Feed aggregator

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,246 for Nov. 16.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Nov. 16 Strands puzzle, No. 258.

People often praise poets for their soulful turns of phrase and how they can evoke deep emotions in ways that feel uniquely human. It turns out AI might be even better at tugging at our heartstrings, according to a newly published study in Scientific Reports. Not only do people struggle to tell the difference between AI-generated and human-written poetry, but many prefer AI-crafted poems to those produced by human effort, at least until they discover the silicon soul behind the words.

The University of Pittsburgh researchers tested how well readers could identify when a poem was written by OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3.5 AI model or by Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, and others in the pantheon of English-language poetry. Over 1,600 participants read a random mix of ten poems, half by humans and half by the AI model. Not only did many think humans wrote the AI poems, but the poems written by people were least likely to be marked as such.

Apparently, the complexity of human poetry was mistaken for confusing AI rambling. By avoiding the complexity often found in the work of classic poets, AI poetry can feel more relatable and less intimidating – qualities that readers unconsciously attribute to human creativity.

"We found that AI-generated poems were rated more favorably in qualities such as rhythm and beauty, and that this contributed to their mistaken identification as human-authored," the researchers wrote. "Our findings suggest that participants employed shared yet flawed heuristics to differentiate AI from human poetry: the simplicity of AI-generated poems may be easier for non-experts to understand, leading them to prefer AI-generated poetry and misinterpret the complexity of human poems as incoherence generated by AI."

Poetic AI

The inability of many people to tell when a peom is written by AI is surprising, as is the preference for poetry written by AI until the author is revealed. But it's more a sign that poetry isn't always easy to parse, especially when it's not contemporary. And it means AI is slanted toward appealing to the most people possible today, just like it's other output.

We often assume that human creativity is inherently superior or that we can intuitively recognize the work of a fellow human being. Yet, as AI tools improve, those assumptions are increasingly put to the test. This isn’t just an academic exercise, either. It has real implications for art, education, and how we value creative work in a world where machines are now serious contenders.

The findings also suggest that as AI becomes an increasingly sophisticated creative tool, we may need to rethink traditional definitions of artistry. It’s not necessarily about whether an AI can "feel" or "imagine" but about how its output resonates with the audience.

But, perhaps it's best to leave the last word about being human and poetry to a poet who wrote a lot about both. Here's "I Am a Parcel of Vain Strivings Tied" by Henry David Thoreau:

I am a parcel of vain strivings tied

By a chance bond together,

Dangling this way and that, their links

Were made so loose and wide,

Methinks,

For milder weather.

A bunch of violets without their roots,

And sorrel intermixed,

Encircled by a wisp of straw

Once coiled about their shoots,

The law

By which I'm fixed.

A nosegay which Time clutched from out

Those fair Elysian fields,

With weeds and broken stems, in haste,

Doth make the rabble rout

That waste

The day he yields.

And here I bloom for a short hour unseen,

Drinking my juices up,

With no root in the land

To keep my branches green,

But stand

In a bare cup.

Some tender buds were left upon my stem

In mimicry of life,

But ah! the children will not know,

Till time has withered them,

The woe

With which they're rife.

But now I see I was not plucked for naught,

And after in life's vase

Of glass set while I might survive,

But by a kind hand brought

Alive

To a strange place.

That stock thus thinned will soon redeem its hours,

And by another year,

Such as God knows, with freer air,

More fruits and fairer flowers

Will bear,

While I droop here.

You might also like

• You can start asking AI for your next YouTube video idea
• Investigation finds companies are training AI models with YouTube content without permission
• YouTube will now take down AI deepfakes of you if you ask

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Saturday, Nov. 16.

Make sure you plan for this tax expense if you live in one of these five states.

Xfinity is the only high-speed internet option for most of Las Cruces, but there are other internet providers worth considering.

With our exclusive code, you can save big time on some of our favorite portable power stations ahead of Black Friday.

A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new rule from the Biden administration that would have expanded access to overtime pay to millions more salaried workers across the U.S.

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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

Quordle today (game #1027) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1027) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1027) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do 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 #1027) - hint #4 - 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 2.

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 #1027) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• N

• B

• B

• F

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

Quordle today (game #1027) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1027, are…

• NOTCH
• BENCH
• BUSED
• FOUND

You'll need to have been careful with one word in particular in today's Quordle – because FOUND is potentially a streak-ender. It may look innocent enough at first glance, with no uncommon or repeated letters, but that -OUND format is one of the most common in the game, with eight possible solutions: WOUND, ROUND, POUND, HOUND, FOUND, SOUND, MOUND and BOUND. Narrowing them down was therefore the key to solving this game – and you'll need to have done it strategically rather than simply by guessing options, for that first letter, because there are simply too many of them.

At least the other three words were not too bad in comparison, so this probably counts as a moderately difficult Quordle, rather than an impossible one. Small victories, eh?

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1027) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1027, are…

• HUMAN
• TULIP
• TALLY
• QUEST

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1026, Friday 15 November: PURER, TRUSS, TORCH, FORUM
• Quordle #1025, Thursday 14 November: EXALT, TASTE, CRONY, CLOUT
• Quordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEY
• Quordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHT
• Quordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODY
• Quordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITE
• Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER
• Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM
• Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY
• Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH
• Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY
• Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA
• Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN
• Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST
• Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET
• Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND
• Quordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUID
• Quordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYP
• Quordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGO
• Quordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASIS

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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

NYT Strands today (game #258) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… "Oh, you!"

NYT Strands today (game #258) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• ROLL
• TROLL
• SCOOT
• LAUGH
• WITS
• BETS

NYT Strands today (game #258) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• LOL!

NYT Strands today (game #258) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 3rd column

Last: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #258) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #258, are…

• DROLL
• LAUGHABLE
• AMUSING
• WITTY
• COMIC
• RIOTOUS
• SPANGRAM: THATSFUNNY

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

This is a relatively mundane edition of Strands, but there's nothing wrong with that. It all makes sense – which isn't always the case! – and offers a reasonable challenge unless you get lucky with your first word. That's because the theme hint, '"Oh, you!"', is rather cryptic; you may well need to use a hint to get going. I didn't, because I found DROLL by accident when looking for hint words, and then spotted LAUGHABLE by design, based on what I thought the concept here might be. I was correct, and followed up with the likes of AMUSING and WITTY before getting the spangram. Business as usual, really.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 15 November, game #257)

• KALE
• ICEBERG
• ROMAINE
• WATERCRESS
• RADICCHIO
• SPANGRAM: SALADGREENS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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

NYT Connections today (game #524) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ROGUE
• CAP
• GATOR
• SEAL
• BERET
• WOLVERINE
• COMMANDO
• FIGURE
• VOLUNTEER
• DERBY
• PILLBOX
• COVER
• PLUG
• SNAPBACK
• SOONER
• BANANAS

NYT Connections today (game #524) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Stoppers
• Green: Headgear
• Blue: Not-quite-NFL-yet athletes
• Purple: [Move/travel] blank

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #524) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT PREVENT LEAKS
• GREEN: KINDS OF HATS
• BLUE: COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM MEMBERS
• PURPLE: GO ___

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

NYT Connections today (game #524) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #524, are…

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT PREVENT LEAKS CAP, COVER, PLUG, SEAL
• GREEN: KINDS OF HATS BERET, DERBY, PILLBOX, SNAPBACK
• BLUE: COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM MEMBERS GATOR, SOONER, VOLUNTEER, WOLVERINE
• PURPLE: GO ___ BANANAS, COMMANDO, FIGURE, ROGUE

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

I needed a lot of guesswork to solve today's Connections, because two of the groups were about subjects of which I know very, very little. These were KINDS OF HATS (green) and COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM MEMBERS (blue), and both were way outside of my comfort zone.

Fortunately, I was able to solve purple first. This is always a good thing, because it meant I had the supposedly toughest group out of the way already. Format-wise, it was the hardest – those __blank word games can be very difficult compared to the type that are simply collections of linked things/terms. But equally, there's no specialist knowledge required, whereas College Football… well, seeing as I'm based in the UK and don't even really know (or care) what a quarterback is, I was never going to get that one. The NYT's seeming obsession with putting football-related answers in Connections is really quite frustrating – especially as there's a dedicated Sports version of the game now!

Anyway, I got purple through spotting that GO COMMANDO and GO ROGUE were both phrases, so adding BANANAS and FIGURE was not too tricky. Yellow was easy enough, too. And at that stage, I simply had to guess. I knew a PILLBOX was a hat (thanks to the Dylan song), and of course knew that BERET was too. I thought that DERBY also was, and decided to guess at the fourth. I had one failed attempt, then got lucky with SNAPBACK (no idea what that is!) and lived to fight another day.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 15 November, game #523)

• YELLOW: FISSURE CRACK, HOLE, LEAK, PUNCTURE
• GREEN: ELEMENTS OF WRITING LETTER, PHRASE, SENTENCE, WORD
• BLUE: INSTRUMENTS YOU BLOW INTO JUG, PIPE, RECORDER, WHISTLE
• PURPLE: ___ OF TIME NICK, PASSAGE, SANDS, WASTE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Leavitt will be the youngest person to ever hold the job and is expected to deliver press briefings based on Trump's statement late Friday that he has "utmost confidence she will excel at the podium."

(Image credit: Seth Wenig)

This is an all-time low price on the EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra system, which can power your entire home in an emergency.

Laura Helmuth announced her resignation from the long-running magazine after her statements on election night regarding Trump sparked outrage among conservatives.

(Image credit: Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Let's talk about solar installation and incentives in the Sunshine State.

Here's what to do first when firing up the lushly designed Dragon Quest III remake.

A $100 million lawsuit claims the agencies were aware of and were involved in the1965 assassination plot and failed to stop the killing of the civil rights leader.

(Image credit: Ron Frehm)

There isn't one specific feature that stands out about the Pixel 8A. Instead, it's about how everything comes together.

Black Friday brings some of the year's lowest prices on TVs, so don't miss your chance to snag a top model at a serious discount.

This week President-elect Donald Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services.

The nomination comes after Trump promised to let Kennedy "go wild on health" during the campaign.

Kennedy holds a number of controversial opinions on health, and promotes a number of scientifically debunked claims like vaccines cause autism, fluoride is poisoning the public water system and AIDS isn't caused by the HIV virus.

Kennedy has long wanted to remake health and healthcare policy in the United States. Soon, he may get his chance.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)