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Episode 8 of Severance Season 2 takes us away from the Lumon factory for a fairly grim trip down memory lane, with Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) heading back to her childhood home to retrieve something important.

The house itself is cold, barren, and unwelcoming, but it does contain a few props and details that help shed more light on why Cobel is the way she is.

From Lumon plaques to old school annuals, we've rounded up some of the things you may have missed.

What clues are there in Harmony Cobel's childhood home?

The first thing we see as Harmony rushes upstairs is a Lumon plaque on the wall. This reads:

Quarterly Striver
4th quarter
Year of Vision

Youth Apprentice Matron
Celestine "Sissy" Cobel

"Sissy" Cobel is presumably Harmony's elderly relative — possibly an aunt? — who's less than happy about her sudden arrival. The wider implication is that Harmony has very much grown up in a Lumon family. The company has always been a part of her life, because it's been part of the lives of the generation above her.

This is emphasized even more in the next room Harmony searches, which contains a shrine to Kier Eagan similar to the one we saw her sitting in front of in Season 1. At the top of the shrine are four statue heads representing the four tempers: woe, frolic, dread, and malice. There's also a news cutting titled "Jame Eagan Assumes Role as Lumon CEO," a poster titled "Work-Life Balance," and cards showing "Lumon's Core Principles." Behind the image of Kier, meanwhile, is a card that reads "YOU MUST BE CUT TO HEAL." All of these things act as a reminder that Lumon is every bit as much of a religious cult as it is a company.

SEE ALSO: 'Severance' finally reveals what Lumon is doing to Gemma. It's terrifying.

Finally, when Harmony goes outside to the store, she finds a book titled Annual Reminiscences. The logo at the top is "ME," which apparently stands for the "Myrtle Eagan School for Girls." Inside are photos of a teenage Harmony Cobel with a hockey team, a photo of her as class valedictorian, and finally a picture of her above the heading "Jame Eagan Wintertide Fellowship."

Are any of these small details going to be the key to unlocking Severance's deeper mysteries? Probably not. But they go some way to showing just how deep Lumon's roots go, and how much of an impact the company has had on local communities and the families within them. Episode 8 gives a clear insight into why Harmony is the way she is; she's essentially been groomed by Lumon from a very young age, with the company dominating everything from her education and working life to her religion and home life.

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every Friday.

MAX BUNDLES: Max is offering a few different bundle deals so you can stream from its library without making a massive dent in your wallet.

The best Max deals and bundles in March 2025: Best Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle $16.99/month with ads, $29.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best Student Discount Max Student Discount Students save 50% on Max Basic With Ads plan Get Deal Best Bundle with Hulu Hulu with Max Add Max to your Hulu base plan from $9.99 per month Get Deal

Some of the most prestigious shows and films live on Max's streaming service. From Game of Thrones to Dune: Part Two and so much more, Max is worth the investment for those looking to dive into the most talked about pieces of entertainment. And with highly-anticipated upcoming shows like the second season of The Last of Us on the horizon, there's no better time than now to start looking at plans and bundles.

The good news is that Max has a few different bundles available at the moment that are worth checking out, including the big bundle with Disney+ and Hulu. With streaming prices on the rise, a bundle like this can be a great way to save some cash while getting access to your favorite services.

SEE ALSO: The best Hulu deals and bundles in March 2025

Alongside that deal and a couple more, we've also broken down Max's standard plans in case you're just interested in its service on its own.

Best Bundle Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Max Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle $16.99/month with ads, $29.99/month ad-free Get Deal Why we like it

The Max, Disney+, and Hulu bundle is a top-tier choice for those looking to have access to some of the biggest streaming services around. Starting at $16.99 per month, this bundle grants you access to Hulu, Disney+, and Max's streaming services for a much lower price than what you'd pay for them on their own. If you've already got Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, this bundle is worth every cent. If you're interested, there are two plan options to choose from:

• Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle (with ads) — $16.99 per month (save 43%)

• Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle (no ads) — $29.99 per month (save 42%)

Max Student Discount Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max Student Discount Students save 50% on Max Basic With Ads plan Get Deal Why we like it

It's always nice when streaming services have a deal for students, and Max's offer is definitely worth taking advantage of. Students who can verify their status with UNiDAYS are eligible to get the Max Basic With Ads plan for just $4.99 per month. That's a 50% discount off its usual price of $9.99 per month. After verifying your status, you'll receive a unique code that can be used to redeem the discounted plan on Max.

• Max Student Discount — $4.99 per month (save 50%)

Best Bundle with Hulu Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu with Max Add Max to your Hulu base plan from $9.99 per month Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not interested in the Disney+, Hulu, and Max mega bundle, you can just get Hulu and Max together if you already have a Hulu base plan, which starts at $9.99 per month. Max (With Ads) can be added onto your plan for $9.99 per month, or you can splash out on the Max (No Ads) plan for $16.99 per month.

• Hulu with Max add-on — from $9.99 per month

Max's monthly plans

Max offers a few different subscription plans. If you don't mind having to sit through ads, Max's Basic With Ads plan starts at $9.99 per month or you can get the annual plan for $99.99 per year, which ultimately saves you $19. If you can't stand ads and don't mind throwing down a bit more cash, the Standard plan will cost you $16.99 per month or $169.99 per year, which saves you $33. If you really want to go big on a Max plan, you can spring for the fancy Premium plan, which costs $20.99 per month or $209.99 per year.

Below we've broken down what comes with each of these plans, per Max's website, so you can know a bit more before you buy.

Basic With Ads — $9.99 per month, $99.99 per year (save $19)

• Stream on two devices at once

• Full HD 1080p resolution

Standard (Ad-free) — $16.99 per month, $169.99 per year (save $33)

• Stream on two devices at once

• Full HD 1080p resolution

• 30 downloads to watch on the go

Premium (Ad-free) — $20.99 per month, $209.99 per year (save $41)

• Stream on four devices at once

• 4K Ultra HD video quality (as available)

• Dolby Atmos immersive audio (as available)

• 100 downloads to watch on the go

If you're wondering where to start once you've set yourself up with a Max subscription, we've got an excellent selection of recommendations to point you in the right direction. Looking for a great TV show to kickstart your next binge-watching session? Have a look through our roundup of the 20 best TV shows streaming on Max. Or if you prefer movies, we narrowed down the 25 best movies on Max to make your next movie night a spectacular one.

TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from Harvard University are available to take for free on edX.

edX is the best place to find online courses from some of the top educational institutions in the world. And this list of famous schools includes Harvard University. It doesn't get much better than that.

You can find online courses from Harvard Universityon popular topics like AI, cybersecurity, game development, public speaking, and so much more. And better yet, these online courses are available to take for free. Yes, that's right. You could become a student of Harvard University without spending anything.

We have checked out everything on offer and lined up a standout selection of online courses to get you started. These are the best free online courses from Harvard University this month:

• American Government: Constitutional Foundations

• Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature

• Applications of TinyML

• Building Personal Resilience: Managing Anxiety and Mental Health

• Calculus Applied

• Cell Biology: Mitochondria

• Child Protection: Children's Rights in Theory and Practice

• CitiesX: The Past, Present and Future of Urban Life

• Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract

• CS50's Computer Science for Business Professionals

• CS50's Computer Science for Lawyers

• CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python

• CS50's Introduction to Computer Science

• CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity

• CS50's Introduction to Game Development

• CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python

• CS50's Introduction to Programming with R

• CS50's Introduction to Programming with Scratch

• CS50's Understanding Technology

• CS50's Web Programming with Python and JavaScript

• Data Science: Capstone

• Data Science: Inference and Modelling

• Data Science: Machine Learning

• Data Science: Probability

• Data Science: Productivity Tools

• Data Science: R Basics

• Data Science: Visualization

• Deploying TinyML

• Early Childhood Development: Global Strategies for Implementation

• Electrochemistry

• Energy and Thermodynamics

• Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

• Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles

• Fat Chance: Probability from the Ground Up

• Fundamentals of Neuroscience Part 1

• Fundamentals of TinyML

• High-Dimensional Data Analysis

• Human Anatomy: Musculoskeletal Cases

• Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster

• Improving Your Business Through a Culture of Health

• Introduction to Data Science with Python

• Introduction to Digital Humanities

• Introduction to Probability

• Islam Through Its Scriptures

• Justice

• Justice Today: Money, Markets, and Morals

• Leadership: Creating Public Value

• Leaders of Learning

• Machine Learning and AI with Python

• Managing Happiness

• Masterpieces of World Literature

• MLOps for Scaling TinyML

• Modern Masterpieces of World Literature

• PredictionX: Lost Without Longitude

• Principles of Biochemistry

• Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology

• Remote Work Revolution for Everyone

• Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

• Shakespeare's Life and Work

• Statistics and R

• Structure and Function of Argument: Introduction to Critical Thinking

• Super-Earths and Life

• Technology Entrepreneurship: Lab to Market

• The Architectural Imagination

• The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life

• Using Python for Research

The catch with these free courses is that they don't include certificate of completiona or graded assignments and exams. But you can still enroll at any time and start learning at your own pace, so what's stopping you from enrolling right now?

Find the best free online courses from Harvard University with edX.

Opens in a new window Credit: Harvard University Harvard University Courses Free at edX Learn More

FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on March 7-10. The Indie Author Spring Spectacular is offering books by indie authors in a variety of genres.

We absolutely love Stuff Your Kindle Day, but if we had one complaint, it would be that these events don't last long enough. We try to make some noise about when these events go live, but there's always a risk that bookworms will get the news too late. And there really isn't anything worse than missing out on a free book giveaway.

Fortunately, the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day doesn't come with the usual 24-hour window of opportunity. Instead, you've got a few days to stock up on hundreds of books for free (or at heavily discounted rates). And the books that you download are yours to keep forever. The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day is focused on indie titles. The Indie Author Spring Spectacular, hosted by Hayley Anderton, is offering books by indie authors in a variety of genres.

Want to make the most of this latest event? We've lined up everything you need to know about this exciting promotion.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

The Stuff Your Kindle Day schedule has got out of hand in 2025. In February, Stuff Your Kindle Day took place on Feb. 10, Feb. 14, and Feb. 21, and Feb. 28. And March is not showing any signs of slowing down. The month kicked off with a romance book event on March 4, and now it's all about indie titles.

SEE ALSO: The best Kindles in 2025

On March 7-10, the Indie Author Spring Spectacular is offering hundreds of books by indie authors in a wide variety of genres, covering everything from rom-com to thrillers. A lot of these books are available to download for absolutely nothing. And if not listed for free, you can find heavily discounted rates.

Who can take part in Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Another great thing about Stuff Your Kindle Day is that anyone can participate, even if you don't own a Kindle.

Kindle, Kobo, and Nook readers can download these books for free. You can even download these books on your preferred app and read them straight from your phone, as you can also find these free titles on the Google Play and Apple Books apps.

Which e-books are free?

Sourcing all of these free (or discounted) books is made easy thanks to the Indie Author Spring Spectacular. There's a helpful hub page where you can filter by genre and search for particular tags, so you can find exactly what you're looking for. Some of the listed genres include Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Horror, Gothic, Sci-Fi, and Spicy Romance. There should be something for everyone.

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books per month that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow, so don't hold back.

Shop Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + 3 Months of Kindle Unlimited $109.99 at Amazon
$145.96 Save $35.97 Get Deal Why we like it

These super popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. They start at $109.99, a great price for those on a budget, but if you want to save even more, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited absolutely free during Stuff Your Kindle Day.

Kindle Unlimited costs $11.99 per month and allows you to borrow up to 20 months per month. For a limited time, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free, saving you $35.97.

FREE ICE CREAM: On March 20, celebrate Cone Day 2025 by enjoying a free vanilla soft-serve cone at participating Dairy Queen locations.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dairy Queen Dairy Queen Cone Day 2025: Free Vanilla Soft-Serve Cone Learn More

Don't you dare say that we don't ever do anything for you. We have been pointing you in the direction of free giveaways all year, and we're not stopping anytime soon.

We let you know about the free slurpees from 7-Evelen, the free Lego make-and-take events, and the free cupcakes from Baked by Melissa, and now we're focused on what really matters: ice cream. Dairy Queen's Cone Day is making a triumphant return in 2025. On March 20, you can celebrate this special occasion by enjoying a free vanilla soft-serve cone at participating Dairy Queen locations.

SEE ALSO: Lego is giving away an exclusive Steering Wheel for free. Here’s how to get yours on March 9.

Anyone looking to participate in this free giveaway can visit Dairy Queen or download the Dairy Queen App to find a local restaurant on March 20. The promotion runs all day while supplies last, with a limit of one free cone per person. This free giveaway is not valid on delivery or mobile orders.

Celebrate Dairy Queen's Cone Day with a free vanilla soft-serve cone on March 20.

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, March 6, 2025:

AcrossWhat "OOO" can mean

• The answer is Hugs.

"You've Really Got ___ on Me" (1962 hit)

• The answer is Ahold.

Indian currency

• The answer is Rupee.

What "III" can mean

• The answer is Three.

Call of Duty: Black ___ (video game series)

• The answer is Ops.

DownRoxie ___, lead character in "Chicago"

• The answer is Hart.

"Nope"

• The answer is Uhuh.

Camera attached to a ski helmet, perhaps

• The answer is GoPro.

What "ZZZ" can mean

• The answer is Sleep.

The middle of "middle"

• The answer is Dees.

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

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

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands 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 March 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 7 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: All decked out

These words are games.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The words are games played with a deck of cards.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is CardGames.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 7

• Cribbage

• Rummy

• Euchre

• Poker

• Canasta

• Pinochle

• CardGames

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.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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. 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.

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: Suspension-worthy in baseball

• Green: Before the ball moves in football

• Blue: Used when the game is paused

• Purple: Art terms in sports

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

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

• Yellow: Banned by baseball

• Green: Pre-snap football motions

• Blue: Used during a timeout

• Purple: Art but make it sports

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 #165 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Banned by baseball - BETTING, CORKED BAT, SPITBALL, STEROIDS

• Pre-snap football motions - AUDIBLE, HARD COUNT, MOTION, SHIFT

• Used during a timeout - CHAIR, TOWEL, WATER BOTTLE, WHITEBOARD

• Art but make it sports - DRAW PLAY, GALLERY, PITCH FRAMING, THE PAINT

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? 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 yesterday's Connections.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 7 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: Symbols or marks of identification

• Green: Musicians made into film

• Blue: Cities of America

• Purple: Common fruits with a spelling twist

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: Emblem

• Green: Subjects of Acclaimed Musical Biopics

• Blue: U.S. Cities

• Purple: Fruits with their Second Letters 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 #635 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Emblem: LABEL, MARK, SEAL, STAMP

• Subjects of Acclaimed Musical Biopics: BROWN, CASH, DYLAN, MERCURY

• U.S. Cities: BUFFALO, HELENA, IRVING, PHOENIX

• Fruits with their Second Letters Changed: AMPLE, DOTE, LUMON, POACH

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 March 7

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 yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

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 today: Hints and answers for March 7 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's The Mini crossword answers for March 7, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A group of soldiers.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There is one letter that appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter T.

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...

TROOP.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 7

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.

The first-of-its-kind reserve would be anchored by a stash of Bitcoin the government already owns, estimated to be worth billions of dollars, the White House’s crypto czar said.

After hours of uncertainty, officials from the Houston company said there are clues that the spacecraft is on its side, which could limit the mission’s scientific accomplishments.

Poorna Jagannathan, who plays crime boss 'Lucky' in the new Hulu series, Deli Boys, may have just carved out a new corner of the crime boss trope. She and the cast chat to contributing reporter Sucharita Tyagi about how this immediately iconic character came to life.

Deli Boys is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

A 15-foot-tall spacecraft had an imperfect landing on the moon.

The NASA-funded mission to the moon, operated by the Houston space exploration company Intuitive Machines, touched down on March 6, but engineers are still uncertain about its orientation and overall condition. Is the spacecraft, for example, lying on its side?

Though the robotic craft, called Athena, performed excellently on its flight to and around the moon, this landing mishap comes a year after Intuitive Machines' first government-supported attempt resulted in the spacecraft landing hard, breaking a leg, and settling on its side.

"I think we can agree, particularly today, that landing on the moon is extremely hard," Nicola Fox, who leads NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said at an agency news conference on March 6. 

SEE ALSO: Why landing a spaceship on the moon is still so challenging

Athena fired thrusters to brake at speeds of some 4,000 mph during its final descent. Intuitive Machines is confident the craft landed on the towering Mons Mouton, a lunar mountain near the moon's south pole rising 20,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. It's unclear, however, how far Athena may be from its intended landing site within Mons Mouton. This southern region is rich in water ice, and is relatively close to where NASA intends to bring astronauts in mid-2027.

Athena is currently charging on the lunar surface — meaning some sunlight is reaching the craft. It's communicating with Intuitive Machine's engineers, too. But much of the mission now remains in limbo. 

"We think we've been very successful to this point," Steve Altemus, the chief executive officer of Intuitive Machines, said at the press conference. "But we don't think we're in the correct attitude on the surface of the moon again."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. An artist's conception of an Intuitive Machines' spacecraft landing upright on the moon. Credit: Intuitive Machines

Crucially, the lander is equipped with a NASA drill, called PRIME-1, to investigate south pole resources in anticipation of astronauts returning to the moon. The instrument is designed to drill some three feet below the lunar surface, and another instrument, called a spectrometer, looks for water and other materials. It remains unknown if the drill will be able to function in a non-optimal orientation, but NASA and Intuitive Machines will discern that capability in the coming weeks. 

The drill is important. Harvesting water ice, the space agency has emphasized, is crucial for making drinkable water, oxygen, and fuel for rockets. Over eons, comets and meteors striking the moon could have transported bounties of water to the moon's surface. Other sources could be water vapor that naturally seeped out of the lunar underground, or chemical reactions between oxygen in the lunar soil and the relentless solar wind.

But without finding and mining this ice, the U.S. cannot establish a permanent presence on the moon, a pivotal part of its Artemis program.

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

In a sign of burgeoning commerical space exploration in the 21st century, Athena (however impaired) joins the Blue Ghost lander, built by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace, which successfully touched down on the moon's near side on March 2. That craft is also part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which consists of robotic technical and science endeavors that support looming crewed lunar missions.

"The risk will always be there."

Landing on the moon remains daunting, largely because it's a world with virtually no atmosphere to slow spacecraft down. A craft must plummet to the surface perfectly, as thrusters fire to slow its descent onto a surface teeming with pits and craters. Although Chinese and Indian craft have had recent landing successes, the Intuitive Machines' spacecraft Odysseus sustained damage while landing awkwardly in 2024. The same year, a Japanese craft landed upside down, on its head.

Athena also carried both a small rover and hopper, designed to test moon exploration technologies in a crater-blanketed world. We'll soon find out if these machines can depart Athena, and bound over the lunar surface.

Such robotic landing missions are high-risk and high-reward endeavors, NASA's Fox emphasized.

"The risk will always be there," she said.

The ticket reselling site joins the social chat app Discord and the artificial intelligence company CoreWeave in pursuing a public offering.

SAVE 25%: The Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven is on sale for $299.99, down from the usual price of $399.99. That's a savings of $100.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven $299.99 at Ninja
$399.99 Save $100 Get Deal

We're just days away from pushing the clocks ahead an hour. While that means we'll all lose an hour of sleep, it also means we're in for later sunsets. With that comes the allure of evenings spent in the backyard and soon summer barbecues. If your outdoor cooking setup could use an upgrade, check out this sweet deal.

As of March 6, the Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven is on sale for $299.99, marked down from the standard price of $399.99. That's a 25% discount and a savings of $100.

Instead of heating up the kitchen this summer by turning on the oven, take your cooking outside thanks to the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven. This model comes with extra versatility thanks to the eight cooking functions that include bake, broil, warm, dehydrate, pizza, max roast, specialty roast, and smoker.

SEE ALSO: Snag a refurbished Ninja Slushi machine for $240 and stay cool all summer

Overall, the oven temperature can range from 105 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, which you can control manually with the temperature dial. The high temperatures are designed to replicate what you'd get from a brick oven, like a great char, caramelization, and blistering on pizza crust.

The capacity of the Ninja Woodfire is perfect for summer hangs, and the brand mentions this model can hold a 12 pound turkey, a 12 pound rib-eye with vegetables, or a nine-pound pork shoulder.

With a special pizza setting and an included pizza stone, this can be the summer of perfect patio pizzas. The pizza setting gets even more precise since it offers you the option of Neapolitan, thin crust, pan pizza, New York, and frozen. Some of these bake up the perfect pizza in just three minutes.

The Woodfire is also capable of smoking meats, thanks to its woodfire technology. With just half a cup of pellets, the outdoor oven will perfectly cook meats low and slow while infusing with that perfect smoked flavor. Keep in mind the power source is electric which means this model won't require heaps of pellets. Ninja says the oven can smoke two racks of ribs at once or an eight pound chicken.

Get a head start on summer cooking and grab the Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven on sale for just $299.99. Not only will you be keeping your home cooler by not turning on the oven, this model is perfect for those who aren't allowed to have charcoal-fueled barbecues in their apartment or condo complex.

Like it or not, Google is doubling down on AI-generated search.

On Wednesday, the tech giant announced that it's expanding AI overviews to more Google Search queries, starting with advanced math, coding, and multimodal searches. That's made possible due to Google's more advanced model, Gemini 2.0,, which now powers AI overviews.

AI Overviews is also expanding access to more users outside of the U.S. by allowing people who aren't logged in to see the AI-generated summaries, including teens. 

Last but not least, Google is experimenting with a dedicated AI search chatbot, akin to ChatGPT search mode and Perplexity. It's like Gemini but combines Google's real-time search capabilities for the most up-to-date responses. The new feature, AI Mode, is currently available in Google's testing ground called Labs. But it's an indication that Google Search might soon have only AI-generated search results. 

AI Mode is an experiment that uses Gemini for AI-generated search results. Credit: Google

Recommendations to put glue on pizza and eat rocks be damned, Google has signaled that injecting AI into all of its apps and services is the driving force of its business strategy. In the announcement, Google's VP of Search Robby Stein said, "People are using Google Search more than ever as they get help with new and more complex questions." But that obscures the fact that AI Overviews can't be turned off and it doesn't address the hallucinations that still plague the model and might never go away. 

Former Mashable editor Mike Pearl did an audit on the first six months of AI Overviews and found that while it's fine for simple queries, it still hallucinates on more "uncommon queries" by misinterpreting what's found on the web. It also erroneously builds on faulty queries like using baking soda to thicken soup (which you definitely shouldn't do.) 

"If the basis for a search is wrong or flawed, and the AI Overview doesn't catch the problem, then it stands to reason the user won't notice it either," said Pearl. That's to say, at best, it could weaken Google's reliability as a search engine, and at worst, it could reinforce misinformation. 

Despite persistent inaccuracies that have become something of a running joke (seriously, just Google "Google AI search fails"), the company is barreling ahead with new experiments. 

we should give this $100 trillion more dollars!

[image or embed]

— Themperor Kennedy🐸🏳️‍🌈 (@kennedytcooper.bsky.social) March 4, 2025 at 1:32 PM

AI Mode is clearly an effort to compete with AI-powered search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT search mode. These tools have capitalized on users leaning more into chatbots as a source of information, which threatens Google's core product. 

In Labs, screenshots display AI Mode as a tab at the top of the Google Search app next to prominent filters like All, Places, Maps, and Images. According to the description page, the underlying model is Gemini 2.0, which has reasoning capabilities, meaning it breaks down queries into step-by-step instructions to search and verify. 

This approach purportedly reduces hallucinations since it allows the model to check its work rather than spewing out the probabilistic next word. 

Google One AI Premium subscribers who pay $20 a month get access first, and those enrolled in Labs can sign up for the waitlist.

SAVE $26.50: As of March 6, get the Anker Prime Charging Station for $59.49 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $85.99. That's a discount of 31%.

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Are you the type of person who lets your tech gadgets languish and then forgets to charge them? It can be frustrating to have to find the right charger, the right cable, and then plug everything in after finding an outlet. Anker has a ton of different options to help mitigate these problems, and there's one on sale today that should work fantastically the next time you find yourself in this situation.

As of March 6, get the Anker Prime Charging Station for $59.49 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $85.99. That's a 31% discount.

This 200W charger has six USB ports so you can charge six devices all at the same time. That includes two MacBook Pros that you can juice back up to 50% in 28 minutes, which is admittedly a very fast charge. Each USB-C port gives you up to 100W max, and when you use them at the same time, they can still offer that massive boost in power.

Plus, Anker's MultiProtect and ActiveShield systems monitor charging temperatures so if things get too hot, you don't have to worry about damaging your phones, laptops, tablets, or other components. This charger also comes with a 5 ft power cord so you don't have to worry about providing that like with some devices.

If you're in need of a new charger, you can't go wrong with one that offers this kind of convenience, so better snag it while you can at a discount.

A new immigration policy could mandate prospective citizens give up their social media profiles for review, adding to President Donald Trump's push for stronger border policy and a bottleneck on legal migrant entry.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has opened a 60-day comment period on the proposed change, which would add a request for social media handles to immigration benefit applications for those already residing in the U.S. The requirement would affect those applying for green cards and naturalization, asylum-seekers, refugees, and the relatives of people who have been granted asylum or refugee status, the Verge reported. According to the USCIS, the change would affect approximately 3.5 million people.

SEE ALSO: Report: Thousands of harmful AI chatbots threaten minor safety

The State Department already has a policy in place that requires the disclosure of five years of social media history for foreign nationals applying for visas before they enter the U.S., but the new policy would apply to current U.S. residents who are only seeking to update or change their status.

"These are people who could have been residing in the U.S. for 30, 40 years, as a Green Card holder who are seeking citizenship, or people who are residing on other types of visas who are seeking a Green Card," Saira Hussain, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Newsweek. "It really creates a massive chilling effect about people who could be vetted for their online speech, who have every right to be here in this country and could be chilled from sharing their opinions because they are concerned they are going to be vetted and denied immigration benefits such as naturalization."

The federal agency argues the collection of such data would support more "rigorous" vetting of citizen applicants and modernize the immigration system: "In a review of information collected for admission and benefit decisions, USCIS identified the need to collect social media identifiers ('handles') and associated social media platform names from applicants to enable and help inform identity verification, national security and public safety screening, and vetting, and related inspections," the policy filing reads.

SEE ALSO: Immigration red cards: The internet rallies to protect undocumented community

The proposal also invokes a recent Trump administration Executive Order titled, "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats" — a mandate to amp up scrutiny (and rejections) during the visa-issuance process. At large, the administration has committed to an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy, including mass deportations, an expedited ban on asylum entries at the southern border, and the disempowering of sanctuary cities.

The proposed USCIS policy change will remain open for public comment until May 5. Comments can be submitted on the Federal eRulemaking Portal website, and can be found by inputting the e-Docket ID number: USCIS-2025-0003

The newly appointed deputy director of the F.B.I. has a long history of criticizing the bureau and its leadership. He has promised “dramatic change.”