Victoria Fox's Blog, page 216

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta launches ‘Twitter Killer’ Threads app in challenge to Elon Musk

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg delivered a blow to Elon Musk on Wednesday night, as the tech billionaires’ rivalry went live with the launch of Instagram’s much-anticipated Threads platform, a clone of Twitter.

Analysts said investors were salivating over the possibility that Threads’ ties to Instagram might give it a built-in user base and advertising apparatus, which could siphon ad dollars from Twitter as its new CEO tries to revive the microblogging company’s struggling business.

While Threads is launching as a standalone app, screenshots posted on Apple’s App Store showed that users would be able to log in using their Instagram credentials and follow the same accounts, making it an easy addition to existing habits for Instagram’s more than 2 billion monthly active users.

“Investors can’t help but be a little excited about the prospect that Meta really has a ‘Twitter-Killer’ poised to launch on the app store,” said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at investment platform firm AJ Bell.

Meta stocks closed up 3% on Wednesday ahead of the launch, outpacing gains by competitor tech companies as the broader market edged down.

Threads’ arrival comes after Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have traded barbs for months.Getty Images for SXSW

“Investors can’t help but be a little excited about the prospect that Meta really has a ‘Twitter-Killer’ poised to launch on the app store,” said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at investment platform firm AJ Bell.AP

Threads’ arrival comes after Zuckerberg and Musk have traded barbs for months and even threatened to fight each other in a real-life mixed martial arts cage match in Las Vegas.

The timing is opportune for Meta to deliver a blow, as months of Musk’s chaotic decision-making has roiled Twitter, said Matt Navarra, a social media consultant who has worked with Meta, Google and Pinterest.

Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October, but its value has since plummeted as it faced an exodus of advertisers amid deep staffing cuts and content moderation controversies.

Musk’s Twitter has faced an exodus of advertisers amid deep staffing cuts and content moderation controversies.Getty Images

While Meta is likely to focus first on growing users before incorporating advertising on Threads, “there will be big brands that will happily (invest) a good amount of ad spend on the platform” to capitalize on early buzz, said Navarra.

“It’s going to be more palatable and brand safe than what’s being offered over on Twitter,” he said.

To build up Threads, Meta has been making overtures to social media influencers to attract them to the new app and encouraging them to post at least twice a day, said Ryan Detert, CEO of influencer marketing company Influential.

To build up Threads, Meta has been making overtures to social media influencers to attract them to the new app.Getty Images

The app also benefits from the failure of other would-be Twitter competitors to take advantage of the service’s stumbles. While a number of new and burgeoning competitors such as Mastodon, Post and T2 have tried to lure Twitter users away, all remain relatively small so far.

Bluesky, a new service backed by Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, launched its invite-only beta in February and instantly created buzz on Twitter, with users clamoring to get access codes. Its website says it has 50,000 users. Dorsey has also backed another platform called Nostr.

But history is working against Meta. It has suffered multiple failures launching standalone copycat apps in the past, most notably its Lasso app aimed at competing with short video rival TikTok.

The company later incorporated a short video tool directly into Instagram and more recently wound down its unit tasked with designing experimental apps as part of a cost-cutting drive.

Another potential strike against Threads is that the news-oriented culture on Twitter is different from that on Instagram, a more visual platform, said Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence.

“The main use cases for Twitter still remain keeping up with news and world events,” said Enberg. “I find it hard to imagine that the most avid loyal Twitter users who go to Twitter for that type of culture will defect and go immediately to Threads.”

Still, she said, Meta only needs to convince a quarter of Instagram’s users to join Threads in order to rival Twitter’s size. “The reality is that Meta doesn’t need to convert Twitter power users into Threads users.”

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Unique yoga experiences: Include goats or puppies, use paddleboards, silk materials and more

Practicing yoga has so many benefits, from improved balance and strength to an increased sense of calmness and positivity.

There isn’t just one way to practice yoga.

In most cases, it includes having an open mind and a yoga mat. 

And on some occasions, you may not even need a mat.

Whether you are new to yoga, or an experienced yogi looking for something new, here are unique types of yoga to enhance your practice or make it a little more fun.

1. Aerial yoga

Ditch the mat and count on silks. 

Aerial yoga is done with the help of silk fabric or ropes. The fabric provides extra support during yoga, making it a fairly low-impact activity.

Using the silks can help with flexibility, stability and balance, while also taking pressure off the body, making more challenging yoga poses a bit easier.

2. Hot yoga

Hot yoga is done in a studio that is 80-100 degrees F. Getty Images

Are you ready to sweat? If you aren’t afraid of extreme heat, give hot yoga a try.

Hot yoga makes for a pretty intense workout. 

Typically, a hot yoga studio is heated up to a temperature of 80–100 F making for a sweat-filled session.

Count on calories to be burned during hot yoga.

Beware, though, that when doing hot yoga you’re at greater risk of dehydration. 

Make sure to properly hydrate before, during and after your session.

Also, if you are pregnant, ask your doctor about practicing hot yoga ahead of time. 

If you have any problems with the heat, or any preexisting health conditions that could affect your time in the heated studio, this type of yoga may not be ideal for you.

3. Laughter yoga

Laughter yoga involves a lot of breathing techniques along with clapping and chanting. Shutterstock

Who doesn’t want an excuse to have a good laugh while exercising? 

Dr. Madan Kataria in India developed laughter yoga in 1995.  

During this type of yoga, there are lots of breathing techniques involved, as well as clapping and chanting.

Laughter yoga, also known as hasya yoga, promotes voluntary laughter and is often done in a group setting. After all, laughing is contagious.

Laughter yoga is known to help with stress relief and also acts as a mood lifter. 

4. Dog yoga

Dog yoga was started in 2001 by Suzi Teitelman.AFP via Getty Images

Dog yoga, or doga, is often done at home between a human and his or her pet companion.

This is a practice that Suzi Teitelman started in 2001.

It doesn’t just provide physical and mental benefits for you, but also for your furry friend.

If you’re new to this practice, there are many studios you can visit for dog yoga in a group setting.

You can also participate in puppy yoga.

5. Aqua yoga

Aqua yoga is good for improving strength, balance and flexibility. Hindustan Times via Getty Images

Aqua yoga is done in the water.

While an indoor/outdoor pool is a popular setting for this type of yoga, it can also be practiced in a body of water such as an ocean or lake. 

If you are practicing aqua yoga outside, especially in the summer months, don’t forget your sunscreen.

This type of yoga is great for both beginners and senior yogis since a lot of the pressure is taken off the body from the water and less mobility is needed to participate.

This low-impact practice includes breathing, poses and meditation while improving strength, flexibility and balance.

6. Goat yoga

Goat yoga is becoming extremely popular after it was created by Lainey Morse in 2016. Erik S Lesser/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Goat yoga is a relatively new type of yoga, but a rapidly growing one. 

If you participate in goat yoga classes, expect adorable goats to join you on your mat.

Sometimes, they’ll even hop on top of you while you are holding a pose.

This practice, created by Lainey Morse in 2016, helps reduce stress, anxiety and improves your mood.

This is a very joyful experience for many who participate.

7. Paddleboard yoga

Paddleboard yoga is great for improving balance, since you are balancing on water. Geoff Moore/Shutterstock

You won’t need a yoga mat for this practice, but you will need a solid paddle board. 

This type of yoga can be a bit challenging, but it’s great for improving balance. 

Paddleboarding yoga is exactly what it sounds like.

It is yoga that is done in a body of water on a paddleboard. 

When choosing the body of water for your yoga experience, try to pick an area with calm waters.

Move into a seated pose, cobra, child’s pose, plank and downward-facing dog on your paddleboard. 

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We were shocked an Uber ride cost $30K — instead of $55

An American couple revealed they were charged nearly $30,000 for an Uber ride in Costa Rica that should have been $55.

TikTok user @dominique.xo.xo, identified only as Dominique, noticed the charge from a trip with her husband, Douglas Ordonez.

Ordonez took to Twitter and posted a screenshot of the transaction on June 29. He tweeted, “Uber charged me $29,994 USD for a Uber ride in Costa Rica.

“They did not convert that into the Costa Rican currency $54 USD. Altura credit union allowed this charge to process and Uber is not complying. Now I’m in Guatemala with a negative balance on my 5 year anniversary.”

The ride-share app responded to Ordonez’s tweet, “Hey Douglas – so sorry about this situation! We have a specialized team looking into this and we’ll be in touch asap.”

Douglas Ordonez posted screenshots of an almost $30,000 charge from Uber. Twitter/Douglas Ordonez

Twitter/Douglas Ordonez

@dominique.xo.xo

Trying not to let this ruin the remainder of my trip, but…. Yes! @Uber charged me $29,994 for a single ride! Correct conversion should have been $54, but was charged 600% more. Contacted Uber: They replied w/ “Do not worry”, but did not provide any further assistance I cannot find a customer service number anywhere. They have ignored my messages & I have only received pre-generated messages. Yes, I contacted my financial institution @Altura Credit Union immediately. They said there is nothing they can do about it at the moment as I have to wait another 4 days for the amount to possibly convert to the correct amount. Cannot believe they allowed a payment of this amount to process. Failed security measures & negligence. So now I am on a trip out of the county with no way to access my funds Pray for me Just trying to enjoy my vacation #emotionaldamage#horrorstory#uberscam#uber#fyp#viral#travelhorrorstory#wtf#traveltiktok

♬ Song Oh no oh no oh no no no – Hip Hop

However, the couple said they waited more than 24 hours for the Uber team to get back to them.

The Post reached out to Altura Credit Union for comment.

While the couple continued to wait for a response, Dominique posted her clip on TikTok about the incident the next day.

Dominique’s video — filled with screengrabs of her transactions and communications with Uber and Altura — captured the attention of more than 5 million people. It has the caption, “@Uber charged me $29,994 for a single ride! Correct conversion should have been $54, but was charged 600% more.”

She said, “I always use my credit card for international charges. Unfortunately, I was rushing & didn’t realize my debit card was attached to my @Uber account.”

Dominique posted a series of videos explaining the incident. TikTok/dominique.xo.xo

She said she reached out to Uber and her credit union several times trying to resolve the conversion mixup. TikTok/dominique.xo.xo

Uber was supposed to charge the couple 29,994 Costa Rican colones, which should have been converted to $55.32.

The Post reached out to Dominique and Douglas Ordonez for comment.

Dominique claimed that she and her partner repeatedly reached out to Uber and Altura for several days.

“[Uber] replied w/’Do not worry,’ but did not provide any further assistance. I cannot find a customer service number anywhere. They have ignored my messages & I have only received pre-generated messages,” she wrote. “[Altura Credit Union] said there is nothing they can do about it at the moment as I have to wait another 4 days for the amount to possibly convert to the correct amount.”

The couple said they had to put their vacation on hold because they were not able to access their funds.TikTok/dominique.xo.xo

The couple faced an unfortunate bank hold while celebrating their five-year anniversary. TikTok/dominique.xo.xo

In a follow-up video, Dominique said, “Basically [the bank] told me that it was my fault because I put a travel notice on my card, and because of that the charge was able to bypass all of the security measures, all of the policies that were in place.”

The couple said they could not access their funds while being out of the country and had to wait for the bank to resolve the issue before resuming their vacation.

“All of a sudden the charge was fixed. The charge was reversed. I ended up getting all my money back,” she said.

Uber told The Post, “Ms. Ordonez points out in subsequent posts on Twitter and TikTok, the issue has been resolved with her bank.”

Altura Credit Union sent sent an apology email regarding the conversion mix-up.TikTok/dominique.xo.xo

Once Dominique received all her funds, Altura sent an apology email regarding the conversion mix-up.

“Cannot believe they allowed a payment of this amount to process. Failed security measures & negligence,” she said.

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It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 16 Episode 6 Goes Full Kids These Days

The gang spends the entire episode complaining about how kids these days aren’t enjoying a real childhood, even as it becomes increasingly clear that these changes within this Risk E. Rats are probably for the best. Dee is capable of realizing that the game Frank played here as a kid (where they were encouraged to sexually harass the waitresses) was bad, but she can’t quite grasp the concept that the mascots from their own childhood — based primarily on racist caricatures — weren’t ideal either. As always, the gang comes within mere inches of reaching self-awareness, only to immediately retreat to the comfort of their rose-tinted memories of the past.

In a lot of ways, the whole episode feels like a call out of nostalgia, and how much people are deluding themselves with the idea that things used to be so much better. Go into the comment section of any commercial or news broadcast from the ’80s and you’ll see a whole bunch of Gen Xers longing for a time where things were simpler and more pure. But was the world actually simpler and purer back then, or did it just feel that way because they were kids at the time? For the “Always Sunny” gang, the answer’s obviously the latter, and it’s not the first time they’ve made this mistake …

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Check out leaked renders of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Flip 5, and Tab S9 before Samsung pulls them down

Fresh images of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 appear to have popped up online. These new renders give us our best look at Samsung’s upcoming flagship devices yet, if accurate. They follow supposed live images of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which appeared just the other day. 

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The leaks come from the German site WinFuture, known for delivering accurate product renders in the past, giving them a high chance of legitimacy. They show what appear to be the Z Fold 5, Flip 5, and Tab S9; three devices that have leaked numerous times already, although not in such high fidelity. Bar the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which has been rumored to pick up a larger cover screen (which these images  ostensibly confirm), the others look a lot like their predecessors.

Samsung is expected to launch these devices at an Unpacked event in late July. The company has yet to officially send invites out to that event, however. 

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[image error](Image credit: WinFuture)[image error](Image credit: WinFuture)[image error](Image credit: WinFuture)[image error](Image credit: WinFuture)All out in the open 

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 have leaked extensively in the past, with rumors detailing what were claimed to be accurate specs. They included the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, smooth displays, and high-resolution OLED screens, with waffling back and forth on whether the foldables will be dust resistant or not. If the timeline for their launch is correct, then we won’t have long to wait to find out.

When they do eventually arrive, both the Fold 5 and Flip 5 will launch into a tougher market than before. Rather than simply dominating the foldable space and battling Oppo, strong new competition from Google and Motorola now pose a direct threat to both handsets. We’ve carried out our Pixel Fold review and Motorola Razr Plus review (also known as the Razr 40 Ultra outside of the US), and we’ve found that both handsets deserve spots at the top our list of best foldables. With that in mind, Samsung may find itself with more of a fight on its hands this time around 

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The Fairphone 4 comes to the US – but it’s not running the Android you know

The Fairphone 4 is going on sale in the US, Fairphone announced, but it won’t be running the same Google Play-enabled Android like you’ll find on the best Android phones. It’ll be powered by /e/OS, a secure mobile operating system based on Android but without any Google software, developed by a company called Murena.

 “We are excited to bring high-quality sustainable phones with advanced privacy features to the USA,” Gaël Duval, Murena CEO and /e/OS founder said in a press release. “With the inclusion of our pro-privacy operating system /e/OS, we are proud to offer users a device that not only lasts longer but also protects people’s personal data. At Murena, we are convinced that this is the perfect combination for a more ethical phone.”

“We know based on feedback we have received that there are many people interested in Fairphone in the US.” Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens explained the partnership. “However, currently our main focus is on the European market. This collaboration with /e/OS is a great opportunity for us to pilot selling devices in the US market with a long-standing partner and learn more about the American market.”

In our Fairphone 4 review, TechRadar found it to be a solid handset that included lost amenities like a headphone jack, but one that lacked the heights achieved by a phone with a modern camera. It was also a bit chunky. /e/OS, for its part, is a Google-free version of Android that the company says is privacy-focused. More of the privacy choices are left in the hands of the owner, not Google, which fits the do-it-yourself vibe of Fairphone fans. 

Could sustainable smartphones prove sustainable business? 

Fairphone has made its bones on being a smartphone brand more focused on sustainability than addressing the mass market. Handling one as I write this, the device has some compromises. It’s a little bulky. It’s not as good-looking as a Pixel 7a or iPhone 14, and you’ll be hard-pressed to take excellent photos with its cameras. However, you’re paying for a phone that’s different from the packaged experience that you can buy on all other smartphones. It’s sturdy, solid, and is an easy to repair smartphone as there ever was. 

There is an audience for a device like this, and the expansion to the US could show just how enthusiastic that audience is.

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MacBooks in 2023: the best launches so far and what’s coming next

Apple has been busy, as usual, keeping the fires stoked beneath its MacBook range to ensure that Apple aficionados get the best laptop experience possible. That’s not to say it’s been a whirlwind six months so far in 2023, mind you; we’ve only seen three actual product launches (arguably only two) – but there’s plenty yet to come.

We’ve rounded up all the key details so you can stay abreast of Apple’s MacBook plans in 2023 – that means everything we’ve seen so far, and everything we expect to see before the year is out, plucked from the grapevine and collated here for your viewing convenience.

Apple rarely misses – if you mosey on over to our ranking of the best laptops available right now, you’ll spy last year’s M2 MacBook Air 13-inch occupying the top spot, even though it’s almost a year old at the time of writing. All the best MacBooks and Macs are set for a major shake-up in the not-too-distant future, though… more on that further down. 

MacBooks in 2023: what have been the biggest launches so far this year?

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A new, larger MacBook Air arrived this year, but we think Apple should leave the big screens to the Pro series. (Image credit: Future)

Arguably the most important MacBook launch we’ve seen so far this year has to be the shiny new MacBook Pro, which launched back in January.

This professional-grade Apple laptop came in two flavors, the big, beautiful MacBook Pro 16-inch and its more compact sibling, the MacBook Pro 14-inch. The reason these laptops were exciting was that they were the first Pro laptops from Apple to feature the new M2 chip – more specifically, the M2 Pro and M2 Max, which offered stellar performance in productivity and creative workloads.

Also sporting the standard version of the M2 chip was the MacBook Air 15-inch, which enjoyed a surprise launch at Apple’s WWDC 2023 event.

It’s not quite as intriguing as the new MacBook Pros; it’s essentially just last year’s model with a bigger display, and some members of the TechRadar team feel that it’s a pointless upgrade that runs counterintuitive to the compact design ethos of the MacBook Air series. In fact, maybe we need an even smaller MacBook! Ahem.

That’s it so far, basically. There’s not much else to discuss – though we were pleased to see that Apple added its M2 MacBook products to its Self Service Repair scheme. Right to repair is important, folks!

MacBooks in 2023: what launches are we expecting during the rest of the year?

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(Image credit: Future / Apple)

It’s not been a landmark year for Apple in terms of Mac hardware, and that’s probably not going to change in the next six months; the global chip shortage means that the exciting next-gen M3 MacBooks have been kicked down the road somewhat.

In other words, don’t expect any more MacBooks this year. A recent Apple leak did state that two new Air models and three new Pro models are indeed on the way, equipped with the hotly-anticipated M3 chip, but all signs point towards these releasing in 2024.

That means the field is open for competing laptop manufacturers, and we’re no doubt sure to see a ton of sleek new lightweight laptops arriving throughout the rest of the year. Intel has been keeping its 14th-gen laptop processors under wraps, but if the rumor mill is to be believed, they could provide some stiff competition for MacBooks.

Still, there is one exciting thing MacBook owners can look forward to: the release of macOS Sonoma, Apple’s 20th iteration of the Mac operating system, announced alongside the 15-inch Air at WWDC.

If we’re being totally honest, Sonoma is a relatively lightweight upgrade to macOS – Big Sur, this is not. That being said, it does pack some nifty features, like reactive widgets, Presenter Overlay for video calls, and an improved version of the Safari browser.

The biggest boost offered by macOS Sonoma is the new Game Mode, along with more functionality for developers in the Metal 3 suite. As Apple’s hardware gets more and more powerful, gaming on macOS is slowly becoming a reality – and features like this will be an absolute necessity once M3 MacBooks arrive.

Today’s best MacBook deals

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The Witcher’s Joey Batey Was A Bit Nervous About Jaskier’s Radovid Romance In Season 3

It’s honestly refreshing to hear an actor talk about putting a lot of thought into a queer storyline, given the way so many genre shows like “The 100,” “Voltron: Legendary Defenders” and “Supernatural” have come under fire for mistreating or hedging their LGBTQ+ characters over the years. “The Witcher” fans are notoriously polarized by the show — later in the interview, Batey was asked about potential negative responses to the storyline and said that “in this fandom, there is a very vocal negative space” that he believes is actually the minority — but three seasons in, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s take on the material has grown into its own unique adaptation. The Jaskier-Radovid plotline is part of that, and it’s a part the creator and showrunner was apparently thinking about very early in the season 3 planning.

“I was actually approached by Lauren before the scripts were even written and she told me about her intentions with the character and the romance,” Batey told Gay Times. In the end, he said, the plan for the pairing “took an awful lot of conversations with Lauren and endless essays of emails to try and figure out exactly how to do this, how to have queer characters in a fantasy world and not reduce them to stereotypes or let them become tokenistic.” Batey also noted that he’s thankful Hissrich let him give so much input, saying, “I applaud Lauren for that collaborative spirit.”

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Quordle today – hints and answers for Tuesday, July 5 (game #527)

It’s time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I’m still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it’s good fun, but also difficult.

What’s more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you’ll probably need some for this game too. 

I’m a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who’s been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #527 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

Your Quordle expert[image error]Your Quordle expertMarc McLarenUK Editor in Chief

Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief and has been playing Wordle and Quordle for more than a year. He’s authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guide, including a detailed analysis of the most common letters in every position. His Wordle streak recently reached the 500 mark and he’ll be inconsolable if he loses it. Yes, he takes it all too seriously. 

Quordle today (game #527) – hint #1 – VowelsHow 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 #527) – hint #2 – total vowelsWhat is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #527) – hint #3 – repeated lettersDo any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #527) – hint #4 – total lettersHow many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 13.

Quordle today (game #527) – hint #5 – uncommon lettersDo 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 #527) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you’re not ready yet then here’s one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #527) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• H

• A

• S

• V

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

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Quordle today (game #527) – the answers

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(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today’s Quordle, game #527, are…

HILLYALERTSHEETVODKA

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #527) – the answers

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(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today’s Quordle Daily Sequence, game #527, are…

OMEGAWIDTHDRIFTAPTLYQuordle answers: The past 20Quordle #526, Tuesday 4 July: GUMMY, SQUAT, SUSHI, GAUDYQuordle #525, Monday 3 July: DRUID, ENACT, APART, HEFTYQuordle #524, Sunday 2 July: AMISS, SHOWY, LURCH, SAUCYQuordle #523, Saturday 1 July: KNEAD, DALLY, AMAZE, IDEALQuordle #522, Friday 30 June: WOMAN, BAGEL, SUPER, ARISEQuordle #521, Thursday 29 June: ISSUE, MOUNT, OVOID, SANERQuordle #520, Wednesday 28 June: CEDAR, RUMBA, WIDOW, TITHEQuordle #519, Tuesday 27 June: STRAW, APPLY, MAGMA, CLUEDQuordle #518, Monday 26 June: SCARE, RIGHT, IRATE, ORBITQuordle #517, Sunday 25 June: GAUNT, SLANG, ROUSE, UNITEQuordle #516, Saturday 24 June: BILGE, LEAPT, GLOAT, PLEATQuordle #515, Friday 23 June: FIELD, BRINE, BEGUN, PITCHQuordle #514, Thursday 22 June: AMAZE, BINGO, MUMMY, WEIRDQuordle #513, Wednesday 21 June: BRIDE, TILDE, LOWER, REVELQuordle #512, Tuesday 20 June: DUVET, BLAST, FILMY, CEASEQuordle #511, Monday 19 June: HORDE, LOSER, GUSTO, PRONEQuordle #510, Sunday 18 June: SHORN, FRIAR, THREE, UNTIEQuordle #509, Saturday 17 June: JUROR, BUSED, SAPPY, VYINGQuordle #508, Friday 16 June: PASTA, RABID, UNFIT, CURLYQuordle #507, Thursday 15 June: COBRA, CORNY, MINCE, CHILIQuordle FAQs: Everything you need to knowWhat is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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Today’s Wordle hints – answer, clues and tips for game #746, Wednesday, July 5

It’s time for your daily round of Wordle hints, expertly crafted to help you keep your streak going even on the toughest of days. 

You might think that you don’t need any clues for Wordle today, but remember: failure in this game is only ever six guesses away.   

Below, you’ll find a selection of Wordle hints to guide you in the right direction. You don’t have to use them all, but there are five in total should you need them, covering vowels, starting letter, ending letter and more. And if you don’t have time to play at all, you can see the answer, too. 

Want more word-based fun? My Quordle today page contains hints and answers for that game, which remains the best of all the main Wordle alternatives.

SPOILER WARNING: Wordle hints and today’s answer are below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to see them.

Your Wordle expert[image error]Your Wordle expertMarc McLarenUK Editor in Chief

Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief and has been playing Wordle for more than a year. He’s authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guide, including a detailed analysis of the most common letters in every position. His Wordle streak just reached the 500 mark and he’ll be inconsolable if he loses it. Yes, he takes it all too seriously. 

Wordle hints (game #744) – clue #1 – VowelsHow many vowels does today’s Wordle have?

• Wordle today has vowels in two places*.

* 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). 

Wordle hints (game #744) – clue #2 – first letterWhat letter does today’s Wordle begin with?

• The first letter in today’s Wordle answer is H.

H is not a particularly common starting letter in Wordle: only 69 games begin with it, and it ranks in 15th place. 

Wordle hints (game #744) – clue #3 – repeated lettersDoes today’s Wordle have any repeated letters?

• There are no repeated letters in today’s Wordle.

Repeated letters are quite common in the game, with 748 of the 2,309 Wordle answers containing one. However, it’s still more likely that a Wordle doesn’t have one.

Wordle hints (game #744) – clue #4 – ending letterWhat letter does today’s Wordle end with?

• The last letter in today’s Wordle is L.

L is a really common letter to find at the end of a Wordle. There are 155 games that finish with an L, and it ranks as the fifth most likely letter there.

Wordle hints (game #744) – clue #5 – last chance

Still looking for more Wordle hints today? Here’s an extra one for game #744.

Today’s Wordle answer is a place to stay.

If you just want to know today’s Wordle answer now, simply scroll down – but I’d always recommend trying to solve it on your own first. We’ve got lots of Wordle tips and tricks to help you, including a guide to the best Wordle start words.

If you don’t want to know today’s answer then DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER BECAUSE IT IS PRINTED BELOW. So don’t say you weren’t warned!

Today’s best Get Better At Wordle deals

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Today’s Wordle answer (game #744)

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(Image credit: New York Times)

Today’s Wordle answer (game #744) is… HOTEL.

We’re back on the easier side of things today – WordleBot says this game has an average score of just 3.6 across everyone who has played it so far, compared to 4.3 for yesterday’s game (see below). 

It’s not hard to see why; it doesn’t have any repeated letters, it doesn’t have any truly uncommon letters and it doesn’t have huge numbers of similarly spelled words. What it does have it four ultra-common letters in O, T, E and L, and one that’s a bit less so without being way down with the likes of Q, Z or X.

Your choice of the best Wordle starting words may have made a big difference today. WordleBot’s favorite is SLATE, and that was also the pick of the common options, leaving just 18 possible solutions. SLANT (27) was also pretty good. 

My preferred option is STARE, and that was less helpful – I still had 90 words left, according to WordleBot. Fortunately, my second guess – TONED – cut them down to just four. With a green O and green E in place, and with T now only able to go into two positions, the only formats that worked were -OTE- and -O-ET. Of these, COVET and COMET fit the latter while HOTEL and MOTEL the former.

We had COVET just over a week ago, of course – game #734. Even with my poor memory I didn’t need to look at a past Wordle answers list in order to rule that one out, so really I was choosing from just three. With that in mind I played HOTEL next, and it turned out to be a good guess, giving me a nice 3/6.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday’s Wordle hints (game #743)

In a different time zone where it’s still Sunday? Don’t worry – I can give you some clues for Wordle #743, too.

Wordle yesterday had a vowel in one place.The first letter in yesterday’s Wordle answer was M.There was one repeated letter in yesterday’s Wordle.The last letter in yesterday’s Wordle was Y.Yesterday’s Wordle answer is an organic covering.Yesterday’s Wordle answer (game #743)

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(Image credit: New York Times)

Yesterday’s Wordle answer (game #743) was… MOSSY.

We’ve not had any tricky Wordles lately. WordleBot, the NYT’s AI helper tool, records the average score of each game and the previous four have all been dead-on the 4.0 mark. The two before that were both in the 3s, and in fact you have to go back 10 days for the last game that was as difficult as this one. That’s because today’s Wordle word has an average score of 4.3 – so, on the harder side of things by anyone’s standards.

Part of that difficulty comes from the repeated S, of course. S is a reasonably common letter to be repeated – it’s the seventh most likely to feature more than once in a Wordle answer – but even so, there are only 49 games in which it happens. Plus, S is an incredibly common letter in the game in general, but it’s usually found at the beginning of an answer, rather than in the middle as it is here.

It’s also the kind of game where none of the best Wordle starting words will have narrowed things down much. My choice, STARE, was OK – it left 56 possible solutions – but that was as good as it got. SLATE (64), SLANT (109), TRACE, CARTE and CRATE (345), CRANE (358)… they were all high.

With just one S to go by for my second guess, I needed to establish what the format of the word was. Most of the options I identified ended in either a Y (PUSHY, BOSSY, DUSKY, HUSKY, FISHY) an H (BLUSH, FLUSH) or an S (GLOSS, MINUS, BONUS, BLISS, FOCUS). 

I decided to go for the Y route and guessed right: PUSHY gave me a green S in the middle and a green Y at the end. What’s more, it ruled out the U, which massively narrowed down the choices still open to me. In fact, it left me with just four: BOSSY, MOSSY, MISSY and KISSY, according to WordleBot – and also according to me. 

I was a little dubious as to whether MISSY and KISSY would be real answers, so went for one of the O options, in the form of BOSSY. It wasn’t right, but it left me with just one more solution: MOSSY, which I guessed next time round for a 4/6.

Wordle answers: The past 50

I’ve been playing Wordle every day for more than a year now and have tracked all of the previous answers so I can help you improve your game. Here are the last 50 solutions starting with yesterday’s answer, or check out my past Wordle answers page for the full list.

Wordle #743, Sunday 2 July: MOSSYWordle #742, Saturday 1 July: BLEEPWordle #741, Friday 30 June: STRAWWordle #740, Thursday 29 June: DINERWordle #739, Wednesday 28 June: TRACTWordle #738, Tuesday 27 June: ABOUTWordle #737, Monday 26 June: GUESTWordle #736, Sunday 25 June: RODEOWordle #735, Saturday 24 June: GRANDWordle #734, Friday 23 June: COVETWordle #733, Thursday 22 June: TASTEWordle #732, Wednesday 21 June: CRANEWordle #731, Tuesday 20 June: FROSTWordle #730, Monday 19 June: KAZOOWordle #729, Sunday 18 June: SHYLYWordle #728, Saturday 17 June: RANCHWordle #727, Friday 16 June: STRAPWordle #726, Thursday 15 June: MAYBEWordle #725, Wednesday 14 June: CRIMEWordle #724, Tuesday 13 June: PLUNKWordle #723, Monday 12 June: WRONGWordle #722, Sunday 11 June: GUARDWordle #721, Saturday 10 June: AGAINWordle #720, Friday 9 June: BALSAWordle #719, Thursday 8 June: CRUMBWordle #718, Wednesday 7 June: HATERWordle #717, Tuesday 6 June: SCOUTWordle #716, Monday 5 June: ENNUIWordle #715, Sunday 4 June: BEASTWordle #714, Saturday 3 June: NANNYWordle #713, Friday 2 June: HUMIDWordle #712, Thursday 1 June: JAZZYWordle #711, Wednesday 31 May: AGILEWordle #710, Tuesday 30 May: KNEELWordle #709, Monday 29 May: MOUSEWordle #708, Sunday 28 May: SKIMPWordle #707, Saturday 27 May: RAMENWordle #706, Friday 26 May: SWINEWordle #705, Thursday 25 May: BAGELWordle #704, Wednesday 24 May: UTTERWordle #703, Tuesday 23 May: CLERKWordle #702, Monday 22 May: IGLOOWordle #701, Sunday 21 May: BRASHWordle #700, Saturday 20 May: FLASKWordle #699, Friday 19 May: GRIEFWordle #698, Thursday 18 May: SHORNWordle #697, Wednesday 17 May: PLANKWordle #696, Tuesday 16 May: LATTEWordle #695, Monday 15 May: CANOEWordle #694, Sunday 14 May: SCARFWhat is Wordle?

If you’re on this page then you almost certainly know what Wordle is already, and indeed have probably been playing it for a while. And even if you’ve not been playing it, you must surely have heard of it by now, because it’s the viral word game phenomenon that took the world by storm last year and is still going strong in 2023.

We’ve got a full guide to the game in our What is Wordle page, but if you just want a refresher then here are the basics.

What is Wordle?

Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day. You get six guesses, with each one revealing a little more information. If one of the letters in your guess is in the answer and in the right place, it turns green. If it’s in the answer but in the wrong place, it turns yellow. And if it’s not in the answer at all it turns gray. Simple, eh? 

It’s played online via the Wordle website or the New York Times’ Crossword app (iOS / Android), and is entirely free. 

Crucially, the answer is the same for everyone each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world, rather than just against yourself or the game. The puzzle then resets each day at midnight in your local time, giving you a new challenge, and the chance to extend your streak.

What are the Wordle rules?

The rules of Wordle are pretty straightforward, but with a couple of curveballs thrown in for good measure.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray.

4. Answers are never plural.

5. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

6. Each guess must be a valid word in Wordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

7. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses unless you play on Hard mode.

8. You have six guesses to solve the Wordle.

9. You must complete the daily Wordle before midnight in your timezone.

10. All answers are drawn from Wordle’s list of 2,309 solutions. However…

11. Wordle will accept a wider pool of words as guesses – some 10,000 of them. For instance, you can guess a plural such as WORDS. It definitely won’t be right (see point 4 above), but Wordle will accept it as a guess.

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