Game Summary

Table of Contents

As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!

1. Spelling Bee Grid
2. Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
3. Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
4. Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
5. Today's Complete Solution
6. 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.

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.

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 (^†).

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.

• calorific^†  (CA9)
• acacia  (AC6)
• acai  (AC4)
• arco  (AR4)
• cacao  (CA5)
• calf  (CA4)
• calico  (CA6)
• call  (CA4)
• calla  (CA5)
• callaloo  (CA8)
• caloric  (CA7)
• carol  (CA5)
• ciao  (CI4)
• cilia  (CI5)
• circa  (CI5)
• cirri  (CI5)
• cliff  (CL5)
• cloaca  (CL6)
• coal  (CO4)
• coca  (CO4)
• cocci  (CO5)
• cocoa  (CO5)
• coif  (CO4)
• coil  (CO4)
• coir  (CO4)
• cola  (CO4)
• colic  (CO5)
• collar  (CO6)
• color  (CO5)
• colorific  (CO9)
• cool  (CO4)
• coral  (CO5)
• corolla  (CO7)
• corral  (CO6)
• croc  (CR4)
• croci  (CR5)
• facial  (FA6)
• farcical  (FA8)
• focaccia  (FO8)
• focal  (FO5)
• foci  (FO4)
• folic  (FO5)
• frolic  (FR6)
• iliac  (IL5)
• laic  (LA4)
• laical  (LA6)
• lilac  (LI5)
• local  (LO5)
• loci  (LO4)
• loco  (LO4)
• official  (OF8)
• orca  (OR4)
• racial  (RA6)
• railcar  (RA7)
• rococo  (RO6)

Answer Definitions

• calorific^† (adjective): Relating to calories.
• 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.
• arco (adverb): A note in string instrument musical notation indicating that the bow is to be used in the usual way, usually following a passage that is played pizzicato.
• cacao (noun): A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.
• calf (noun): A young cow or bull.
• calico (noun): A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.
• 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.
• callaloo (noun): Any of various tropical plants grown in the Americas, especially of the genera Amaranthus and Xanthosoma, cultivated for their edible leaves.
• caloric (adjective): Relating to calories.
• carol (noun): A round dance accompanied by singing.
• ciao (interjection): hello, hi.
• cilia (noun): plural of cilium
• circa (preposition): Approximately, about, around
• cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
• cliff (noun): A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
• cloaca (noun): A sewer.
• coal (noun): A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
• coca (noun): Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.
• cocci (noun): plural of coccus
• cocoa (noun): The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.
• coif (noun): A hairdo.
• coil (noun): Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.
• coir (noun): The fibre obtained from the husk of a coconut, used chiefly in making rope, matting and as a peat substitute.
• cola (noun): The kola plant, genus Cola, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts.
• colic (noun): Severe pains that grip the abdomen or the disease that causes such pains (due to intestinal or bowel-related problems).
• collar (noun): Clothes that encircle the neck. The part of an upper garment (shirt, jacket, etc.) that fits around the neck and throat, especially if sewn from a separate piece of fabric. A decorative band or other fabric around the neckline. A chain worn around the neck. A similar detachable item. A coloured ring round the neck of a bird or mammal. A band or chain around an animal's neck, used to restrain and/or identify it.
• color (noun): The spectral composition of visible light.
• colorific (adjective): That produces coloured precipitates
• cool (adjective): Having a slightly low temperature; mildly or pleasantly cold.
• coral (noun): Any of many species of marine invertebrates in the class Anthozoa, most of which build hard calcium carbonate skeletons and form colonies, or a colony belonging to one of those species.
• corolla (noun): An outermost-but-one whorl of a flower, composed of petals, when it is not the same in appearance as the outermost whorl (the calyx); it usually comprises the petal, which may be fused.
• corral (noun): An enclosure for livestock, especially a circular one.
• croc (noun): A crocodile.
• croci (noun): plural of crocus
• facial (adjective): Of or affecting the face.
• farcical (adjective): Resembling a farce; ludicrous; absurd.
• focaccia (noun): A flatbread similar in style, composition, and texture to modern pizza doughs and topped with herbs, cheese and other products. Focaccia typically consists of high-gluten flour, oil, water, sugar, salt and yeast.
• focal (adjective): Belonging to, concerning, or located at a focus.
• foci (noun): plural of focus
• folic (adjective): Of or relating to foliage; pteroylglutamic, as in folic acid.
• frolic (adjective): Merry, joyous, full of mirth; later especially, frolicsome, sportive, full of playful mischief.
• iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
• laic (noun): A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
• laical (adjective): Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity).
• lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
• local (adjective): From or in a nearby location.
• loci (noun): plural of locus
• loco (adverb): A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower.
• official (adjective): Of or pertaining to an office or public trust.
• orca (noun): A sea mammal (Orcinus orca) related to dolphins and porpoises, commonly called the killer whale.
• racial (adjective): Of or relating to a race (or a people).
• railcar (noun): A self-propelled railway vehicle for passengers, similar to a bus.
• rococo (noun): A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.