NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 11, 2025
Game Summary
| Center Letter | K |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, d, e, n, p |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 35 words |
| Total Points | 158 points |
| Genius Level | 111 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 | 10 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| D | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| E | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| K | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | - | - | 1 | 12 |
| N | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| P | 5 | - | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 11 | Σ | 14 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | - | 1 | 35 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | |
|---|---|
| C | CA×2 |
| D | DA×1 DE×4 |
| E | EK×1 |
| K | KA×1 KE×3 KN×8 |
| N | NA×2 NE×2 |
| P | PA×4 PE×7 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | |
|---|---|
| C | CAK×2 |
| D | DAN×1 DEC×2 DEK×2 |
| E | EKE×1 |
| K | KAP×1 KEE×3 KNA×1 KNE×7 |
| N | NAK×1 NAN×1 NEC×2 |
| P | PAC×2 PAN×2 PEA×2 PEC×2 PEE×2 PEK×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) |
|---|---|---|
| kn........ † | KN10 | simple past and past participle of kneecap |
| pa...... † | PA8 | simple past and past participle of pancake |
| ca.. | CA4 | A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing. |
| ca... | CA5 | simple past tense and past participle of cake |
| da.. | DA4 | Dark, damp and humid. |
| de.. | DE4 | Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a balcony; a porch; a raised patio; a flat rooftop. |
| de.... | DE6 | simple past tense and past participle of deck |
| de.. | DE4 | A feint, fake, or other move made by the player with the puck to deceive a goaltender or defenceman. |
| de... | DE5 | simple past tense and past participle of deke |
| ek.. | EK4 | simple past tense and past participle of eke |
| ka... | KA5 | The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet. |
| ke.. | KE4 | Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested. |
| ke.... | KE6 | simple past tense and past participle of keen |
| ke.. | KE4 | To continue in (a course or mode of action); not to intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain. |
| kn... | KN5 | A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something. |
| kn... | KN5 | To work and press into a mass, usually with the hands; especially, to work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles, into a well mixed mass, the materials of bread, cake, etc. |
| kn..... | KN7 | simple past tense and past participle of knead |
| kn.. | KN4 | In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank. |
| kn..... | KN7 | The flat, roundish bone in the knee. |
| kn... | KN5 | Having a knee or knees, or, in combination, the stated type of knee or knees. |
| kn..... | KN7 | Alternative spelling of knee pad |
| na... | NA5 | Bare, not covered by clothing. |
| na..... | NA7 | A type of cotton cloth originally from Nanking in China. |
| ne.. | NE4 | The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals. |
| ne.... | NE6 | Having some specific type of neck |
| pa.. | PA4 | A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back, but also a load for an animal, a bale. |
| pa.... | PA6 | simple past and past participle of pack |
| pa..... | PA7 | A thin batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle in oil or butter; in particular: In England, an often unleavened cake similar to a crepe. In the US (and e.g. Scotland), a leavened, thicker, fluffier cake. |
| pe.. | PE4 | A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap. |
| pe.... | PE6 | Having a peak or peaks. |
| pe.. | PE4 | To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird). |
| pe.... | PE6 | simple past tense and past participle of peck |
| pe.. | PE4 | To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep. |
| pe.... | PE6 | simple past tense and past participle of peek |
| pe.. | PE4 | Alternative letter-case form of Peke (“Pekinese dog”) |
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.
- kneecapped† (KN10)
- pancaked† (PA8)
- cake (CA4)
- caked (CA5)
- dank (DA4)
- deck (DE4)
- decked (DE6)
- deke (DE4)
- deked (DE5)
- eked (EK4)
- kappa (KA5)
- keen (KE4)
- keened (KE6)
- keep (KE4)
- knack (KN5)
- knead (KN5)
- kneaded (KN7)
- knee (KN4)
- kneecap (KN7)
- kneed (KN5)
- kneepad (KN7)
- naked (NA5)
- nankeen (NA7)
- neck (NE4)
- necked (NE6)
- pack (PA4)
- packed (PA6)
- pancake (PA7)
- peak (PE4)
- peaked (PE6)
- peck (PE4)
- pecked (PE6)
- peek (PE4)
- peeked (PE6)
- peke (PE4)
Answer Definitions
- kneecapped† (verb): simple past and past participle of kneecap
- pancaked† (verb): simple past and past participle of pancake
- cake (noun): A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.
- caked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of cake
- dank (adjective): Dark, damp and humid.
- deck (noun): Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a balcony; a porch; a raised patio; a flat rooftop.
- decked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of deck
- deke (noun): A feint, fake, or other move made by the player with the puck to deceive a goaltender or defenceman.
- deked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of deke
- eked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of eke
- kappa (noun): The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet.
- keen (adjective): Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
- keened (verb): simple past tense and past participle of keen
- keep (verb): To continue in (a course or mode of action); not to intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
- knack (noun): A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something.
- knead (verb): To work and press into a mass, usually with the hands; especially, to work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles, into a well mixed mass, the materials of bread, cake, etc.
- kneaded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of knead
- knee (noun): In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
- kneecap (noun): The flat, roundish bone in the knee.
- kneed (adjective): Having a knee or knees, or, in combination, the stated type of knee or knees.
- kneepad (noun): Alternative spelling of knee pad
- naked (adjective): Bare, not covered by clothing.
- nankeen (noun): A type of cotton cloth originally from Nanking in China.
- neck (noun): The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
- necked (adjective): Having some specific type of neck
- pack (noun): A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back, but also a load for an animal, a bale.
- packed (verb): simple past and past participle of pack
- pancake (noun): A thin batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle in oil or butter; in particular: In England, an often unleavened cake similar to a crepe. In the US (and e.g. Scotland), a leavened, thicker, fluffier cake.
- peak (noun): A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap.
- peaked (adjective): Having a peak or peaks.
- peck (verb): To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird).
- pecked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of peck
- peek (verb): To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep.
- peeked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of peek
- peke (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Peke (“Pekinese dog”)