NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 17, 2024
Game Summary
| Center Letter | L |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, e, h, m, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 44 words |
| Total Points | 146 points |
| Genius Level | 102 points |
| Bingo? | Yes |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| C | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| E | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| H | 6 | 1 | - | - | 7 |
| L | 5 | 4 | 2 | - | 11 |
| M | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 6 |
| Y | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 23 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 44 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AL×5 AM×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×5 CE×1 CH×1 CL×4 CY×1 |
| E | EE×1 |
| H | HA×3 HE×4 |
| L | LA×5 LE×4 LL×1 LY×1 |
| M | MA×3 ME×3 |
| Y | YE×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ALC×1 ALL×4 AMY×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAL×4 CAM×1 CEL×1 CHA×1 CLA×4 CYC×1 |
| E | EEL×1 |
| H | HAL×3 HEA×1 HEE×1 HEL×2 |
| L | LAC×2 LAM×3 LEA×1 LEC×1 LEE×1 LEM×1 LLA×1 LYC×1 |
| M | MAL×2 MAM×1 MEA×2 MEL×1 |
| Y | YEL×1 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| al..... † | AL7 | The premodern and early modern study of physical changes, particularly in Europe, Arabia, and China and chiefly in pursuit of an elixir of immortality, a universal panacea, and/or a philosopher's stone able to transmute base metals into gold, eventually developing into chemistry. |
| al... | AL5 | To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm. |
| al.... | AL6 | One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position, or locus, on a chromosome. |
| al... | AL5 | A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots or buildings. |
| al.. | AL4 | To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty. |
| am.. | AM4 | Synonym of pentyl |
| ca.. | CA4 | A telephone conversation; a phone call. |
| ca... | CA5 | A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety. |
| ca.... | CA6 | In a calm manner. |
| ca... | CA5 | A beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus. |
| ce.. | CE4 | A single-room dwelling for a hermit. |
| ch..... | CH7 | A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve. |
| cl.... | CL6 | Cold and damp, usually referring to hands or palms. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics. |
| cl.... | CL6 | Composed of clay or containing (much) clay; clayish. |
| cy... | CY5 | An interval of space or time in which one set of events or phenomena is completed. |
| ee.. | EE4 | Resembling an eel: long, thin and slippery. |
| ha... | HA5 | Permissible, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do. |
| ha.. | HA4 | Sound, entire, healthy; robust, not impaired. |
| ha.. | HA4 | A corridor; a hallway. |
| he.. | HE4 | To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure. |
| he.. | HE4 | The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg. |
| he.. | HE4 | A place of torment where some or all sinners and evil spirits are believed to go after death. |
| he.. | HE4 | The steering apparatus of a ship, especially the tiller or wheel. |
| la.. | LA4 | A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread. |
| la.. | LA4 | Made of lace or decorated with it. |
| la.. | LA4 | A master of Tibetan Buddhism. |
| la.. | LA4 | Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs. |
| la.... | LA6 | In the manner of one who is lame. |
| le... | LE5 | A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali. |
| le.. | LE4 | A strong, lecherous desire or craving. |
| le... | LE5 | An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis. |
| le... | LE5 | A proposition proved or accepted for immediate use in the proof of some other proposition. |
| ll... | LL5 | A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat. |
| ly.... | LY6 | The Chinese tropical fruit tree Litchi chinensis, of the soapberry family. |
| ma.. | MA4 | Belonging to the sex which typically produces sperm, or to the gender which is typically associated with it. |
| ma.. | MA4 | A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct. |
| ma.... | MA6 | An animal of the class Mammalia, characterized by being warm-blooded, having hair and producing milk with which to feed its young. |
| me.. | ME4 | Correct quotes |
| me... | ME5 | Resembling meal . |
| me... | ME5 | A battle fought at close range; hand-to-hand combat; brawling. |
| ye.. | YE4 | shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice. |
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.
- alchemy† (AL7)
- allay (AL5)
- allele (AL6)
- alley (AL5)
- ally (AL4)
- amyl (AM4)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- calm (CA4)
- calmly (CA6)
- camel (CA5)
- cell (CE4)
- challah (CH7)
- clam (CL4)
- clammy (CL6)
- clay (CL4)
- clayey (CL6)
- cycle (CY5)
- eely (EE4)
- halal (HA5)
- hale (HA4)
- hall (HA4)
- heal (HE4)
- heel (HE4)
- hell (HE4)
- helm (HE4)
- lace (LA4)
- lacy (LA4)
- lama (LA4)
- lame (LA4)
- lamely (LA6)
- leach (LE5)
- lech (LE4)
- leech (LE5)
- lemma (LE5)
- llama (LL5)
- lychee (LY6)
- male (MA4)
- mall (MA4)
- mammal (MA6)
- meal (ME4)
- mealy (ME5)
- melee (ME5)
- yell (YE4)
Answer Definitions
- alchemy† (noun): The premodern and early modern study of physical changes, particularly in Europe, Arabia, and China and chiefly in pursuit of an elixir of immortality, a universal panacea, and/or a philosopher's stone able to transmute base metals into gold, eventually developing into chemistry.
- allay (verb): To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.
- allele (noun): One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position, or locus, on a chromosome.
- alley (noun): A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots or buildings.
- ally (verb): To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty.
- amyl (noun): Synonym of pentyl
- call (noun): A telephone conversation; a phone call.
- calla (noun): A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
- calm (adjective): Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.
- calmly (adverb): In a calm manner.
- camel (noun): A beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus.
- cell (noun): A single-room dwelling for a hermit.
- challah (noun): A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.
- clam (noun): A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
- clammy (adjective): Cold and damp, usually referring to hands or palms.
- clay (noun): A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
- clayey (adjective): Composed of clay or containing (much) clay; clayish.
- cycle (noun): An interval of space or time in which one set of events or phenomena is completed.
- eely (adjective): Resembling an eel: long, thin and slippery.
- halal (adjective): Permissible, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do.
- hale (adjective): Sound, entire, healthy; robust, not impaired.
- hall (noun): A corridor; a hallway.
- heal (verb): To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure.
- heel (noun): The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
- hell (proper noun): A place of torment where some or all sinners and evil spirits are believed to go after death.
- helm (noun): The steering apparatus of a ship, especially the tiller or wheel.
- lace (noun): A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread.
- lacy (adjective): Made of lace or decorated with it.
- lama (noun): A master of Tibetan Buddhism.
- lame (adjective): Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs.
- lamely (adverb): In the manner of one who is lame.
- leach (noun): A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.
- lech (noun): A strong, lecherous desire or craving.
- leech (noun): An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
- lemma (noun): A proposition proved or accepted for immediate use in the proof of some other proposition.
- llama (noun): A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.
- lychee (noun): The Chinese tropical fruit tree Litchi chinensis, of the soapberry family.
- male (adjective): Belonging to the sex which typically produces sperm, or to the gender which is typically associated with it.
- mall (noun): A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.
- mammal (noun): An animal of the class Mammalia, characterized by being warm-blooded, having hair and producing milk with which to feed its young.
- meal (noun): Correct quotes
- mealy (adjective): Resembling meal .
- melee (noun): A battle fought at close range; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.
- yell (verb): shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice.