VPN
The "N" in "VPN." Also a four-time Academy Award-winning film from the 1970s.
What is Network?
iOS made a jump to this version number this year, desptie not following last year's iOS 18 sequentially.
What is 26?
This is the device that shares your internet connection with specific devices at home. Our editors' choice is currently under government investigation.
What is a router?
This is the comma that separates the last two items in a simple list, which CNET viciously omits.
What is a serial comma?
NHL games start with this event, similar to an NBA tip-off.
What is a faceoff?
A VPN creates a digital THIS when encrypting your connection, similar to what the Brits may travel to France.
What is a tunnel?
This is the name of Apple's new iOS design features, which uses lots of translucent UI elements.
What is Liquid Glass?
CNET's Jeff Carlson tested this satellite ISP on board a United Flight earlier this year.
What is Starlink?
This month and the following four are not abbreviated in dates. But remember to always spell them out in isolation!
What is March?
This is the number of teams currently playing in the NHL.
What is 32?
This term represents a common use case for VPNs, allowing you to stream, as Moe often puts it, Canada's Murdoch Mysteries in the US.
What is geo-unblocking?
The new iOS version (not the .2 subtype) first dropped on this date, shortly before Adam's wedding.
What is September 15?
Comcast is the largest ISP by customer count with 32.2M, but this company isn't far behind, with 30.4M.
What is Charter Communications?
Deriviatives of "cancel" (e.g. "canceled") use one L, though this word is an exception.
What is cancellation?
This is the newest team to debut in the NHL.
What is the Utah Mammoth?
Experts believe that Q-day -- the day when quantum computers are able to decrypt modern encryption standards -- could arrive as early as this year.
What is 2030?
The latest iOS lets you use this accessory to take pictures on your iPhone. You may be mistaken for a field agent.
What are AirPods?
This provider topped the American Consumer Satisfaction Index's overall ISP satisfaction chart in 2025.
What is AT&T Fiber?
In headlines (though not in body text), CNET uses quotation marks around composition titles, with this particular type of composition as an exception.
What are video games?
NHL players are returning to the winter Olympics next year, the first time since this Olympics, more than a decade ago.
What are the 2014 Sochi Olympics?
This is the percentage (+/-5) of free VPNs that researchers at Zimperium zLabs found to have risky behaviors. Yikes!
What is 65%?
This is one of the eight new emoji iOS users (and others) might see in their keyboards next year.
What is ballet dancers, distorted face, fight cloud, landslide, orca, Sasquatch, treasure chest, or trombone?
This is the brand of device referenced in the $100 question for this category.
What is TP-Link?
This popular film franchise has its own entry in our style guide, which points users to the franchise's wiki to check spelling.
What is Star Wars?
Every team has at least one retired number, thanks to the NHL retiring this number league-wide in honor of one of the league's most prominent stars.
What is no. 99?