Spelling Bee is the New York Times’ daily word challenge that gives you seven letters and one simple rule: every word must contain the center letter.
Sounds easy enough, but words must also have at least four letters, and finding them all is trickier than it looks. The real prize is the pangram, a word using all seven letters, hiding in plain sight.
If today’s puzzle has you stuck, below are subtle hints to nudge you forward, plus the complete list of answers if you want to close it out.
Today’s Pangrams:
bootblack, backlot
Today’s Spelling Bee Answers:
bootblack
8 letter words:
b*******, c*******
b******, c******, t******, t******
a*****, b*****, b*****, b*****, c*****, t*****
a****, a****, a****, b****, l****, o****, t****, t****, t****
a***, b***, b***, b***, b***, b***, c***, c***, c***, c***, l***, t***, t***, t***, t***, t***, t***, t***, t***, t***, t***, t***
🐝 How to Play the Spelling Bee Puzzle
- The puzzle features a honeycomb-shaped grid with seven letters, including a center letter highlighted in yellow.
- Your goal is to create as many valid English words as possible using the given letters.
- The center letter must be included in every word you form.
- Letters can be used more than once and arranged in any order.
- Each word must be at least four letters long — shorter words don’t count.
- Proper nouns, abbreviations, and offensive words aren't accepted.
- All valid words are usually common English terms, according to the NYT.
- You earn points based on word length, with longer words giving you more points.
- Each day’s puzzle includes at least one pangram (a word that uses all seven letters).
- Pangrams are worth seven bonus points, plus the regular points for the word's length. Some puzzles may include multiple pangrams.
Smart Tips for Solving the Spelling Bee Puzzle
Struggling to find those last few words? These tips will sharpen your strategy, expand your word list, and help you climb the ranks much quicker.
- Start with the obvious. Look for common prefixes and suffixes (like re-, un-, -ing,—ed) to quickly build easy 4 to 6-letter words.
- Focus on the center letter. Since every word must include the central letter, try writing down words that start or end with it to spark ideas.
- Look for the pangram early. Pangrams are worth extra points and can help unlock longer, hidden words. Try rearranging all seven letters to spot potential pangram combinations.
- Add letters to known words. Take a short, valid word and test if you can extend it with available letters (e.g., run → rung → grunge).
- Use letter repetition. You can reuse letters multiple times, so don’t be afraid to test out repeating ones like e, l, or t when they appear.
- Think of plural-sounding words that aren’t plurals. Since the letter S is excluded, challenge yourself to think beyond plurals and find singular alternatives.
- Change your perspective. If you get stuck, take a short break or say the letters out loud. A fresh angle often sparks new word ideas.
- Build words by themes. Try thinking in categories, such as body parts, emotions, kitchen items, verbs, etc. This helps trigger related vocabulary.
- Keep track of word endings. Many words end in -er, -ing, or -ly, so build off those patterns.
- Practice regularly. The more you play, the better you recognize patterns, prefixes, and rare pangrams.
Can’t get enough of those buzzing words? Browse our NYT Spelling Bee hub for pangrams, hints, and past daily puzzles.
See Also
- Tomorrow's NYT Spelling Bee: Hints and answers
- Yesterday's NYT Spelling Bee: Hints and answers
- Today's NYT Strands: Hints and answers
- Today's NYT Connections: Hints and answers
- Today's NYT Wordle: Hints and answers
- Today's NYT Mini Crossword: Hints and answers
- Ready for another round? Explore our Quizzes hub