Entertainment
10 Reader Comments on Friendship
Have you read Kate Baer’s newest poem, The Bridesmaid’s Speech? It’s a beautiful ode to friendship. Is there anything more powerful than a friend-turned-sibling? Reader, I think not. Here are 10 reader comments on the subject…
On offbeat hangs:
“I attended a PowerPoint party, and it was hilarious. People presented on everything from bad ’80s movies to Phil Collin’s obsession with the Alamo (it’s real! He wrote a book!). We laughed and learned a lot; it was an amazing way to spend a winter weekend in the Midwest.” — Blythe
“My six closest friends and I sat for a formal studio portrait — coordinated outfits and all! The (very patient) photographer let us be our weird selves and even hold a printed out photo of one friend who couldn’t make it. Highly recommend capturing and proudly displaying images of deep friendship.” — MRM
“During quaratine, four of us (living in Salt Lake, Zurich, and London) started a Marco Polo chat where we’d randomly go through areas of our homes — like our bathroom cabinets, our fridges, our bedside tables. I loved getting to see these parts of my friends’ lives. Details that matter to them matter to me.” — Tanner
On unexpected friendships:
“When my sister and I were young, all the neighborhood kids were afraid of an elderly couple across the street — Rowland because he seemed grouchy and Nancy because she had health issues. I don’t remember how it happened, but my sister and I befriended them and went over several times a week. Rowland was the nicest, and Nancy seemed like she would have been a great mom. They gave us Dum-Dums, let us play in their backyard, and gave us each $5 for Christmas.They both have passed on now, and I will never see a Dum-Dum and not think of them. I hope someday to be a cool old person to a young neighbor.” — Margie
“My adult son, Wallace, is everyone’s not-so-stranger in our mid-sized city. He has developmental disabilities, and he’s the most joyful, friendly ’12-year-old’ in a 25-year-old body! We can be at a mall, or in the hardware store, or across town somewhere different, and out of nowhere, someone will wave, shout, or smile at him. Wallace will grin big and reply with an excited ‘Hey!’ When I ask who it was, he always gives the same answer: ‘My friend.’ I know he doesn’t know their names, but I’ve concluded that he’s the kind of not-so-stranger that makes everyone’s day brighter.” — Jo
On familial bonds:
“My best friends now have kids, and I’ve happily taken on the role of fun aunt. This summer, that meant attending the sports games that my friends’ kids played. It was fun to have a standing date once a week for six weeks, and when the kids were on the field, we got to hang as adults! And six-year-olds playing t-ball? Adorable.” — Amy
On looking out for each other:
“I’m an incredibly messy person (I’m neuro-spicy, and the executive functioning difficulties are REAL), but also an extrovert and stay-at-home parent. So, I’m frequently starved for adult interaction but ashamed about the state of my house. Recently, I responded to a neighbor’s text with ‘yeah I haven’t done [thing we were discussing] because I’m in a depression hole.’ Y’all, my hair was so dirty it was probably flammable, I was wearing a huge, old T-shirt with no bra, and my partner was on a work trip, so I was parenting and person-ing by myself. We were basically feral. Twenty minutes after I sent that text, my neighbor showed up with a cupcake. It was *not* a situation where a past version of me would have opened the door. But I took a breath and did, and this new friend hugged me, told me she’d been there, and asked permission to clean my kitchen while I took a shower. I wept with gratitude in that shower, and when I came out, my kitchen was clean and my kids had snacks. If you’re afraid to let people see past your polished self, maybe challenge that fear a little. There are really lovely things beyond it.” — Kara
On saying ‘I love you’:
“I once hung out with a new friend and had the best time. I felt the urge to say ‘love you!’ when we parted, but I wasn’t sure if that would weird her out. Then she beat me to it: ‘Love you, see you again soon!’ I had the biggest smile on my face the rest of the day. So, lesson learned: there’s a lot of unkindness and volatility in the world, and if a simple ‘love you’ from a new friend improved my day that much, I can only imagine how much sweeter things could be if we all said it more.’ — Claire
On friendships-turned-soulmates:
“My bestie and I have been friends since we shared a dorm room 15 years ago. We live in separate states now — and while I wish I could drop off cookies or run dumb errands or just watch old Disney Channel movies, when we do chat on the phone or get together, we pick up right where we left off. More than my husband, or my mom, she gets me. We joke that we are each other’s soulmates, and we actually mean it.” — Rebekah
“She was nine, I was nine and a half. My family had just moved to the neighborhood, and I was missing my old friends, so my mom took me to a field to fly kites. Soon another mom and daughter came over, and before long, the girl and I were off running, and our moms were left with the kites. I am now 80 years old, she is 79 and a half. We have shared our lives, ups and downs, good and bad. Have no idea where or who I would be without her. She feels the same. Just amazing.” — Barbara
What friendship stories would you add? We’d love to hear.
P.S. How to navigate friendships with disabled folks, and easy dinners to make when friends come over.
(Photo from Somebody Somewhere.)
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 29, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love a good storm.
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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 #1053 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Step in a process: LEVEL, PHASE, ROUND, STAGE
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Sound like thunder: BOOM, CLAP, ROLL, RUMBLE
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Kinds of puppets: HAND, SHADOW, SOCK, STRING
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Standing ___: JOKE, ORDERS, OVATION, ROOM
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.
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 yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 29, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you love a good catch.
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.
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.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Fish or cut bait
The words are related to the outdoors.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe going fishing.
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 Tackle.
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NYT Strands word list for April 29
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Reel
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Hook
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Bobber
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Weight
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Tackle
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Lure
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Swivel
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Cooler
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Pliers
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 yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 29, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you’re not a fan of big cities.
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.
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.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Countryside.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
The letter R appears twice.
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Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter R.
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…
RURAL
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 yesterday’s Wordle.
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 29, 2026
Celtics return home with chance to finish off reeling Sixers
