Mashable

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 1, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 1 Pips

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 4-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 1 Pips

Greater Than (1): Everything in this purple space must be greater than 1. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (1): Everything in this red space must be greater than 1. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (8): Everything in this space must be greater than 8. The answer is 5-8, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 1 Pips

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.

Equal: Everything in this space must be the same. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 5-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 5-1, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-2 placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-2 placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require some knowledge of popular U.S. sports and pop culture.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Slow

• Green: Space to maneuver

• Blue: Breaking ball

• Purple: Combined words

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Move at a Slow Pace

• Green: Room to Run

• Blue: Baseball Pitches, with "Ball"

• Purple: Portmanteaus

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #584 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Move at a Slow Pace: AMBLE, JOG, LOPE, TROT

• Room to Run: GAP, HOLE, OPENING, SPACE

• Baseball Pitches, with "Ball": CURVE, FAST, FORK, KNUCKLE

• Portmanteaus: ATHLEISURE, MOTOCROSS, PARASAILING, SLURVE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

It's the Full Moon, and the first of two in May. This one is known as the Flower Moon.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Friday, May 1, the Moon phase is Full Moon. Tonight, 100% of the moon will be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

Without any visual aids, tonight you should be able to see the Mare Serenitatis, Tycho Crater, and the Copernicus Crater. With binoculars, you'll see the Posidonus Crater, Archimedes Crater, and the Alphonsus Crater. And, finally, with a telescope you'll see all this plus the Apollo 16 landing spot, Rima Hyginus, and the Fra Mauro Highlands.

When is the next Full Moon?

There are two Full Moons in May, with the next due to take place on May 31.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon takes roughly 29.5 days to circle Earth once, going through eight distinct phases in the process. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the amount of sunlight hitting it changes as it moves in its orbit. The shifting light creates the changing shapes we know as full, half, and crescent Moons. Altogether, there are eight main lunar phases.

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

The Elon Musk-Sam Altman courtroom showdown already promised plenty of fireworks. And in its first week, dominated by the world's richest man taking the stand in a federal courthouse in Oakland, Calif., Musk v. Altman delivered more than a few whizz-bangs.

Musk's goals on the witness stand were to explain his OpenAI lawsuit under friendly questioning from his own lawyer, and to not look too arrogant or ignorant under questioning from counsel for the OpenAI executives he's suing.

Whether he succeeded in either sense is open to question — in part because Musk himself did not seem very open to questions.

But Musk certainly succeeded in making more people aware of his ongoing romantic coparent relationship with his former chief of staff, and making many of us scratch our heads about what, exactly, the popular online acronym "TL;DR" stands for.

So let's dive in to our own TL;DR: highlights from the Musk testimony we followed so you don't have to.

1. Musk says this is about 'looting every charity'

If you're Elon Musk, and you're trying to explain a spat between yourself and other billionaires over OpenAI's nonprofit status to a jury of nine Oaklanders who may or may not give a hoot about Silicon Valley, how do you frame it?

Simple, apparently: you paint yourself as the savior of all charitable trusts, not just the one behind OpenAI.

"The consequences of this case go far beyond me," Musk told his attorney Steve Molo after he took the stand on Tuesday. If OpenAI wins, Musk said, it will establish a precedent that will give "license to looting every charity ... the entire foundation of charitable giving in America will be destroyed."

(Not mentioned: the fact that Musk's own charity has failed to give away enough money to qualify for charitable status, consistently, for the past five years.)

And if you find that outcome too hyperbolic, just wait till you hear Musk's other repeated claim: that in bringing a suit over the 2019 change of OpenAI's nonprofit status, he is "saving humanity" from AI that "could kill us all."

Musk specifically and repeatedly invoked the Terminator movies, evidently hoping the jury would draw a connection from ChatGPT to the entirely fictional Skynet.

2. OpenAI says this is about Musk's 'sour grapes'

Musk's telling of the OpenAI story dominated Tuesday, the first full day after jury selection. But it was also the day he had to sit through the opening argument for Altman et al., which painted a pretty clear picture of him as well.

"We are here because Musk didn't get his way at OpenAI," OpenAI lead counsel William Savitt said. "My clients had the nerve to go on and succeed without him. Mr. Musk did not like that."

Savitt noted Musk made no complaint when Microsoft invested in OpenAI in 2019. It was after ChatGPT's success, starting in 2022 but really ramping up in 2023, that "the sour grapes kicked in," Savitt said.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk found liable for defrauding Twitter investors

Under Savitt's questioning on Thursday, Musk said he was fine with Microsoft's $1 billion investment in 2019, but not its $10 million investment in 2022. "This is a bait and switch," is how he described his thinking at the time.

The judge had already ruled that Musk could get a fair trial even if jurors said they didn't particularly like him personally, given that it's impossible in the Bay Area to find anyone who doesn't know about him.

So there's definitely an audience among those nine for what Savitt is laying down here. Especially when Savitt took time on Wednesday to remind jurors in this deeply Democratic town of Musk's employment by Donald Trump.

3. Musk reluctantly recognized a mother of his children

Under favorable questioning Tuesday, Musk identified Shivon Zillis — a key player in the early days of OpenAI — as his "chief of staff." Multiple laughs came from the public gallery, presumably from those who knew that Zilis also happens to be the mother of Musk's children, or at least four out of 14.

Asked again about Zilis by his lawyer on Wednesday, Musk came clean: "We live together and she’s the mother of four of my children."

Despite this shiftiness about a relationship he already admitted in his deposition was a romantic one, Musk insisted that he didn't recall Zilis ever sharing "sensitive" information about OpenAI after he departed the company in 2019.

4. What's the TL;DR, Elon?

Asked by his lawyer to explain the acronym TL;DR, which cropped up in a court document, Musk said it stands for "Too Long, Don't Read." As any dictionary will tell you, however, it's actually Too Long Didn't Read.

That may just have been a trivial mistake, but for the fact that Musk appears to have used his version to apply to court documents themselves. On Wednesday, Savitt hammered away at Musk for saying he'd only read the first paragraph of a key OpenAI document.

On Thursday, the OpenAI counsel played a segment of Musk's 2025 deposition in which he'd claimed to have read the whole thing. TL;DR: OpenAI is doing a fairly good job of establishing that Musk's statements about reading or not reading, at least, are untrustworthy.

5. Musk was testy on the stand, not aided by 'Law 101'

Whomever else Musk may be convincing with his testimony, he and his lawyer didn't help their position with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, a veteran of big tech trials.

Multiple times on Wednesday, Gonzalez Rogers berated Molo, Musk's counsel, for leading the witness. "You should have read it," she fired back at Musk and counsel on his TL;DR approach to trial documents. And she noted to the jury that Musk was "at times difficult" under OpenAI's cross-examination.

If anything, that's understating the matter. Musk was visibly furious at Savitt for asking "yes or no" questions, a fairly typical courtroom concept. He said they were "designed to trick me," and called Savitt's claim that they were "simple questions" an outright "lie."

SEE ALSO: Lawsuit against Elon Musk threatens DOGE actions, survives early court challenge

Musk drew a connection between Savitt's simple yes or no questions and the classic example of a loaded question, "when did you stop beating your wife?" Gonzalez Rogers shut Musk down on that one: "we're not going there," she said.

Just once, Savitt apologized for what he said "wasn't a fair question." Before he could reframe it, Musk had some petulant commentary: "I find it funny you saying it wasn't a fair question, since you're only asking unfair questions."

Most attorneys in Molo's position would advise their clients to tone it down after a day like that on the witness stand. Whether Molo did or not, Musk was at it again Thursday, the final day of his testimony (although OpenAI reserves the right to call him back later in the trial).

Echoing the judge's admonishment of his own lawyer, Musk repeatedly claimed Savitt was leading the witness. That is, however, something that only applies to friendly questioning, as Gonzalez Rogers pointed out.

"That’s not how it works," the judge told the world's richest man, before dropping the mic: "Let’s remind everyone in the courtroom that you're not a lawyer."

But Musk simply couldn't avoid having the last word, telling the jury that "I did take Law 101 in school."

As any Law 101 professor could tell Musk, however, he should be glad to be off the witness stand before he made his case any worse for himself.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love yellow.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for May 1, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: To create a sheen

• Green: Yellow hue

• Blue: Feathered skull

• Purple: Counting

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Make glossy

• Green: Translucent golden things

• Blue: Features of a bird's head

• Purple: Numbers with first letter changed

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1055 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Make glossy: BUFF, POLISH, SHINE, WAX

• Translucent golden things: ALE, AMBER, CIRTINE, HONEY

• Features of a bird's head: BEAK, COMB, CREST, WATTLE

• Numbers with first letter changed: HIVE, MIX, POUR, WIGHT

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 1, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're a beach lover.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 1, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: I ❤️ Hawaii

The words are related to an island.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe Hawaiian culture.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Aloha Spirit.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

NYT Strands word list for May 1

• Luau

• Poke

• Hula

• Aloha Spirit

• Ukulele

• Pineapple

• Macadamia

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a bird lover.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 1, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for May 1, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A feather.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

PLUME

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Wobbly.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SHAKY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Speciality.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 1, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

FORTE

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Not the best.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 1 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 1, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

WORST

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Lightheaded.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

FAINT

Final Hurdle hint

A proposal.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

OFFER

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable is on sale for $21.99 (reg. $49.99) and combines fast charging, data transfer, and built-in tools in one compact design.

Opens in a new window Credit: GoCable GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable $21.99
$49.99 Save $28.00   Get Deal

If you’re always untangling cords or looking for the right adapter, this small upgrade can make travel or your daily routine a lot easier. The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC cable is built to replace a handful of cables and tools with just one compact pick, and it is currently on sale for $21.99 (reg. $49.99).

It’s a 100W charging cable, so it can handle everything from your phone to your laptop. All you have to do is just plug into a compatible charger. You’ll get faster charging than standard cables, plus quick data transfer when you need to move files.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

The 8-in-1 comes from all the added features. You get universal connectors like USB-C and Lightning, so you can charge most devices without carrying extra cords. There’s even an LED display for a quick check to see if your device is charging.

Aside from charging, it makes everyday transport easier. A magnetic wrap keeps the cable tangle-free, while the built-in carabiner makes it easy to clip to a bag or keychain. There’s also a bottle opener and a small, safety-designed cutter tucked into the design for quick, practical tasks.

This kind of all-in-one cable makes the most sense for people who travel often, commute with multiple devices, or just want to cut down on clutter. Instead of carrying separate cords for your phone, laptop, and accessories, you’ve got one cable that covers most of the basics.

At $21.99 (reg. $49.99), the GoCable is an easy way to streamline your setup without spending a lot on multiple chargers. If you’re ready to stop digging for the right cable, this quick swap helps keep things organized.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

We visit Hasbro headquarters to take a closer look at the prototype for Ultimate Grogu, a $600 high-end animatronic from Star Wars. The collectible brings the character to life with advanced motion and detail. It goes up for preorder on April 30.

Artificial intelligence that can "reason" is now capable of diagnosing real-life medical scenarios as well as or better than physicians, according to the results of a study published Thursday in Science.

The researchers used previously unknown clinical cases to test OpenAI's reasoning model o1 against the company's older model, GPT-4, as well as physicians and medical residents in training.

In a range of experiments, the o1 model often improved significantly on GPT-4's diagnostic ability and bested physicians, too. When tested with the electronic health records of random emergency department cases from a Boston hospital, the o1 model was diagnostically accurate more than two-thirds of the time at initial triage. Two expert attending physicians had correct diagnoses roughly half of the time.

SEE ALSO: What AI can tell you about your blood test

Dr. Robert Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, described the study's findings as "important" and suggested it's now "indisputable" that modern AI will outperform older large language models and doctors when asked to identify the right diagnosis and next step. He was not involved in the study.

However, Wachter, author of "A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future," added that more research is necessary before AI is fully implemented in clinical practice.

"The question is how closely this replicates real life, and the answer is moderately well but not perfectly," Wachter wrote in an email.

As the study's authors acknowledge, the experiments were limited to text-only input and didn't include the visual and auditory clues and cues that doctors often rely on for diagnosis. These can include a patient's level of distress and medical imaging.

"GenAI can probably begin to integrate these inputs but for now, a test of a written, and often artificially 'clean' clinical case scenario is not the same as going into an ER and dealing with the chaos," Wachter said. "Just watch The Pitt."

SEE ALSO: When is 'The Pitt' Season 3 coming out? Can AI replace a doctor?

Dr. Ashwin Ramaswamy, an instructor of urology at Mt. Sinai who has studied AI's ability to respond to consumer health inquiries, shared a similar response to the study.

While he commended the study's design, Ramaswamy noted that the AI reasoned over clinical information that had been collected, filtered, documented by humans. In real life, patients may be afraid, intoxicated, or actively deteriorating, among other challenges physicians encounter when making diagnoses.

"This is valuable and it shows the progress of the technology that it performed so well, but it skips a central part of the job of 'being a doctor,'" Ramaswamy said in an email.

He also wished for specific details about the errors made both by physicians and the LLM. If the model made an understandable near-miss, that's different than a dangerous, unexplainable mistake.

In Ramaswamy's own recent evaluation of ChatGPT Health, published as a peer-reviewed advance paper in Nature Medicine, he and fellow researchers found that AI's failure modes can be "jagged." In other words, AI might perform well when diagnosing a rare, difficult disease, but still miss something clinically obvious.

Ramaswamy said the new study strengthens the case for using AI as a "supervised clinician-facing second-opinion tool."

Indeed, based on their findings, the study's authors highlighted an "urgent" need for further studies and prospective clinical trials to determine how AI systems can improve clinical practice and patient outcomes.

"The rapid pace of improvement in LLMs has substantial implications for the science and practice of clinical medicine," wrote the authors, many of whom are based at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where the study was conducted.

An accompanying article, also published in Science and written by two experts at Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide, Australia, who were not involved in the study, agreed with its urgent implications. They also argued against replacing doctors with AI, instead envisioning a style of collaboration that provides oversight, contextual judgment, and accountability.

"Without robust demonstrated effectiveness, equity, and safety, many AI systems will remain insufficient for clinical use," the experts wrote.

The latest AI-powered scam alert: Online grifters are using AI deepfakes of Hollywood faves, including Taylor Swift and Rihanna, to bait TikTok users into signing up for fraudulent rewards programs.

According to a new report by Copyleaks, TikTok has seen a rise in fake red carpet videos of AI-generated celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, that appear to encourage users to sign up for "fraudulent or malicious services." Examples include late night clips of Swift advertising a mysterious "TikTok Pay" feature and press circuit clips of Rihanna schilling a views-for-rewards program.

SEE ALSO: You can now own your own little Artemis II 'Rise' plushie

The synthetic impersonations aren't entirely convincing, with typically unsettling facial movements and unsynchronized audio, but that's not stopping alleged scammers. Many of the clips use TikTok branding and add textured filters to seemingly bypass the platform's AI detection tools. When users click on the videos, they are redirected to third-party sites that then solicit personally identifiable information.

Copyleaks has reported a rise in AI-enabled deepfake scams across social media platforms, some of which include hyper-sexualized, nonconsensual deepfakes of celebrities. Meta was recently the target of a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the Consumer Federation of America, alleging the company profited from Facebook advertising scams.

Meanwhile, Hollywood still hasn't come up with a sweeping solution for nonconsensual celebrity deepfakes. Earlier this week, Swift reportedly filed to trademark her voice and likeness amid AI-generated deepfakes and growing public attention on posthumous legacy projects. Other celebrities have done the same.

Microsoft's stellar Surface Laptop is overdue for a refresh, and we just got some pretty concrete evidence that a new model is coming soon.

An unreleased Surface Laptop 8th Edition with an Intel Panther Lake processor and a 13.8-inch display appeared in two Geekbench 6 listings earlier this week. The listings, which were viewed by Mashable and captured in screenshots by Notebookcheck, were removed by Thursday morning.

A cached Google search result still shows one of the laptop's Geekbench 6 listings. Credit: Screenshot via Google

Primate Labs' Geekbench 6 is a popular benchmark for measuring devices' CPU performance. (We run it on every laptop we review.) Geekbench 6 results are automatically uploaded to a public online database unless the user enters a paid license key. Presumably, someone at Microsoft or Intel forgot to do so before benchmarking the device in question.

Microsoft hasn't confirmed any new Surface PCs for 2026 yet, though it announced significant price hikes for its current-gen devices earlier this month, citing "recent increases in memory and component costs." When reached for comment about this week's Geekbench 6 leak, a rep for the company said, "Microsoft has nothing further to share at this time."

What the leak tells us

The mysterious Surface Laptop's Geekbench 6 results revealed that it runs on a high-end Intel Core Ultra X7 368H chip with Arc B390 graphics and 32GB of RAM, per Notebookcheck's screenshots. It scores on par with other newer Windows laptops powered by the slightly lesser Core Ultra X7 358H chip, and with the M5 MacBook Air (in multi-core scenarios like video editing).

SEE ALSO: Memory wars: Microsoft announces big price increases for Surface laptops

The laptop's full name is "Microsoft Corporation Surface Laptop for Business 13.8in 8th Ed Intel," indicating that Microsoft will continue to earmark Intel configurations for business customers. The company originally launched its current Surface Laptop 7 with Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processors in May 2024; pricier enterprise models with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chips arrived in January 2025.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 came in two sizes and four colors: platinum, sapphire, dune, and black. Credit: Microsoft

That schedule might be flipped for the next generation. Earlier this month, Windows Central reported that Microsoft is planning on releasing Intel-based Surface Laptops and Surface Pros this spring. Snapdragon X2 variants for consumers will likely follow later in the summer, possibly due to supply shortages of those chips.

The new Surface Laptop will reportedly feature a similar design, new colors, improved haptics, and an optional OLED display, per Windows Central.

UPDATE: Apr. 30, 2026, 1:39 p.m. EDT This story was updated with comment from a Microsoft rep.

SAVE $43.07: The Lego Botanicals Flower Arrangement (10345) is on sale at Amazon for $66.92, down from the list price of $109.99. That's a 39% discount and a sale price that comes within $1 of the lowest we've ever spotted at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Flower Arrangement (10345) $66.92 at Amazon
$109.99 Save $43.07   Get Deal

Mother's Day is next Sunday, May 10. If you're stumped on finding the best Mother's Day gift this year, you're not alone. Somehow, moms are incredibly hard to shop for. Instead of buying her flowers that need her attention to stay looking fresh and will eventually wilt, get her a Lego bouquet. There's a beautiful build on sale today at Amazon she'll love.

As of April 30, the Lego Botanicals Flower Arrangement (10345) is on sale at Amazon for $66.92, marked down from the standard price of $109.99. That works out to a savings of $43.07 from a giant 39% discount. This sale price comes within $1 of the lowest we've ever spotted at Amazon.

Mom deserves some Zen chill-out time and building a Lego bouquet certainly fits that bill. The Lego Botanicals Flower Arrangement has 1,161 bricks and 14 flowers with peonies, hydrangeas, lilies, ranunculus, camellia, and more. The white chalice vase is also part of the build.

SEE ALSO: Unique Mother's Day gift idea alert: These Bouqs flower bouquets come bundled with matching Lego sets

In total, the display is about 10 inches tall and 12 inches wide, which is a great size for adding to a bookshelf or a side table. Not only is this a great Mother's Day gift for the mom who loves to garden, it can be a kind gesture to the mom who deals with pollen allergies and can't have live flowers in the house.

Before time runs out on this deal, get mom the Lego Botanicals Flower Arrangement this year for Mother's Day while it's under $67. It'll be a bright, cherry reminder of her family's love that she can display all year long.

SAVE $200: As of April 30, the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) is on sale at Amazon for $1,299.99. That's $200 off its original list price of $1,499.99. It also comes with one free month of Xbox Game Pass.

Opens in a new window Credit: ASUS ASUS ROG Strix G16 (Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,299.99 at Amazon
$1,499.99 Save $200   Get Deal

If you want to get into PC gaming, but the cost and sheer amount of accessories feels inaccessible, a gaming laptop is the way to go. A laptop built specifically for gaming packs everything you need under the hood without you needing to shell out for a bunch of extra components. Of course, gaming laptops can also cost an arm and a leg, but there are plenty of budget options (and deals!) as well.

The bad news is it's not traditionally one of the best times to be looking for a new laptop at a discount. The good news is this ASUS ROG Strix model is breaking the rules. As of April 30, you can get the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (Intel Core i7-14650HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for $1,299.99 instead of its original list price of $1,499.99. That's $200 you get to keep in your pocket. Plus, you'll get a free month of Xbox Game Pass with your purchase.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

This configuration comes with some serious firepower for the price, including an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics, 16GB of DDR5 RAM for speed and efficiency, and a spacious 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD for seamless multitasking. While its 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time could certainly be faster, but for this price, corners have to be cut somewhere.

If you're new to PC gaming or looking for a more portable (yet affordable) gaming rig, the ASUS ROG Strix G615JMR-AS74 is a solid pick at full price. At $200 off, it's an excellent value.

SAVE $30: The Kobo Libra Colour is on sale at Amazon and Kobo for $199.99, down from the list price of $229.99. That's a 13% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kobo Kobo Libra Colour $199.99 at Kobo
$229.99 Save $30   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Kobo Kobo Libra Colour $199.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $30   Get Deal

Finding the perfect gift for a mom can be a struggle. If she's a reader and doesn't own an e-reader or a model that comes with color, this deal could make for the perfect gift.

As of April 30, the Kobo Libra Colour is on sale for $199.99 at both Amazon and Kobo, marked down from the standard price of $229.99. That works out to a 13% discount or a savings of $30.

Gone are the days of lugging hardbacked books on vacation. We now have digital e-readers that are perfect for packing along on vacation or bringing along on the commute to work. On the list of Mashable's favorite e-readers, the Kobo Libra Colour earns the top spot as the best color e-reader.

SEE ALSO: Mother's Day is sorted — the Kindle Colorsoft Essentials Bundle is 31% off right now at Amazon

Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard reviewed the Kobo Libra Colour and mentioned that it's the perfect portable size without feeling too small. It has a seven-inch E-ink Kaleido 3 screen and a major 32GB of storage. In black and white, it has 300 PPI (pixels per inch), and it uses 150 PPI for color content.

In her guide to the best e-readers, Mashable Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino says, "For serious readers who don't mind splurging a little, the Kobo Libra Colour delivers an upgraded e-reader experience. And if you're an annotator, you can highlight and mark up your pages in different colors to stay organized. In the Kindle family, only the Scribe supports scribbling, and with a higher price tag."

In addition to those features, the Kobo Libra Colour is waterproof, which makes it a great poolside accessory. It also has excellent Libby integrations and a long battery life.

Kobo mentions the brand does not directly sell via Amazon. Buying a Kobo at Amazon means you're purchasing from a third-party seller, which is something Mashable doesn't typically encourage. The Amazon seller featuring the $199.99 sale price is listed as Kobo US and comes with overall positive feedback within the last year. If you're more comfortable purchasing directly from Kobo, you'll also find the $199.99 sale price listed, and shipping is free.

In either case, gifting Mom the Kobo Libra Colour is bound to earn you the title of best gift this Mother's Day. It's something she can enjoy every day for years to come.

The global memory shortage has been a challenge for consumers in 2026, and Samsung doesn't think the situation will improve in 2027.

The Korean tech behemoth released its quarterly earnings report this week, revealing record profit driven by chip demand, per Reuters. However, while that may be good for Samsung's books, the company readily acknowledged that the high demand for memory for AI data center construction will continue to put pressure on the global supply.

SEE ALSO: New Samsung Galaxy smart glasses reportedly leaked

"Our supply falls far short of customer demand," Samsung executive Kim Jaejune said in an earnings call. "Based solely on the demand currently received for 2027, the supply-to-demand gap for 2027 is set to widen even further than ⁠in 2026."

In less business-y language, that means the memory shortage will be worse next year than it is now. That's not great for anyone other than the companies that manufacture memory. The ongoing shortage has led to increased prices on some products and indefinitely delayed the release of others. For example, Sony raised prices on PlayStation 5 consoles in March, Motorola raised prices on its mid-range phones this month, and we still have no idea when Valve's enticing new Steam Machine console is coming out, even though the controller will be available next week.

But other than that, everything is going great.

Prepare for Brat Prince Summer.

Interview with a Vampire returns June 7 with Season 3, titled The Vampire Lestat. Fans of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, on which Rolin Jones' scintillating TV series is based, know this title means we'll be getting Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) making the leap from the Théâtre des Vampires stage to full-blown rock star. And lucky fans can see Reid perform in character live at a special one-night-only concert ahead of the season premiere.

SEE ALSO: 'The Vampire Lestat' trailer sees Lestat embracing his inner rock god We want to go to there. Credit: AMC

On June 2, at the Beacon Theater, The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only – LIVE will offer an advanced screening of the premiere episode of The Vampire Lestat, followed by Reid performing songs from the show.

View this post on Instagram

Fans have already been streaming The Vampire Lestat's songs on Apple Music, including "Long Face," "All Fall Down," and a cover of Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself." Other songs written and composed by Daniel Hart could debut there.

But how can fans get in on the fun?

Are you ready for rock star Lestat? Credit: AMC

Out of the AMC Upfronts, TV Insider reports that complimentary tickets will be offered.

To get these much-coveted tickets, go to The Vampire Lestat One Night Only Live on May 6, at 12 a.m. midnight ET. Supply is limited. (The Beacon has fewer than 3,000 seats.) And it's an 18-and-over show, so age restrictions apply.

At the Upfronts, Reid said of the event, "I’m really proud of Daniel’s music... and there are songs that we’ll be playing that haven’t been released yet."

And for those wondering if Jacob Anderson will be in the audience — as Louis is in the Vampire Lestat trailer — he told TV Insider, "I wouldn’t miss it for the world."

How to watch: The Vampire Lestat premieres June 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.

SAVE $1,099.01: The Anker Solix F2000 portable power station is on sale for $899.99, down from the normal price of $1,999. That's a 55% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Solix Anker Solix F2000 $899.99 at Amazon
$1,999 Save $1,099.01   Get Deal

We're already at the end of April and that means summer camping season is nearly here. For those who prefer to stay connected while camping with a phone or other devices, keeping them charged up has often be a challenge. Instead of trying to conserve phone battery this summer, pack along a portable power station. There's a hefty model on sale today at Amazon.

As of April 30, the Anker Solix F2000 portable power station is on sale for $899.99, marked down at Amazon from the standard list price of $1,999. That's a 55% discount that takes off a massive $1,099.01.

Anker put an emphasis on the portable aspect of the Solix F2000. Instead of hauling around the 2,048Wh power station that weighs almost 70 pounds, Anker added a telescoping handle and all-terrain wheels. With an stable output of 2400W, you'll be able to keep heavy-duty items powered up at the campsite like an electric kettle, blender, portable freezer, electric grill, air fryer, or a mini fridge in the RV.

The Solix F2000 is also a great model if your summer plans include getting work done in the yard. Instead of running a massive extension cord from the house to the yard, the Solix F2000 can power up the electric chainsaw or a corded weed whacker.

SEE ALSO: The Anker Solix C2000 power station is half off at Amazon right now — save over $700

If you'll be out camping this summer, recharging via solar might be a great bet. The Solix F2000 is compatible with up to 1,000W of solar input. With that amount, Anker says it'll take about 2.5 hours to fully recharge the F2000. With 400W solar input, it'll take about 5.7 hours to recharge.

In total, the Solix F2000 has 12 ports including four standard AC, three USB-C, two USB-A, and a TT-30, to spotlight a handful.

Before camping season kicks into high gear, upgrade your setup this year with the Anker Solix F2000. You'll be able to keep everything charged up and ready to go, espeically when recharging with solar panels.

SAVE $300: As of April 30, get the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 gaming monitor for just $699.99. That saves you $300 off its $999.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 Gaming Monitor $699.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $300   Get Deal

You don't need to be a professional to take your gaming setup seriously. If the worlds you're exploring in games deserve to stretch beyond your laptop or monitor screen, it may be time for an upgrade. If you want to go supersized, it's time for a screen that's over four-feet long.

SEE ALSO: Rate your favorite audio brands for a chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card

We're all over the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9. As of April 30, get the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 Gaming Monitor for just $699.99 at Amazon. Typically $999.99, this Samsung monitor has dipped in price by 30%. That means you'll save $300 on the giant monitor.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

But are you just paying for its size? No, there's plenty more offered in this gaming unit that makes it an exceptional buy. It delievers at 32:9 aspect ratio for the widest view of your game, or allowing for multiple screens at once. The 49-inch screen has dual QHD quality and a peak brightness of 1000 nits. It has an extensive contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 and paired with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, it provides vivid detail seamlessly.

Shop the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey gaming monitor at Amazon for just $699.99 now.