NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 20, 2024
Game Summary
| Center Letter | P |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | x, e, h, i, n, o |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 27 words |
| Total Points | 91 points |
| Genius Level | 64 points |
| Bingo? | No |
Table of Contents
As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!
- Spelling Bee Grid
- Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
- Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
- Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
- Today's Complete Solution
- Answer Definitions
If you're just here for a list of NYT Spelling Bee answers, Jump down to the answers ↓ (Spoiler Alert!).
Spelling Bee Grid
The following table shows the standard Spelling Bee summary grid, which lists word lengths across the top and letters down the left-hand side. The cell where the word lengths and letters intersect displays the number of words in today's puzzle with the corresponding first letter and word length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | 2 | - | - | - | 2 |
| H | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 4 |
| I | - | - | - | - | - |
| N | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| O | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 3 |
| P | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| X | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 15 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| E | EP×1 EX×1 |
|---|---|
| H | HI×2 HO×2 |
| I | |
| N | NI×1 NO×1 |
| O | OP×3 |
| P | PE×4 PH×3 PI×5 PO×4 |
| X |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| E | EPE×1 EXP×1 |
|---|---|
| H | HIP×2 HOO×1 HOP×1 |
| I | |
| N | NIN×1 NOP×1 |
| O | OPE×1 OPI×2 |
| P | PEE×2 PEN×1 PEO×1 PHO×3 PIN×2 PIP×2 PIX×1 PON×1 POO×2 POP×1 |
| X |
Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing)
The table below lists all of the solutions to today's puzzle, but they're concealed. You can click the plus button (+) to reveal additional letters, one-by-one.
Concealed definitions are provided as additional clues. You can toggle concealment of the definitions by clicking on the concealer bar or the text that appears when the definition is visible.
Pangrams are marked with a dagger symbol (†).
| Word | 2L Ref | Definition (click to reveal) |
|---|---|---|
| ph..... † | PH7 | A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the ashes. |
| ep.. | EP4 | A sharp-pointed dueling sword with a bell-shaped guard, used (with the end blunted) in sport fencing. |
| ex.. | EX4 | An exposition. |
| hi.... | HI6 | A teenager who imitated the beatniks. |
| hi... | HI5 | Clipping of hippopotamus. |
| ho.. | HO4 | A circular band of metal used to bind a barrel. |
| ho.. | HO4 | To want something to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might. |
| ni..... | NI7 | The wooden pin used in the game of ninepins; a skittle. |
| no.. | NO4 | No. |
| op.. | OP4 | Not closed. Able to be accessed. Able to have something pass through or along it. |
| op... | OP5 | To have or express an opinion; to state as an opinion; to suppose, consider (that). |
| op..... | OP7 | A belief, judgment or perspective that a person has formed, either through objective or subjective reasoning, about a topic, issue, person or thing. |
| pe.. | PE4 | The (often spherical) end of the head of a hammer opposite the main hammering end. |
| pe.. | PE4 | A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird. |
| pe... | PE5 | A type of short, diagonally cut pasta. |
| pe.. | PE4 | A lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work. |
| ph... | PH5 | A device for transmitting conversations and other sounds in real time across distances, now often a small portable unit also capable of running software etc. |
| ph... | PH5 | A phonograph. |
| pi.. | PI4 | Any coniferous tree of the genus Pinus. |
| pi.... | PI6 | A wing. |
| pi.. | PI4 | Meanings relating to a wind instrument. A wind instrument consisting of a tube, often lined with holes to allow for adjustment in pitch, sounded by blowing into the tube. A tube used to produce sound in an organ; an organ pipe. The key or sound of the voice. A high-pitched sound, especially of a bird. |
| pi.... | PI6 | A seed |
| pi... | PI5 | A playful sprite or elflike or fairy-like creature. |
| po.. | PO4 | A writ in law used by the superior courts to remove cases from inferior courts. |
| po.. | PO4 | Expressing dismissal, contempt, impatience, etc. |
| po.. | PO4 | To make a short blast on a horn. |
| po.. | PO4 | An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state. Any similarly absolute and 'infallible' authority. Any similar head of a religion. A theocrat, a priest-king, including (at first especially) over the imaginary land of Prester John or (now) in figurative and alliterative uses. An effigy of the pope traditionally burnt in Britain on Guy Fawkes' Day and (occasionally) at other times. Pope Day, the present Guy Fawkes Day. |
Today's Complete Solution
The words that follow are a complete listing of all acceptable words in today's New York Time Spelling Bee puzzle.
Next to the answer word you'll see the two-letter reference (2L Ref) in parentheses. We added that 2L Ref for easier translation of the spoiler-avoidant language you see on the Spelling Bee Forum and Twitter. The 2L Ref signifies a word's two start letters followed by the total number of letters in the word.
- phoenix† (PH7)
- epee (EP4)
- expo (EX4)
- hippie (HI6)
- hippo (HI5)
- hoop (HO4)
- hope (HO4)
- ninepin (NI7)
- nope (NO4)
- open (OP4)
- opine (OP5)
- opinion (OP7)
- peen (PE4)
- peep (PE4)
- penne (PE5)
- peon (PE4)
- phone (PH5)
- phono (PH5)
- pine (PI4)
- pinion (PI6)
- pipe (PI4)
- pippin (PI6)
- pixie (PI5)
- pone (PO4)
- pooh (PO4)
- poop (PO4)
- pope (PO4)
Answer Definitions
- phoenix† (noun): A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the ashes.
- epee (noun): A sharp-pointed dueling sword with a bell-shaped guard, used (with the end blunted) in sport fencing.
- expo (noun): An exposition.
- hippie (noun): A teenager who imitated the beatniks.
- hippo (noun): Clipping of hippopotamus.
- hoop (noun): A circular band of metal used to bind a barrel.
- hope (verb): To want something to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might.
- ninepin (noun): The wooden pin used in the game of ninepins; a skittle.
- nope (particle): No.
- open (adjective): Not closed. Able to be accessed. Able to have something pass through or along it.
- opine (verb): To have or express an opinion; to state as an opinion; to suppose, consider (that).
- opinion (noun): A belief, judgment or perspective that a person has formed, either through objective or subjective reasoning, about a topic, issue, person or thing.
- peen (noun): The (often spherical) end of the head of a hammer opposite the main hammering end.
- peep (noun): A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
- penne (noun): A type of short, diagonally cut pasta.
- peon (noun): A lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work.
- phone (noun): A device for transmitting conversations and other sounds in real time across distances, now often a small portable unit also capable of running software etc.
- phono (noun): A phonograph.
- pine (noun): Any coniferous tree of the genus Pinus.
- pinion (noun): A wing.
- pipe (noun): Meanings relating to a wind instrument. A wind instrument consisting of a tube, often lined with holes to allow for adjustment in pitch, sounded by blowing into the tube. A tube used to produce sound in an organ; an organ pipe. The key or sound of the voice. A high-pitched sound, especially of a bird.
- pippin (noun): A seed
- pixie (noun): A playful sprite or elflike or fairy-like creature.
- pone (noun): A writ in law used by the superior courts to remove cases from inferior courts.
- pooh (interjection): Expressing dismissal, contempt, impatience, etc.
- poop (verb): To make a short blast on a horn.
- pope (noun): An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state. Any similarly absolute and 'infallible' authority. Any similar head of a religion. A theocrat, a priest-king, including (at first especially) over the imaginary land of Prester John or (now) in figurative and alliterative uses. An effigy of the pope traditionally burnt in Britain on Guy Fawkes' Day and (occasionally) at other times. Pope Day, the present Guy Fawkes Day.