that Meta and YouTube – and by extension Google – misuse social media data to get people hooked on their tech, I imagine folks wouldn’t be keen to hand over even more data to these companies through wearables.

Equally, if Meta and YouTube can prove they have done everything they can to keep users safe, then that could help convince people that their wearables are the safest option in this new AI/AR wild west.

This is a case we’ll be following closely, though with the trial still underway, and appeals likely to follow, don't expect a final decision to be made any time soon.

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Quordle hints and answers for Friday, February 20 (game #1488)

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, February 19 (game #1487).

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 #1488) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1488) - 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 #1488) - 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 #1488) - 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 #1488) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• C

• D

• C

• T

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

Quordle today (game #1488) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1488, are…

• CARGO
• DIRTY
• CHILI
• TRIAD

After getting two very similar words (in terms of letters) in DIRTY and TRIAD, I thought I was home and dried after getting CARGO, but my trouble was just beginning.

Having two letters in the correct position and knowing the word contained an L, I only just made it to CHILI. Phew!

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Daily Sequence today (game #1488) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1488, are…

• SWEAT
• SILLY
• STORE
• BLANK

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• 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
• Quordle #1475, Saturday, 7 February: APPLE, RAZOR, CAMEL, MOTIF
• Quordle #1474, Friday, 6 February: RESIN, CRUMP, RIGOR, ETHOS
• Quordle #1473, Thursday, 5 February: THROB, BUILT, NOBLE, THUMB
• Quordle #1472, Wednesday, 4 February: BLAND, HUNKY, PUNCH, TESTY
• Quordle #1471, Tuesday, 3 February: BOUND, ADORE, PINKY, FLYER
• Quordle #1470, Monday, 2 February: TIARA, THANK, SEVER, STINT
• Quordle #1469, Sunday, 1 February: SNARL, BEGIN, FLASK, AGONY
• Quordle #1468, Saturday, 31 January: GRAPE, GENRE, BEARD, RIVER

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, February 19 (game #718)

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 18 (game #717).

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

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Here's a thought

NYT Strands today (game #718) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• THEY
• TOKEN
• PURSE
• HIDE
• SCOPE
• SHOP

NYT Strands today (game #718) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 6 letters

NYT Strands today (game #718) - hint #4 - spangram position

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

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #718) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #718, are…

• IDEA
• HYPOTHESIS
• CONCEPT
• POSTULATE
• THEORY
• NOTION
• SPANGRAM: EUREKA

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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I once visited a museum which demonstrated Archimedes’ realization that water displacement could measure volume — a moment that caused him to run around the streets of Ancient Greece shouting EUREKA — by having a slowly filling bath suspended above visitors' heads.

Once the bath reached the critical moment, anyone stood beneath the bath would get soaked — a quarter-hourly occurrence which delighted visiting children.

This memory didn’t help me with my own (fully-clothed) EUREKA moment during today’s search, but it was a fun that that helped me travel around the remainder of the board, postulating a THEORY that future Eureka moments courtesy of AI are likely to be far less amusing.

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, February 18, game #717)

• LUGE
• BOBSLED
• SNOWBOARDING
• HOCKEY
• CURLING
• SPANGRAM: WINTERSPORTS

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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/B8qChta

Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, February 18 (game #1486)

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, February 17 (game #1485).

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 #1486) - 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 #1486) - 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 #1486) - 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 #1486) - 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 3.

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 #1486) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• S

• R

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1486) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1486, are…

• SNARL
• SOAPY
• RUSTY
• SERUM

Having three words starting with the letter S was a big help today.

That said, I struggled with the last of them and and it wasn’t until I speculatively tapped S-E-R-U that I realized the word I was searching for was SERUM.

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Daily Sequence today (game #1486) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1486, are…

• BLOWN
• POSSE
• UTILE
• DRESS

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• 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
• Quordle #1475, Saturday, 7 February: APPLE, RAZOR, CAMEL, MOTIF
• Quordle #1474, Friday, 6 February: RESIN, CRUMP, RIGOR, ETHOS
• Quordle #1473, Thursday, 5 February: THROB, BUILT, NOBLE, THUMB
• Quordle #1472, Wednesday, 4 February: BLAND, HUNKY, PUNCH, TESTY
• Quordle #1471, Tuesday, 3 February: BOUND, ADORE, PINKY, FLYER
• Quordle #1470, Monday, 2 February: TIARA, THANK, SEVER, STINT
• Quordle #1469, Sunday, 1 February: SNARL, BEGIN, FLASK, AGONY
• Quordle #1468, Saturday, 31 January: GRAPE, GENRE, BEARD, RIVER
• Quordle #1467, Friday, 30 January: STOKE, BLOKE, RENEW, OVERT
• Quordle #1466, Thursday, 29 January: BLACK, VOCAL, GLADE, MAPLE

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Cozy gamers rejoice, Pinterest is coming to World of Warcraft with interior design mood boards and the ability to share in-game snaps

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• Pinterest has announced a new World of Warcraft collaboration
• Players can unlock a new in-game item that lets them easily share screenshots to the social media platform
• Interior design via the new player housing feature is its central focus

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Digital pinboard social media app Pinterest has announced a new World of Warcraft collaboration to tie in with the roll out of the MMO game's upcoming player housing system.

The feature allows players to buy in-game homes and fully decorate them with a range of unique furniture options. It goes live alongside the latest World of Warcraft expansion Midnight on March 2, 2026, though those that have already pre-ordered the DLC have been able to access it since December 2 last year.

Across the globe players have already spent millions of hours creating their own virtual spaces, with some sharing pictures of their designs on social media.

That's about to become even easier thanks to Pinterest and, as of February 18, gamers will be able to link their Pinterest and World of Warcraft accounts to unlock a special “Craft Your World” achievement. This grants access to the in-game Pin-o-Matic Camera toy: effectively a little photo mode that lets you directly publish snaps to a chosen board on your linked Pinterest account.

Your pictures can then be pinned by other Pinterest users, hopefully inspiring their own creations.

To get things started, there are a range official World of Warcraft Pinterest mood boards to browse that combine aesthetically pleasing in-game screenshots with real-life interior designs.

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