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HintSheet

Privacy policy

Sukie
Written by Sukie
Published

This policy explains what information HintSheet (hintsheet.com) collects when you use it, why, and what control you have. It is written to be read, not skimmed past. The summary: the site has no accounts, no forms that store data, and no tracking of what you enter into the solvers. It uses analytics cookies to understand traffic and, once approved, Google advertising cookies to show ads — both of which you can decline.

Last updated 8 September 2026. The site is operated by an individual in the European Union; contact details are on the contact page.

What the site collects

Nothing you type into a solver. The Wordle, Spelling Bee, Queens, Tango and Zip solvers and the Connections helper run entirely in your browser. What you enter never leaves your device and is not logged.

Nothing from a form, because there are none. Contact is by email; email you send is kept only as long as needed to reply.

Standard server logs. Like every website, the hosting provider (Vercel) records requests — IP address, page requested, browser type, time — for security and performance. These are retained briefly and are not used to identify visitors.

Analytics. With your consent (the cookie notice), Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity record page views and interactions so the editor can see which pages are used and where the site breaks. IP addresses are anonymised in Google Analytics. Clarity records anonymised session replays that mask typed text.

A consent preference, stored in your browser's local storage so the cookie notice doesn't reappear. It contains only 'accept' or 'reject'.

Advertising cookies (Google AdSense)

HintSheet is funded by display advertising served by Google AdSense. When ads are live, Google and its certified partners use cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your visit to this site and other sites, to measure ad performance, and to limit how often you see an ad. Specifically:

Google uses the DoubleClick cookie (and successors) to serve ads and collects your IP address, browser and device information, and the pages you visit that carry Google ads. In the EEA, UK and Switzerland, Google's certified consent management platform will ask for your consent before personalised ads are shown, and you can choose non-personalised ads instead.

You can opt out of personalised advertising at any time through Google's Ads Settings and learn how Google uses data from sites that use its services at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. Other ad partners' opt-outs are available at aboutads.info and youronlinechoices.eu.

The site does not pass any personal information to advertisers, does not build audiences from sensitive categories, and does not place ads on the privacy, terms, contact or about pages.

Cookies, listed

The cookies and storage the site may set, and who sets them.

NameSet byPurposeDuration
hs-consent (local storage)HintSheetRemembers your cookie choiceUntil cleared
_ga, _ga_*Google AnalyticsDistinguishes visitors and sessions for traffic measurementUp to 2 years
_clck, _clskMicrosoft ClaritySession replay and heatmaps (anonymised)Up to 1 year
IDE, DSID, __gads, __gpi and similarGoogle AdSense / DoubleClickAd serving, frequency capping, measurement, personalisation where consentedUp to 13 months

Your choices

Decline analytics with the 'Essential only' button on the cookie notice; the site works identically. Decline personalised ads through Google's consent prompt (EEA/UK) or Ads Settings (everywhere). Block cookies in your browser; the site still works, though the cookie notice will reappear. Clear your consent choice by clearing site data for hintsheet.com in your browser.

If you are in the EEA or UK you have the rights the GDPR gives you — access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability and objection — over any personal data the site holds, which in practice is only email you've sent. If you are in California, the site does not sell personal information and does not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising beyond the Google advertising described above, from which you can opt out as described. Requests go to the address on the contact page.

Children

The site is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA) and does not knowingly collect personal information from them. Some of the games covered — Pokémon, Smash Bros. — are popular with younger players; the site's content is factual game solutions, and no child-directed features or data collection exist.

Changes

This policy will change when the site's practices change — for example, when advertising goes live or an analytics tool is added or removed. The 'updated' date at the top reflects the last material change.

Sources and further reading