NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 8, 2024
Game Summary
| Center Letter | C |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, e, i, n, t, x |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 43 words |
| Total Points | 223 points |
| Genius Level | 156 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 | 8 | 9 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 9 |
| C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | 12 |
| E | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 7 |
| I | - | - | 3 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| N | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 3 |
| T | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 8 |
| X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 9 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 43 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×6 AN×2 AT×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×9 CE×2 CI×1 |
| E | EN×2 EX×5 |
| I | IN×4 |
| N | NI×3 |
| T | TA×6 TI×2 |
| X |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACA×2 ACC×1 ACE×2 ACN×1 ANC×1 ANT×1 ATT×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAC×1 CAN×8 CEN×1 CET×1 CIT×1 |
| E | ENA×1 ENT×1 EXA×2 EXC×1 EXE×1 EXT×1 |
| I | INC×2 INE×1 INT×1 |
| N | NIA×1 NIC×1 NIE×1 |
| T | TAC×5 TAN×1 TIN×1 TIT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| in..... † | IN7 | Imperfectly conforming; exceeding or falling short in some respect. |
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| ac.... | AC6 | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it. |
| ac..... | AC7 | Any salt or ester of acetic acid. |
| ac.... | AC6 | Of, pertaining to, or producing vinegar |
| ac.. | AC4 | A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection. |
| an..... | AN7 | Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old. |
| an... | AN5 | Playful, funny, absurd. |
| at... | AT5 | The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation. |
| ca... | CA5 | plural of cactus |
| ca.... | CA6 | A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae |
| ca.... | CA6 | Of, or pertaining to, a dog or dogs. |
| ca... | CA5 | Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers. |
| ca.. | CA4 | An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A small cafeteria or snack bar, especially one in a military establishment, school, or place of work. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A drinking establishment, often specifically of the type found in Latin America. |
| ce.. | CE4 | A subunit of currency equal to one-hundredth of the main unit of currency in many countries. Symbol: ¢. |
| ce...... | CE8 | Pertaining to the zoologic order Cetacea, or associated with species falling under that taxonomic hierarchy. |
| ci.. | CI4 | to quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another. |
| en... | EN5 | to make (a bill) into law |
| en.... | EN6 | To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope. |
| ex... | EX5 | Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect. |
| ex.... | EX6 | A bet in which the bettor must correctly pick the two runners who finish first and second, in the correct order. |
| ex.... | EX6 | To stir the emotions of. |
| ex.. | EX4 | executive, executive officer |
| ex..... | EX7 | Extinguished, no longer alight (of fire, candles etc.) |
| in.... | IN6 | To state solemnly, to chant. |
| in.... | IN6 | To stir up or excite; to rouse or goad into action. |
| in.... | IN6 | Left complete or whole; not touched, defiled, sullied or otherwise damaged. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. |
| ni.. | NI4 | Pleasant, satisfactory. |
| ni... | NI5 | A daughter of one’s sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either the daughter of one's brother ("fraternal niece"), or of one's sister ("sororal niece"). |
| ta... | TA5 | An instruction indicating silence on the part of the performers of a piece. |
| ta... | TA5 | Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence. |
| ta.. | TA4 | The sense of touch; feeling. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end. |
| ta....... | TA9 | A person skilled in the planning and execution of tactics. |
| ta.... | TA6 | Pertaining to, containing, or obtained from tannin. |
| ti... | TI5 | A tint or colour. |
| ti..... | TI7 | Alternative letter-case form of Titanic Of or relating to the Titans, a race of giant gods in Greek mythology. Having great size, or great force, power, or strength. Of a conflict or contest: involving equally powerful participants. |
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.
- inexact† (IN7)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- accent (AC6)
- acetate (AC7)
- acetic (AC6)
- acne (AC4)
- ancient (AN7)
- antic (AN5)
- attic (AT5)
- cacti (CA5)
- cancan (CA6)
- cane (CA4)
- canine (CA6)
- canna (CA5)
- cant (CA4)
- cantata (CA7)
- canteen (CA7)
- cantina (CA7)
- cent (CE4)
- cetacean (CE8)
- cite (CI4)
- enact (EN5)
- entice (EN6)
- exact (EX5)
- exacta (EX6)
- excite (EX6)
- exec (EX4)
- extinct (EX7)
- incant (IN6)
- incite (IN6)
- intact (IN6)
- niacin (NI6)
- nice (NI4)
- niece (NI5)
- tacet (TA5)
- tacit (TA5)
- tact (TA4)
- tactic (TA6)
- tactician (TA9)
- tannic (TA6)
- tinct (TI5)
- titanic (TI7)
Answer Definitions
- inexact† (adjective): Imperfectly conforming; exceeding or falling short in some respect.
- acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
- acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
- accent (noun): A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.
- acetate (noun): Any salt or ester of acetic acid.
- acetic (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or producing vinegar
- acne (noun): A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.
- ancient (adjective): Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.
- antic (adjective): Playful, funny, absurd.
- attic (noun): The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
- cacti (noun): plural of cactus
- cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
- cane (noun): A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae
- canine (adjective): Of, or pertaining to, a dog or dogs.
- canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
- cant (noun): An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
- cantata (noun): A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music.
- canteen (noun): A small cafeteria or snack bar, especially one in a military establishment, school, or place of work.
- cantina (noun): A drinking establishment, often specifically of the type found in Latin America.
- cent (noun): A subunit of currency equal to one-hundredth of the main unit of currency in many countries. Symbol: ¢.
- cetacean (adjective): Pertaining to the zoologic order Cetacea, or associated with species falling under that taxonomic hierarchy.
- cite (verb): to quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.
- enact (verb): to make (a bill) into law
- entice (verb): To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope.
- exact (adjective): Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect.
- exacta (noun): A bet in which the bettor must correctly pick the two runners who finish first and second, in the correct order.
- excite (verb): To stir the emotions of.
- exec (noun): executive, executive officer
- extinct (adjective): Extinguished, no longer alight (of fire, candles etc.)
- incant (verb): To state solemnly, to chant.
- incite (verb): To stir up or excite; to rouse or goad into action.
- intact (adjective): Left complete or whole; not touched, defiled, sullied or otherwise damaged.
- niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
- nice (adjective): Pleasant, satisfactory.
- niece (noun): A daughter of one’s sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either the daughter of one's brother ("fraternal niece"), or of one's sister ("sororal niece").
- tacet (verb): An instruction indicating silence on the part of the performers of a piece.
- tacit (adjective): Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence.
- tact (noun): The sense of touch; feeling.
- tactic (noun): A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.
- tactician (noun): A person skilled in the planning and execution of tactics.
- tannic (adjective): Pertaining to, containing, or obtained from tannin.
- tinct (noun): A tint or colour.
- titanic (adjective): Alternative letter-case form of Titanic Of or relating to the Titans, a race of giant gods in Greek mythology. Having great size, or great force, power, or strength. Of a conflict or contest: involving equally powerful participants.