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

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a good one for people who like to guess a lot of vowels. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has three vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with a vowel.

Wordle hint No. 4: And that vowel is…

Today’s Wordle answer begins with I.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer means something that is desirable or perfect.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is IDEAL.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Oct. 18, No. 1582 was HAVEN.

Recent Wordle answers

Oct. 14, No. 1578: FORUM
Oct. 15, No. 1579: SPOOF
Oct. 16, No. 1580: CATTY
Oct. 17, No. 1581: GROSS

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q. 

Some solid starter words to try:

ADIEU

TRAIN

CLOSE

STARE

NOISE

If your Android is starting to lag so badly you’re tempted to throw it against a wall, hold off on spending hundreds of dollars on a new one. Let’s be brutally honest: your phone isn’t dying, it’s just suffocating under all the digital junk you’ve been hoarding.

Those constant freezes and apps that take forever to open aren’t a death sentence. Your phone is just bogged down by all the apps you never use, the countless old files you’ve forgotten, and all the mystery processes draining your battery in the background. And while you’re at it, you should probably just wipe down the physical phone itself-it’s almost certainly gross.

So, don’t give up on it yet. A few simple fixes are all it takes to clear out the clutter, boost its speed, and make your phone feel a whole lot less ancient.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source on Chrome.

For more, check out our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus reviews.

Delete all of your forgotten apps

Take a few minutes to go through your home screen or app drawer and delete any and all apps you no longer use. Not only do those apps take up precious storage, but they also potentially have access to the personal information or permissions you approved when the app was first launched. 

How you go about deleting an app can vary based on who makes your device, but I covered all the bases in this post. Give it a read if you don’t see an uninstall option after long-pressing on the app’s icon. 

Eliminate old files to free up storage

After removing any old apps, free up more storage by going through the files saved on your Android phone. It’s far too easy to forget about all of the files you’ve randomly downloaded — like the takeout menu of the new place down the road or a GIF a friend sent. And those files add up. The quickest and easiest way to manage your phone’s storage is to use the Files app that comes preinstalled. 

Actually, some phones use a variation of that same app. On Samsung, for example, it’s called My Files. On the Pixel lineup, it’s just Files. On the OnePlus 10 Pro, it’s File Manager — you get the point. 

I recommend opening the app drawer on your phone and reaching for «files.» Odds are that will reveal whatever your phone-maker calls the app. 

Start with checking the Downloads folder, where you can either delete the files you no longer want or move them somewhere like Google Drive.

Most file apps will also reveal any large files that are saved on your device. For instance, the OnePlus 10 Pro’s File Manager app has a dedicated section in the app for files that are taking up a lot of space.

Tweak home screen settings for a new look

One of the best parts of Android is how much you can customize the entire look of your phone. From installing app icon packs to completely replacing the launcher your phone uses, there are plenty of options to personalize your phone. 

While you can definitely jump into tweaking launchers and installing app icons, start by digging into the home screen settings your phone already provides. I do this once in a while, and it’s surprising how subtle tweaks to aspects like app layout can make it feel like an entirely new phone. 

Long-press on a blank area of your home screen, then select Home settings (or some variation of that). That will open the options for your home screen, where you can customize various settings. 

Settings like the size of the app grid. It may seem like a small change to go from a grid of 4×5 apps to 5×5, but that extra column can make a big difference (the same can be said about shrinking the grid). 

This is also where you’ll find settings for things like swiping down on the home screen to view notifications instead of having to swipe from the top of the screen. 

Go through the respective settings your phone has and experiment with your home screen setup. 

Optimize your device settings

Speaking of settings, now is a good time to go through and change any settings that have been annoying you. I have a roundup of settings you’ll want to change and customize on any Android phone to get the most out of it. 

For example, turning on dark mode not only makes the app look better, but it also saves battery life. And yes, I even show you how to stop app icons from automatically appearing on your home screen. 

Customize your privacy options

Before you take a break, do yourself and your Android phone one last favor — double-check your privacy settings.

Open the Settings app then tap Privacy > Permissions Manager. Go through each category to see which apps currently have access to which treasure trove of your personal data. Find an app you don’t want to have access to your location? Turn it off. The same goes for contacts, calendar or camera. 

It doesn’t take long to go through each section, and even if it did, it’s well worth the effort. 

Game of Thrones was a cultural phenomenon in its prime, and it still seems to generate plenty of interest. That’s why, six years after the show ended, Chinese phone-maker Realme has collaborated with Warner Bros. Discovery to give us a phone that appears to have come straight out of Westeros. Instead of just adding a theme to the UI or a couple of design changes, the two companies have transformed a midrange smartphone into a unique collector’s piece.

An unboxing experience like no other

Unlike modern smartphones, the Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition screams premium (and royal) from its packaging. It’s filled with Easter eggs from the show. You get a walnut wood-textured gift box with metallic edges, which features eye-catching design elements like the sigils of all nine houses of Westeros and a GOT metal nameplate.

I was already amazed with the packaging, but wasn’t ready for what was to come.

Opening the box reveals a stunning 3D Iron Throne, designed to hold the phone. Once you look past that over-the-top craftsmanship, you’re led to an inlaid map of Westeros with introductions to Houses Stark and Targaryen. It evokes the grandeur and drama that GOT fans would expect.

Lifting the right side of this flatly laid box reveals the phone, while the left side houses customized accessories and more Easter eggs, including a UV-treated letter whose text is only visible when exposed to sunlight. And that’s not even the best part.

My favorite is the customized SIM-ejector tool, which is inspired by Tyrion Lannister and styled to look like the King’s Hand pin. Other phone accessories include a case, an 80-watt charger and a USB-A to USB-C cable. Plus, there are a few stickers and four postcards with portraits of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister.

This is the perfect mix of artistry and innovation

The Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition features some striking visual elements. It has Westeros house sigils engraved under the glass housing of the now-extended camera module, with dragon claws digging into the two bottom corners.

Each camera lens sports a gold accent ring with different engravings. The main lens is engraved with House Stark’s iconic «Winter is Coming,» while the chroma sensor ring below features House Lannister’s «Hear Me Roar.» Moving toward the bottom of the camera module, you’ll find another elegant «Fire and Blood» engraving. 

Too much text can sometimes lessen the charm of a design, but not on this phone. The black-and-gold themed camera island has so many details and, surprisingly, none of them grabs attention from the other.

The Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition also features a 3D-engraved House Targaryen sigil on its lower back. Its gold accent offers a stunning contrast to the rest of the back’s black color, and is only accentuated by the matte finish on the gold side frame. Every time I pick this phone up, I pause and look at it for a bit. You can admire this design all day long.

As if that wasn’t enough, Realme made a color-changing back panel. Its black leather transforms into a vivid red color when exposed to temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher. As it cools, the panel returns to its original black. It’s super cool to see the color-changing effect in action. The phone is IP68 and IP69 rated, so you don’t need to worry about water getting through.

This immersive experience continues as you switch on and set up the phone. Realme’s GOT-themed design language extends to its UI, including a Targaryen house sigil on the fingerprint unlock, two unique camera filters (Northland and Kingdom), custom icons and Light and Fire-themed live wallpapers.

As for the specifications, it’s identical to the regular Realme 15 Pro. So, you get a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with support for a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s easily legible outdoors.

The new Realme phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It packs a 7,000 mAh battery with support for 80-watt fast charging, which is rated to charge the phone from 20% to 100% within an hour. 

Despite the big battery and screen size, this special edition Realme phone weighs under 200 grams. It might not seem like a huge deal on paper, but it’s one of the most comfortable-to-use big phones, in my experience. It’s also slimmer than many mainstream flagship phones. For context, it measures 7.84mm, which is less than the iPhone 17 (7.95mm) and Google Pixel 10 (8.6mm). Doing this with a hint of luxury makes it an excellent value proposition.

The Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition is a spectacular mix of artistry, innovation, drama and grandeur. It sports the right amount of extravagance and practicality to be a collector’s item as well as a day-to-day phone.

Realme is only making 5,000 units of this special-edition device, and it’s now available to purchase in India, though it’s currently out of stock. The Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition doesn’t get a huge price bump over the regular model. It remains attainable at 44,999 rupees (approximately $510), which is a great price when you account for all the unique extras.