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Connections is the latest New York Times word game 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 June 17'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.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Drop off delivery

• Green: Fashion chemicals

• Blue: Stuck with a problem

• Purple: Things measured by the ° sign

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Deliver, as a Package

• Green: Kinds of Lip Makeup

• Blue: Predicament

• Purple: Measured in Degrees

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 Connections #372 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Deliver, as a Package: MAIL, POST, SEND, SHIP

• Kinds of Lip Makeup: BALM, GLOSS, LINER, STAIN

• Predicament: CORNER, FIX, HOLE, SPOT

• Measured in Degrees: ANGLE, CRIME, EDUCATION, TEMPERATURE

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.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

A new season of House of the Dragon means we're back in the trenches of parsing the Targaryen family tree.

That process can be tough for a number of reasons: the sheer number of characters, their similar names (seriously, does George R.R. Martin get paid by the "ae"?), and of course, all that incest. So if you've ever asked yourself the question "Who is that?" or "How are they related again?," you've come to the right place.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 review: A tragedy written in fire and blood

Here, you'll find the Targaryen family tree as it stands headed into Season 2, complete with deaths and updated marriages. If you need a refresher on the Season 1 family tree, time jumps and all, we've got you covered there, too. Read on for all the characters you need to remember going into Season 2, and how the twisted Targaryen family tree links them all together.

It's the titular House of the Dragon! Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Alicent Hightower Olivia Cookie in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Kicking things off at the top of our family tree is Alicent Hightower, matriarch of Team Green. Following her husband Viserys' death and their son Aegon II's coronation, Alicent became Dowager Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Her father, Otto Hightower, is Aegon's Hand of the King. He also served as Hand to the past two kings, Jaehaerys and Viserys. Clearly, the Hightowers have no intention of leaving the Targaryens alone just yet.

Alicent and Viserys' children: Aegon II, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron Targaryen Phia Saban, Tom Glynn-Carney, and Ewan Mitchell in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Mashable composite: Ollie Upton / HBO

Alicent and Viserys had four children together, and we're already getting some classic Targaryen sibling incest with two of them. As is custom for the House of the Dragon, Aegon II married his younger sister Helaena, whose prophetic visions in Season 1 established her as a "dreamer" like Aegon the Conqueror. Together, they have three children: twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, and Maelor. As Aegon's eldest son, Jaehaerys is currently heir to the throne.

SEE ALSO: Here's what happens next in 'House of the Dragon,' according to the book

Aegon and Helaena's younger brother Aemond will prove a key player in the oncoming Dance of the Dragons. He currently rides Vhagar, the largest of the dragons, as well as the creature responsible for killing Lucerys Targaryen. Oh, and with his sapphire eye and eye-patch combo, he's rocking the best accessories in all of Westeros.

Daeron, the youngest of Alicent and Viserys' children, has yet to appear in House of the Dragon, but that doesn't mean he doesn't exist! In Fire & Blood, he grows up in Oldtown as a ward of House Hightower. Perhaps he'll join the action in Season 2. Even just getting a mention would be nice!

Rhaenys Targaryen and Corlys Targaryen Steve Toussaint and Eve Best in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

The Queen Who Never Was and the Sea Snake both survived Season 1. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of their children. Their daughter Laena died during a painful childbirth, when she commanded her dragon Vhagar to set her ablaze. Their son Laenor, Rhaenyra Targaryen's first husband, died in a sword fight. At least, that's what Rhaenys and Corlys believe.

In reality (and in one of the biggest changes from Martin's work), Laenor faked his death and fled to Essos with his lover Qarl, leaving his dragon Seasmoke behind. The ruse offered Laenor a new start and gave Rhaenyra an opening for a new marriage. Unfortunately, it also devastated his parents, who have already experienced so much loss. If Laenor ever does come back to Westeros — and given the events of Fire & Blood, I'm not sure he will — he'll have some explaining to do to his poor mother and father.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' recap: Every death, ranked by gruesomeness Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daemon Targaryen Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Once Laenor and Laena both died (or at least seemed like they had), there was nothing stopping Rhaenyra and Daemon from getting married. Certainly not the fact that they're uncle and niece!

In the years between their marriage and the end of Season 1, Rhaenyra and Daemon have two sons: Aegon III and Viserys II. Their daughter, Visenya, is stillborn, another tragic loss Rhaenyra must weather in the wake of her father's death.

Rhaenyra and Laenor's children: Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon Harry Collett, Emma D'Arcy, and Oscar Eskinazi in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Theo Whitman / HBO

By all official standards, Rhaenyra and Laenor had three children together during the course of their marriage. Yet it's an open secret that all three are the bastard sons of Ser Harwin Strong, who perished in a fire set by his brother Larys in Season 1.

Harwin may be dead, but (some of) his sons live on. As the eldest child, Jacaerys is Rhaenyra's heir. If she manages to take the Iron Throne, he's next in line. His younger brother Lucerys was heir to Driftmark, seat of House Velaryon, but after his tragic death in the Season 1 finale, that title presumably passes to the youngest of the three boys, Joffrey.

Daemon and Laena's children: Baela and Rhaena Targaryen Bethany Antonia and Phoebe Campbell in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Rounding out the family tree are Baela and Rhaena Targaryen, the daughters of Daemon and Laena and the legitimate grandchildren of Rhaenys and Corlys.

Like many of the Targaryens, Baela is a dragonrider. We already see her riding her mount Moondancer in the Season 2 trailer, so expect a larger role from her this season. She's also betrothed to her cousin Jacaerys, which is fairly tame as far as Targaryen incest goes.

Unlike Baela, Rhaena doesn't have a dragon, nor is she betrothed. She had hoped to claim Vhagar following her mother's death, but Aemond got there first. Rhaena was also promised to wed Lucerys, but once again, Aemond got in the way. He just has it out for Team Black, doesn't he?

House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres June 16 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max, with a new episode every Sunday.

You're not going to believe it but folks who bought a Tesla Cybertruck are reportedly running into problems with the purchase.

OK, well actually, you might believe it, considering Elon Musk's Minecraft-esque truck has had quite a few issues since it began shipping out last year. Tesla had to cancel production and eventually order a recall of the Cybertruck because it had an issue where the accelerator pedal would get stuck, effectively flooring the vehicle by accident. It has a front trunk that could seemingly slice off your finger at a moment's notice. Plus, a detailed Reuters investigation showed a whole host of big issues, including wheels flying off and broken axles on nearly new cars.

Now we can apparently add defective windshield wipers to the list of problems.

SEE ALSO: The Cybertruck's failure is now complete

Cybertruck buyers had apparently begun reporting delays in delivery of their purchase due to an issue with the truck's windshield wipers. Engadget and Electrek both cited comments on Reddit and at Cybertruck Owners Club from customers saying their deliveries had been delayed due to an issue with the wiper's motor. This followed similar comments on the sites that reported issues with the windshield wiper failing.

To be clear, this issue has not yet been confirmed by Tesla and there has been no official recall, as there was with the accelerator.

The wiper on a Cybertruck is massive since the truck itself is, well, kind of gigantic. It would seemingly be quite a safety issue if it didn't work properly.

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The issues keep piling up for Tesla's truck. But Musk should feel fine, considering he just got approved for a $56 billion payday.

Pixar must be jumping for Joy right now, as Inside Out 2's $62 million opening day is 2024's best so far. The film is also on track to beat Dune: Part Two's $82.5 million opening weekend haul to become the biggest overall opening weekend of the year.

SEE ALSO: 'Inside Out 2' review: Riley grows up in this sweet, stressful sequel

The strong performance is a welcome return to form for Pixar, which has underperformed at the box office in the past few years. The decision to send movies like Soul, Turning Red, and Luca straight to Disney+ during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic made audiences think of Pixar's work as something they could just watch on streaming. 2022's Lightyear disappointed at the box office, grossing $226.4 million worldwide against its $200 million production budget. Then in 2023, Pixar saw its worst-ever opening to date with Elemental, a film that happily strengthened over the course of its run to take in $496.4 million worldwide.

With such a strong start, Inside Out 2 is poised to become one of Pixar's highest openings, second only to The Incredibles 2. If it manages to top The Super Mario Bros. Movie's $146.4 million opening, Inside Out 2 will also see the second-highest opening of any animated film ever. (Once again, The Incredibles 2 reigns supreme here.)

Rounding out the top spots for this weekend's box office are Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and The Garfield Movie.

Inside Out 2 is now in theaters.

Reddit users have discovered a new use for iOS 18's Vocal Shortcuts, MacRumors reports. While primarily intended as an accessibility feature, Vocal Shortcuts can also be used to give Siri a new name.

That's right: You can now call Siri anything from Jarvis to HAL 9000 to — gasp — Alexa.

Here's how:

SEE ALSO: 5 wild new iOS 18 features not mentioned at WWDC 2024

First, you'll have to set up Vocal Shortcuts on your iPhone. Go to the Settings app, then Accessibility, then scroll until you find Vocal Shortcuts. Once you're there, select "Set Up Vocal Shortcuts" and pick Siri. Then, enter the new name you're planning on giving Siri.

You'll also have to teach your iPhone to recognize the new name by saying it three times. Once that's all done, your iPhone will be able to pick up that phrase and use it as a trigger word for Siri.

An example of how to use iOS 18's Vocal Shortcuts. Credit: Mashable composite: Apple

As MacRumors notes, there are some catches to the Siri re-naming process. First, this process won't sync to other devices, meaning devices like HomePods will still need to be Siri for the time being. Second, you'll have to pause every time you call on Siri using the new name. Instead of saying, "Hey HAL 9000, what's the weather like?" all at once like you can do for Siri, you'll have to take a beat after speaking the trigger word to give Vocal Shortcuts time to activate Siri. So while the cool points of giving Siri a different name are high, the lower convenience of it may be enough to turn users off.

Don't worry though: You can always count on a reliable "Hey Siri" to wake Siri up, even if you've given it a new name.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for June 16 SEE ALSO: 'Wordle' today: Here's the answer hints for June 16

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday, June 16, 2024:

AcrossPencil material that's actually made of graphite and clay

• The answer is Lead.

Uninspired first message on a dating app

• The answer is Hello.

"One more time!"

• The answer is Again.

Fried Hanukkah treat

• The answer is Latke.

Get out of Dodge

• The answer is Flee.

DownLong paper size

• The answer is Legal.

Fill with joy

• The answer is Elate.

How besties might dress

• The answer is Alike.

"Finished!"

• The answer is Done.

50%

• The answer is Half.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games