What Are ‘Zone Minutes,’ and Why Does Fitbit Sometimes Double Them?

If you have a Fitbit, or if you use the Fitbit app with a compatible device like a Pixel watch, you’ve probably seen “zone minutes” or "active zone minutes" pop up on your screen as a metric that the app thinks is worth paying attention to. So what exactly are zone minutes, and how do they compare to the other ways we measure exercise, like steps? 

Zone minutes relate to the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines

Before we get into how zone minutes are measured, I think it will be most useful to look at why we’re counting up minutes at all. Fitbit’s purpose here is actually pretty neat: They’re trying to give you an automated way of telling whether you are keeping up with public health guidelines for exercise, like the World Health Organization’s recommendations for exercise, and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (which, conveniently, use the same numbers).

As I explain here, these guidelines state that we should all get at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. “Moderate” exercise counts for the guidelines, which includes activities like walking and housework. 

The guidelines also say that if you’re getting “vigorous” exercise, like running, you only need 75 minutes to meet the guidelines. Another way of thinking of these numbers is to consider vigorous exercise as counting double. If you’ve done 100 minutes of moderate exercise (like walking), you only need 25 minutes of vigorous exercise to meet your weekly goal. 

And while 150 minutes is a target, it’s actually only the entry level target. The U.S. and World Health Organization guidelines both say that if you’re hitting 150 minutes just fine, you should set your sights on a 300-minute target. In general, more exercise is better (within reason), so it’s handy to keep tabs on how many minutes’ worth of exercise you’ve done this week. Fitbit keeps track of that for you. 

Zone minutes are detected based on your heart rate

Now we can talk about where zone minutes come from, and why they’re called “zone” minutes. Your Fitbit (or compatible gadget) can measure your heart rate pretty easily, so the app simply marks you down as completing a “zone minute” any time your heart rate seems to be in a zone that suggests you’re exercising.

There are many ways of dividing up heart rates into zones, and I have a rundown of the most common schemes here. Fitbit likes to use a system where, instead of numbers, your heart rate can be at rest, or in one of these zones: 

• Moderate or “fat burn”: 40% to 59% of your heart rate reserve, or 50% to 69% of max heart rate, depending on your device (each minute here earns you one zone minute)

• Vigorous or “cardio”: 60% to 84% of your heart rate reserve, or 70 to 84% of your max heart rate (each minute here counts double)

• Peak: 85% or more, by either metric (each minute here counts the same as vigorous)

To be totally clear, the Physical Activity Guidelines are not based on heart rate, but on a different measurement called METs. In the MET system, walking is always moderate and jogging is always vigorous. (More about that system here.) On the other hand, in the “zone minutes” system, an experienced runner may find that jogging is so easy for them that their heart rate stays in the moderate zone. 

So zone minutes are not a perfect match to the guidelines, but they’ll get you pretty close without having to ask you what you’re doing or for how long. Your gadget counts up the minutes, and at the end of the week you can see whether you beat your 150-minute (or whatever) target. For example, my app is telling me that I logged 349 zone minutes last week. Great! And I didn’t have to do anything to count them.

If your zone minutes don’t make sense, check your heart rate settings

Here’s my main complaint about zone minutes: they only make sense if your zones are set correctly. By default, Fitbit calculates your heart rate zones from what it guesses your maximum heart rate probably is. And as I’ve explained before, no formula can accurately tell you what your maximum heart rate actually is. It’s very common for these calculations to be off by 10 or more beats in either direction, which screws with your zones. 

So go into your app, and take a look at the zone minutes you’ve earned each day. Are you getting “moderate” zone minutes when you walk or do light exercise, and “vigorous” zone minutes for jogging or anything strenuous? If so, your zones are probably close enough to accurate, and you can assume they’re giving you a reasonable estimate of how much exercise you’re getting. 

But if you’re getting “vigorous” minutes from walks, or “moderate” minutes from hard exercise, you may want to adjust your zones. Tap your profile picture in the FItbit app, then select Fitbit Settings, then Heart Rate, then Heart Rate Zones, and check the box for Custom Max Heart Rate. 

That will let you manually enter a max heart rate. If you’ve done a max heart rate field test, use that. Otherwise, enter the highest number you’ve seen when doing a hard workout. If you haven’t done a hard effort, but your zones seem really off, you can experiment with putting in different numbers and seeing what that does to your zones. As long as you’re getting moderate minutes when doing moderate exercise, and vigorous or peak minutes when you’re doing harder exercise, you’re getting useful metrics to track how active you are.

Use ‘DiSSS’ Method to Study More Effectively

If you’ve heard of the DiSSS method, it’s probably been in the context of learning a new skill, like a hobby or new proficiency at work. The process, from productivity and learning guru Tim Ferriss, is all about breaking things down so you can learn them quickly—and it applies well to studying, too. Here’s what you need to know about DiSSS and how you can incorporate it into your study routine. 

What is DiSSS all about? 

DiSSS is an acronym, but it’s not a perfect one. That lower-case “i” in there is just so you can pronounce it better. What you really care about is the D and three Ss, which stand for the following:  

1. Deconstruct

2. Select

3. Sequence

4. Stakes

When learning a new skill or delving into a new topic in your studies, you follow these four steps to simplify, shorten, and enhance the process, so it goes faster and you get more out of it. 

How does DiSSS work? 

Deconstruct

First, deconstruct the material at hand. As ever, it’s best to do this in chunks. Instead of looking at a semester’s worth of information, make sure you’re going chapter by chapter, unit by unit, or whatever breakdown makes sense for what you're studying. That means you'll do this over time, not all in a big cram session,but we'll get to that with the sequencing step momentarily. You deconstruct by finding the smallest, most useful pieces of information. To do this, use a method like SQ3R, which has you scan your materials to focus on key elements like chapter titles, headings, picture captions, and vocabulary words. Pick out everything in your material that seems like a basic, important piece of information. Don't focus on explanations or anything in-depth; you're deconstructing so you can reconstruct later.

I do recommend doing a lot of this by hand. Hand-writing helps you retain information better, plus it's good to actually make a record of what you're studying and give yourself a solid visual. Any notebook will work, but I suggest getting one designed for SQ3R studying, which takes the work out of labeling and categorizing the material for you:

SQ3R Note Taking System Notebook

$6.00

$6.00

Select

Next, move into selection, which really means applying the Pareto Principle to your efforts. The Pareto Principle—or 80/20 rule—says that in general, 80% of results come from 20% of your work. A simple, real-life example of this could be when you’re learning to play an instrument. The most common chords make up a small fraction of all the possible notes and combinations out there, but they can be the foundation for 80% of what you ultimately play. Learn a few basic guitar chords and you can figure out most songs. For your studies, the same is true: Focus on the most basic, key concepts, and expect them to comprise 80% of the whole idea—or what’s going to be on the test. Narrow down your focus, studying vocabulary words or the most foundational parts of the lesson with much more frequency and intensity than anything else. 

Sequence

This will make it easy to go into sequencing, or planning out your study routine. Before you get to any of the heavy, difficult stuff, you need to grasp that 20% above, so create a schedule that leans on your mastery of foundational skills. Block out time for studying and make sure that block of time is broken down further into allotments for certain topics and ideas, with the bulk of time being given to the basics that are going to underline all the concepts likely to be on the test. Make flashcards and employ the Leitner system, which uses spaced repetition to help you identify which concepts you’re struggling with and which ones you can set aside, so you can drill the basics until you know them and organically move into more demanding ideas as you go. 

Stakes

The final step of DiSSS is stakes. You’re more likely to do well if there are stakes attached; urgency promotes more efficient work. Ferriss’ standard DiSSS model is for people learning a new skill, so he calls on them to set personal consequences for themselves if they don’t put in the required effort or time. To fall back on that instrument analogy again, you tend to practice the piano more intensely when your recital is coming up. When you’re studying, the stakes are clearer: You want to pass the upcoming test and, ultimately, the class itself. You don’t want to be embarrassed if you’re called on in class and don’t know an answer. You want to learn the skills you need for your chosen career. In a notebook or on your phone, write down the consequences you’ll face if you don’t achieve your studying goal or stick to your schedule, whether that’s a failed quiz or even having to switch majors. The idea here is similar to when you use “anti-goals” to structure your work around avoiding things you don’t want to do: Sometimes, negativity is a great motivator. You don’t want to fail, you don't want to be embarrassed in front of your peers, you don’t want to repeat the class, and you don’t want to waste your time, so writing down the real stakes of not studying will help you stay on task.

That said, positivity is also important, so include a section in your note space for what reward you’ll get if you meet certain goals. To make this easier, use Animedoro or a similar technique to outline the exact reward (like a half hour to watch your favorite show) you’ll give yourself if you study on schedule every night. Scale up to bigger rewards, identifying what you’ll give yourself if you get a B on the test, an A on the test, an A in the class, etc. The key is writing down the negative ramifications and positive recompense you’ll get, depending on if you study and master the material. Finally, include the positive stakes associated with doing well, from smaller victories like looking smart in class to bigger ones like graduating and getting a job in your chosen field. The combination of negative and positive stakes will help you see the bigger picture beyond passing a single test.

Two Productivity Techniques That Can Help You Do More (By Actually Doing Less)

Not every productivity method works for every person. That's why there are so many out there, and it's also why you need to spend time figuring out which ones might work for you, even if you have to alter or adapt them a little bit. When you're facing down a really big or overwhelming task, the traditional methods that you usually rely on may not be helpful. Why not try a one-two punch, combining two to make it easier?

The "one bite" technique

First, let's try the one-bite technique. This takes a little pre-planning, but can really help you out when a task feels daunting. Grab a piece of paper (or use a digital document) and write down your task. Let's say it's leading a quarterly meeting at work. Next, break it down into the smaller tasks that make it up, which could be coordinating the attendees, setting an agenda, making sure the tech and meeting space are order, and keeping track of what is said during the meeting.

From there, keep breaking it all down. Coordinating attendees means not only sending out calendar invites, but determining who should get one and staying on top of the lists of who accepted and declined, as well as sending out or scheduling meeting reminders for everyone. Determining the agenda means checking in with presenters and employees on what they're able to present as well as simply writing down a list of topics to go over and allotting the right amount of time to each. Checking on the tech and meeting space mean coordinating with IT, renting the meeting room, checking that your digital meeting space subscription is paid up, and ensuring you'll have enough seats for all attendees. Keeping track of what is said involves designating a note-taker, setting up a recording system, and creating a timeline and work flow to make sure minutes are distributed to necessary parties in a timely, efficient way when the meeting ends.

Obviously, when you take on the responsibility of setting up a meeting, you know these are all the things you'll need to do, but if you look at the task as one big thing—"run the meeting"—instead of consciously breaking it down into smaller duties, you're more likely to get overwhelmed. This is true for everything, from planning a vacation to cleaning the house. Training yourself to break tasks down into smaller "bites" instead of just launching into work on the larger product will not only help you keep everything running smoothly, but will motivate you, too: As you see smaller tasks getting done, you'll feel accomplished and prepared to keep going.

The "reverse Pomodoro" technique

Breaking down the "bites" of your task isn't enough, though. You do have to actually complete the bites. When there's a lot to do, it can be hard to make yourself do it. If you were using a traditional productivity technique, like the Pomodoro method, you'd start off by working for 25 minutes straight and then taking a five-minute break. That can be daunting, though. Frankly, 25 minutes is a lot of time when you're stressed.

Instead, try the "reverse Pomodoro" method, which is just like its namesake, except switched around. Instead of working for 25 minutes and getting a tiny break, you work for five, then get a big break. It might seem counterproductive since working for five minutes and relaxing for 20 or 25 means you have a lot of downtime, but it's helpful if you're really having a hard time getting into the flow of working. People who've tried this method praise it for helping them take the anxiety out of working on a big project because even though there's a lot of chilling out, work is getting done in those five minutes. Eventually, once you have a few tasks completed, you'll be feeling better about the project overall. Don't be surprised if you suddenly feel like you can slog it out for longer than five minutes at a time and slowly move into a more traditional Pomodoro framework to finish up the task.

You can reap maximum benefits here by first breaking down your task into those small bites, then completing one bite per reverse-Pomodoro work slot. It's five minutes to email the meeting invitation, then a break. Five minutes to have IT check out the tech connections in the meeting room, then a break. Five minutes to draw up a schedule and pass it around, then a break. It's not cheating to focus on your downtime, especially if you're not being productive enough when you try to work for 25 minutes straight. It's better to get something done than nothing and once you start racking up those somethings, you'll feel motivated to sprint to the finish line.

Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Tuesday, September 3, 2024

If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for September 3, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is easier; I got it in three. Beware, there are spoilers below for September 3, Wordle #1,172! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.

How to play Wordle

Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.

Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)

Ready for the hints? Let’s go!

---

Does today’s Wordle have any unusual letters?

We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)

There are four letters from our mnemonic today. The fifth is fairly common.

Can you give me a hint for today’s Wordle?

Weak or barely perceptible.

Does today’s Wordle have any double or repeated letters?

There are no repeated letters today. 

How many vowels are in today’s Wordle?

There are two vowels.

What letter does today’s Wordle start with?

Today’s word starts with F. 

What letter does today’s Wordle end with?

Today’s word ends with T. 

What is the solution to today’s Wordle?

Ready? Today’s word is FAINT.

How I solved today’s Wordle

I started with RAISE and assumed I wasn't searching for any additional vowels. I tried PLANT to eliminate common letters, which left FAINT as the best solution.

Wordle 1,172 3/6

⬛🟩🟩⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

---

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle was medium difficult. The hint was “can go a long time without water” and the answer contained three common letters and two pretty common letters.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was CAMEL.

A primer on Wordle basics

The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word. 

Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)

• Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)

• Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.

The best starter words for Wordle

What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.

How to win at Wordle

We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.

The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.

One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.

Wordle alternatives

If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:

• Wheeldle, which lets you play one puzzle after another

• Dordle and Quordle, which ask you to play two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at the same time, with the same guesses. There is also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with 16.

• Waffle, which shows you several five-letter words, scrambled in a grid; you play by swapping the letters around until you solve.

• Absurdle, which changes the solution after each guess, but needs to stay consistent with its previous feedback. You have to strategically back it into a corner until there is only one possible word left; then you guess it, and win.

• Squabble, in which you play Wordle against other people with a timer running. You take damage if you spend too much time between guesses; winner is the last one standing.

• Antiwordle, in which you are trying not to guess the day’s solution. You’re required to reuse any letters that you (oops) guessed correctly, so the longer it takes you, the better you are at the game.

The Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch on Max This Month

There are some interesting shows and movies coming out on Max this month, including The Penguin, a spin-off series from 2022's The Batman movie. There's also an in-depth, two-part documentary about The Sopranos, and Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior, a docu-series from Michael Bay about a very sinister serial killer.

The Penguin 

This super-villain origin story details how Batman's nemesis The Penguin came to be. The Penguin takes place in the gritty Matt Reeves' Batman universe and features Colin Farrell reprising his role from The Batman as Oswald Cobblepot, a street thug whose plan for taking over Gotham's underworld involves dressing up as a bird and, I assume, killing the Batman.

Starts streaming September 19.

Wise Guy David Chase and The Sopranos 

The Sopranos expanded what audiences can expect from a television series forever when it came out 1999, and Wise Guy, an HBO original docu-series, digs into why this show was so much better than every other show. Packed with interviews with The Soprano's cast, crew, and especially its creator David Chase, Wise Guy is a must-watch for fans of The Sopranos and anyone interested in the creative process behind a TV show.

Starts streaming September 7.

Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior

Executive Producer Michael Bay’s first true-crime documentary series goes to some very dark places. It tells the story of Hadden Clark, cross-dresser, cannibal, and serial killer. Born Evil digs into Clark's crimes and personal history, because you don't end up this messed up without coming from a very messed up place. Fans of grisly true crime should not miss it.

Starts streaming September 2.

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Animation master Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron was universally lauded by critics and won an Academy Award for Best Animation when it was released, so if you're into quality films, you have to stream it. The lush, hand-drawn art is breathtaking, and that Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli magic is packed into every frame of this masterpiece.

Starts streaming September 6.

Cabin in the Woods

Anyone who has ever seen a horror movie knows that nothing good happens in a cabin in the woods, and this Max/Investigation Discovery series proves that the rule applies to real life too. The atrocities and murdered featured in each episode of this true crime show all happened in creepy, woodsy shacks.

If Cabin in the Woods isn't enough true crime for you, ID and Max are also premiering How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body and The Real Murders on Elm Street in September.

Starts streaming September 9.

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Director Jane Schoenbrun (We're All Going to the World's Fair) continues her examination of the dread and terror that hide behind the pixels in the digital world with I Saw the TV Glow, a psychological horror film about a sinister late-night television show called The Pink Opaque. Produced by A24, I Saw the TV Glow is one of those "elevated" horror movies, so if you're a horror fan with more than two brain cells to rub together, give it a shot.

Starts streaming September 20.

Harry Potter-mania

Put on your robe and wizard hat: Max is overloading its digital streams with Harry Potter in September, offering all eight Harry Potter movies, plus the "magical movie mode" version of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone that contains directors' commentary, deleted scenes, trivia quizzes and more.

Here's the full list of films:

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

• Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone: Magical Movie Mode (2001)

Starts streaming September 1.

Last month's picks

Chimp Crazy

Chimp Crazy is an HBO original documentary that tells the story of nurse-turned-exotic-animal-broker Tonia Haddix, who battles law enforcement, animal rights activists, and common sense on behalf of a great ape that could rip her face off at any time because it's a wild animal, not a baby. There are also interviews and profiles of other chimp moms.

Starts streaming August 18.

Industry, Season 3

Working in an office sure is exciting on television! Season 3 of Industry continues the story of the back-biting, scheming, and vicious politics behind the scenes at London investment banking firm Pierpoint & Co., where people I would not want to hang out with in real life fight to get ahead in the corporate finance world. According to the HBO, this season, Pierpoint "looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing," while "Yasmin, Robert, and Eric find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company led by Sir Henry Muck."

Starts streaming August 11.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes

In 1964, actress Elizabeth Taylor recorded over 40 hours of interviews; this HBO original documentary dug 'em up and is playing The Lost Tapes for the first time. These intimate recordings go deep into the vagaries and contradictions of stardom and the forces that influenced Taylor's complicated life as an actress, an activist, and the most beautiful woman in the world.

Starts streaming August 3.

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears

The long-running HBO reality show Hard Knocks is going behind the scenes and into the locker room of the floundering Chicago Bears. Can the squad's new, #1 draft quarterback Caleb Williams transform The Bears from a franchise with a 7 and 10 record in 2023 to a franchise with maybe an 11 and 6 record in 2024? Tune in to find out.

Starts streaming August 6.

Rick and Morty: The Anime

If you can't get enough Rick and Morty, Max is presenting a spin-off series that puts the titular characters in an anime setting. Directed by Takashi Sano, Rick and Morty: The Anime is a 10-episode series showing Rick "relaxing in a pseudo-world between multiverses," Summer helping Space Beth battle the Galactic Federation, and Morty falling in love with an atemporal being.

Starts streaming August 16.

Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction, Season 1

Spoiler: Fiction.

Starts streaming August 8.

Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth?

This HBO original true crime documentary tells the tragic story of the abduction and murder of Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins in Evansdale, Iowa, in 2012. The cousins were last seen riding their bikes near a park when someone snatched them in broad daylight. The bodies were discovered months later, but no one knows who was responsible for their deaths. This doc digs into theories around the crime through interviews with family members and authorities.

Starts streaming August 8.

The Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch on Hulu This Month

The movies and television shows below are the best of what's coming to Hulu this month—according to me. Because I'm an expert at watching things.

I'm most psyched for English Teacher because I like shows about idealistic educators. I'll be watching The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives too, because I like trashy, ripped-from-the-headlines reality. Also: I'm going to make a double feature of The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed and How to Die Alone, which take very different approaches to similar subject matter.

There's a ton more great stuff coming to Hulu in September; check it out:

English Teacher

I have a good feeling about English Teacher. Brian Jordan Alvarez both created English Teacher and stars as Evan, an idealistic gay high school teacher navigating the complex cultural, political, and personal landscape of a high school in 2024 America. It's earned an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, a solid B+, and promises a fearless but sensitive look at how we're all getting along these days.

Starts streaming September 2.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

Mormon households have a reputation for being traditional and pious, with husbands working, wives raising babies, and everyone praying all the time. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives rips the lid off that myth by documenting the true story of the Mormon moms of #MomTok, who are into partying hard and swinging like a screen-door. Scandalous!

Starts streaming September 6.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed (2023)

Joanna Arnow wrote, directed, and stars in an intimate sex comedy about a depressed woman in her thirties pursuing her interest in BDSM. If you're into deadpan humor about social isolation, you're a fan of awkwardness, or you just want to watch something original for a change, check out The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed.

Starts streaming September 13.

How to Die Alone

The hilarious Natasha Rothwell stars in a gentle comedy series that tackles big questions. Rothwell plays Mel, a downtrodden, lonely airline employee whose depressing-but-safe life is turned inside out after a brush with death sets her on a quest for meaning and love. If you like comedies with an emotional core where you're really rooting for the underdog hero, How to Die Alone is your show.

Starts streaming September 13.

Universal Basic Guys

Fox's Sunday night lineup launched adult-animated classics The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob's Burgers. Universal Basic Guys aims to pick up the mantle of anything-goes cartoon comedy. The premise: a bunch of small town dude-bros are laid off from a factory and given a basic income with no strings attached. This leaves them free to pursue every stupid idea they've ever had.

Starts streaming September 9.

Child Star

We're in the middle of a cultural reckoning about child stardom. On the heels of HBO's Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV comes Child Star, a documentary series directed by former child star Demi Lovato. Lovato digs into the highs and lows of being famous before you can drive through archival footage and interviews with ex child stars like Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, JoJo Siwa, Raven-Symoné, and Alyson Stoner.

Starts streaming September 17.

High Potential

In this catch-the-bad-guys series, Kaitlin Olson stars as Morgan, a single mom with an IQ of 160 who works as a cleaning lady. When a seasoned detective uncovers her unique talent for deduction and crime solving, he teams up with her to solve baffling cases. (Yes, this sounds a little like The Cleaning Lady, but it's actually based on popular French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel.)

Starts streaming September 18.

Grotesquerie

Horror fans: Hulu sees you. Grotesquerie could be the full-tilt horror show you've been waiting for. When a series of gruesome crimes rocks a small town, local detective Lois Tryon starts to suspect that she's the real target. With no leads to go on, Tryon turns to Sister Megan, a nun with a special insight into the supernatural, and the unlikely pair are led into a maelstrom of evil where they uncover sinister secrets.

Starts streaming September 26.

She Taught Love

This thoughtful film is a modern take on a premise that's worked for romantic comedies since Shakespeare. Darrell Britt-Gibson and Arsema Thomas play Frank Cooper and Mali Waters, two very different people who fall in love. Cooper is a barely employed actor who fills his time between roles with booze and women. Thomas is a driven career woman on a mission to take over the world. Can these star-crossed lovers learn to embrace each others' differences and get to their happy ending?

Starts streaming September 27.

Social Studies

This docuseries follows diverse groups of teenagers from different high schools in Los Angeles, digging into a school year of their lives. The subjects have opened their phones as well as their lives, and Social Studies takes a look at the digital habits that are shaping the first generation of online natives as they grapple with beauty standards, sexuality, the future, and more.

Starts streaming September 28.

Last month's picks

Only Murders in the Building, season 4

How many murders can happen near the main characters of Only Murders in the Building before someone figures out that they're serial killers? (Not really.) This series stars comedy greats Martin Short and Steve Martin and comedy good Selena Gomez as Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, podcast hosts and amateur detectives. Season 4 finds the trio going to Hollywood where a movie about their podcast is in production.  

Starts streaming August 27.

Dance Moms: A New Era, season 1

I dislike children, stage parents, and overbearing coaches, so I’m not really in the target demographic for Dance Moms: A New Era, but people loved the original, so I’m not going to argue. The reboot introduces hard-charging dance coach Glo Hampton who wants to take her students to the prestigious dance school Studio Bleu. To do it, she’ll have to manage precocious children, scheming moms, and constant drama. Sounds great(?).

Starts streaming August 7. 

Lollapalooza Live Stream

If you can’t make it Chicago for Lollapalooza this year, Hulu is streaming the festival live from August 1 to August 4. This year, the annual rock extravaganza will feature performances from Chappell Roan, Hozier, Reneé Rapp, SZA, Stray Kids, The Killers, Metro Boomin’, Megan Thee Stallion, and about a thousand other artists and bands spanning any genre and style you could think of. 

Starts streaming August 1

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

As a comedian, Adam Sandler is love-him-or-hate-him, but as a serious actor, he’s undeniably great, especially when paired with director Paul Thomas Anderson. Punch-Drunk Love was Sandler’s first heavy role, and he shocked the world by turning in a nuanced, restrained, heartbreaking performance as Barry Egan, a lonely sad-sack who just barely manages to contain the violence inside him.  

Starts streaming August 1. 

Suitable Flesh (2023)

Director Joe Lynch delivers a Lovecraftian horror flick that’s also sexy—not a common combination. Heather Graham turns in a fearless performance as Elizabeth Derby, a psychiatrist whose devotion to reason is about to be abolished by the supernatural, specifically, a patient who complains that his father is trying to steal his body. It all hurtles toward a delightedly ooey and gooey finale that Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) fans will love. 

Starts streaming August 3. 

Eddie Pepitone: For the Masses (2020)

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of stand-up comic Eddie Pepitone. He’s not a huge name or anything, but his abrasive, original, old-hipster style of standup comedy and his completely nihilistic outlook is a breath of fresh air. “You’re not gonna hear a lot of shit about dating, and how fun everything is. It’s not fun. We’re in end times,” Pepitone proclaims, which really sets the tone for this comedy show.

Starts streaming August 9.

Killer Lies: Chasing a True-Crime Con Man

This National Geographic-produced series tells the twisted true tale of self-proclaimed serial killer expert, Stéphane Bourgoin. Bourgoin built an international reputation and a large fanbase for his true crime books that describe his tragic life and his encounters with evil. But his fans became suspicious about some of the details in his stories, and started pulling the threads, revealing a complex web of lies. Director Ben Selkow goes beyond the story of a writer who lies all the time to examine the larger context of true crime culture.

Starts streaming August 29. 

Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Monday, September 2, 2024

If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for September 2, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium difficult; I got it in four. Beware, there are spoilers below for September 2, Wordle #1,171! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.

How to play Wordle

Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.

Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)

Ready for the hints? Let’s go!

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Does today’s Wordle have any unusual letters?

We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)

There are three letters from our mnemonic today. The other two are also pretty common.

Can you give me a hint for today’s Wordle?

Can go a long time without water.

Does today’s Wordle have any double or repeated letters?

There are no repeated letters today. 

How many vowels are in today’s Wordle?

There are two vowels.

What letter does today’s Wordle start with?

Today’s word starts with C. 

What letter does today’s Wordle end with?

Today’s word ends with L. 

What is the solution to today’s Wordle?

Ready? Today’s word is CAMEL.

How I solved today’s Wordle

I started with RAISE and TOUCH. Instead of eliminating remaining letters, I decided to guess possible a solution: CAGED. This helped narrow down my options, with CAMEL as the best answer.

Wordle 1,171 4/6

⬛🟩⬛⬛🟨
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle was easier. The hint was “a quality you probably don't want your vegetables to have” and the answer contained three common letters, one pretty common letter, and one uncommon letter.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was MUSHY.

A primer on Wordle basics

The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word. 

Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)

• Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)

• Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.

The best starter words for Wordle

What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.

How to win at Wordle

We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.

The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.

One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.

Wordle alternatives

If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:

• Wheeldle, which lets you play one puzzle after another

• Dordle and Quordle, which ask you to play two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at the same time, with the same guesses. There is also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with 16.

• Waffle, which shows you several five-letter words, scrambled in a grid; you play by swapping the letters around until you solve.

• Absurdle, which changes the solution after each guess, but needs to stay consistent with its previous feedback. You have to strategically back it into a corner until there is only one possible word left; then you guess it, and win.

• Squabble, in which you play Wordle against other people with a timer running. You take damage if you spend too much time between guesses; winner is the last one standing.

• Antiwordle, in which you are trying not to guess the day’s solution. You’re required to reuse any letters that you (oops) guessed correctly, so the longer it takes you, the better you are at the game.