Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has a fun theme, especially if you have ever read Agatha Christie books or played a few rounds of the board game Clue. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Whodunit?

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Solve the crime

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

• REST, POEM, SOUR, SOURS, DIAL, HOLE, VOLE, ROLE, ROLES, VOLES, HOLES, DEEM, GAIT, SAME

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

• HEIR, LOVER, RIVAL, SPOUSE, STRANGER, DETECTIVE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is ITSAMYSTERY, with all the answers being characters common to mystery novels. To find it, look for the I that’s the farthest left letter on the top row, and wind down.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Chicagoans, today’s Connections: Sports Edition features one category that will be a breeze off Lake Michigan for you, so grab a slice of deep-dish pizza and go after it. For the rest of us, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Applaud, pay homage to.

Green group hint: Windy City jocks.

Blue group hint: College team nicknames.

Purple group hint: Not back, but…

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Recognize.

Green group: A Chicago athlete.

Blue group: ACC teams, familiarly.

Purple group: Front ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is recognize. The four answers are award, coronate, crown and honor.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is a Chicago athlete. The four answers are Bear, Blackhawk, Bull and Cub.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is ACC teams, familiarly. The four answers are Cal, Cuse, Pitt and Wake.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is front ____. The four answers are court, office, row and runner.

Google’s Pixel Watch 4 has arrived with a sleeker design, better battery life, first-of-its-kind emergency satellite connectivity, and an AI-powered health coach, giving even the most established smartwatches a serious run for their money.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8, on the other hand, builds on more than a decade of experience, pairing advanced health metrics like Vascular Load and Antioxidant Index with seamless integration across Galaxy phones and the broader Samsung ecosystem.

As smartwatches (and now smart rings) evolve from nice-to-have phone companions into serious health tools with lifesaving safety features and advanced vitals tracking, both Google and Samsung are stepping up their game to earn a permanent spot on your wrist. And while we haven’t tested the Pixel Watch 4 in the wild just yet, here’s how it stacks up against the Galaxy Watch 8 — at least on paper.

Both nail the basics

Each watch starts at $350 and comes in two sizes. The Pixel Watch, however, gets pricier at the top end, with the larger LTE version costing $70 more than the equivalent Galaxy Watch.

Memory, processing power, mobile payments and most core smart features are on par and best in class. They’re both running the latest Wear OS 6 along with Google’s game-changing Gemini voice assistant built-in right out of the gate. Though the Pixel Watch 4 has a slight edge because it can summon the assistant with just the raise of the wrist (no «Hey Google» needed). But the Galaxy Watch 8 does offer gesture control for other shortcuts.

Design, display, dimensions and durability

The Pixel Watch 4 sticks with its signature minimalist, round design. It comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes, with a rounded case and no visible frame. The screen curves outward in a seamless, bubble-like finish that gives it an all-screen look.

The Galaxy Watch 8, by contrast, embraces a bolder, more divisive design. Its circular display sits inside a wider squared-off base with softened edges, available in 40mm and 44mm options.

The Galaxy Watch’s display makes content look crisper, but the Pixel’s all-screen design and slightly larger dimensions gives it more usable screen real estate that’s easier to see from every angle. And they both have an always-on display option. One advantage of the Galaxy Watch however, is that it’s a couple grams lighter, making it more comfortable to wear, especially at night. 

Both come in silver and dark gray finishes, but only Google offers a gold option. Samsung’s flex is the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, a pricier sibling with a sleeker design and fan-favorite rotating bezel. They each have their own proprietary interchangeable band system with customizable options and standard durability (5ATM, IP68), meaning each should be able to stand water, dust and particles without any issue.

Health and safety features

Both watches cover the basics: advanced heart rate, ECG, blood oxygen and temperature tracking. Samsung pushes further with skin analysis that tracks carotenoids (a key indicator of nutrition and overall health) and advanced heart metrics.

The Pixel Watch 4 may not measure antioxidant levels, but its overall health package is more robust and easier to understand thanks to the Fitbit app integration. It also has a new retroactive workout detection feature that registers your workout even if you forget to press start. Most importantly, it debuts an AI coach that helps decode all your health data and uses it to make personalized training plans. You can even ask questions like «Should I workout or sleep in an extra hour?», or » How do I improve my VO2 max?» 

The catch: We won’t be able to test the Pixel 4’s AI coach in the wild until October, and even then it’ll launch in preview mode first. It’s also tied to Fitbit Premium, which requires a $10/month subscription fee, though Pixel Watch 4 owners may get a free trial period. All of Samsung’s health features and data are free. 

Safety is also a Pixel highlight. Both watches include fall detection and SOS alerts, but Google adds loss-of-pulse alerts, a safety check feature and emergency satellite connectivity that lets you send out a cry for help even when you’re off the grid without phone or cell service in sight (LTE models only, free for two years).

Battery and charging

Google claims a 30-40-hour battery life for the Pixel Watch 4 (depending on size), while our real-world battery testing of the Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm) delivered 26-30 hours with always-on display active. That gives the Pixel a small edge on paper.

A clear win for the Pixel Watch is charging speed: It powers up to 50% in just 15 minutes on the new charging dock and reaches a full charge in about an hour. The Galaxy Watch takes around 80 minutes to fill and only hits 13% after 15 minutes.

Bottom line

If you’re already in Samsung’s ecosystem, you may not feel compelled to switch (unless you truly dislike the new design). But if you’re health-focused and open to something new, the Pixel Watch 4’s October health coach rollout could make it the one to watch. Check out the specs chart below for more on how the Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8 stack up against each other.