NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 12, 2025
Game Summary
| Center Letter | B |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | g, i, n, o, u, x |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 27 words |
| Total Points | 146 points |
| Genius Level | 102 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 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 4 | 3 | 8 | 5 | - | 20 |
| G | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| I | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| N | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| O | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| U | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| X | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 5 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 27 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| B | BI×3 BO×14 BU×3 |
|---|---|
| G | GI×2 |
| I | IN×1 |
| N | NO×1 NU×1 |
| O | |
| U | UN×2 |
| X |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| B | BIN×3 BOB×2 BOG×1 BOI×1 BON×5 BOO×4 BOX×1 BUG×1 BUN×2 |
|---|---|
| G | GIB×2 |
| I | INB×1 |
| N | NOO×1 NUB×1 |
| O | |
| U | UNB×2 |
| 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) |
|---|---|---|
| un...... † | UN8 | present participle of unbox |
| bi..... | BI7 | present participle of binge |
| bi... | BI5 | A game of chance for two or more players, who mark off numbers on a grid as they are announced by the caller; the game is won by the first person to call out "bingo!" or "house!" after crossing off all numbers on the grid or in one line of the grid. |
| bi..... | BI7 | present participle of bin |
| bo.... | BO6 | A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled. |
| bo..... | BO7 | present participle of bob |
| bo..... | BO7 | present participle of bog |
| bo... | BO5 | The sound made by an elastic object (such as a spring) when bouncing; the sound of a bounce. |
| bo.... | BO6 | A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy. |
| bo.. | BO4 | The clang of a large bell. |
| bo... | BO5 | A striped bovine mammal found in Africa, Tragelaphus eurycerus. |
| bo.... | BO6 | present participle of bone |
| bo.... | BO6 | The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river. |
| bo.. | BO4 | An idiot; a fool. |
| bo.... | BO6 | Alternative spelling of boo-boo |
| bo.... | BO6 | A disapproving exclamation by a member of an audience. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A prayer; petition. |
| bo.... | BO6 | present participle of box |
| bu..... | BU7 | present participle of bug |
| bu.. | BU4 | A stopper, alternative to a cork, often made of rubber used to prevent fluid passing through the neck of a bottle, vat, a hole in a vessel etc. |
| bu.... | BU6 | A bump or bulge on the first joint of the big toe caused by the swelling of a sac of fluid under the skin. |
| gi.... | GI6 | A small ape of the family Hylobatidae with long limbs, which it uses to travel through rainforests by swinging from branch to branch. |
| gi.... | GI6 | present participle of gibe |
| in... | IN5 | A container in which papers to be dealt with are put. |
| no.. | NO4 | A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things. |
| nu.... | NU6 | A stub, especially a stub of undeveloped corn or fruit or nipple. |
| un... | UN5 | To remove from a box. |
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.
- unboxing† (UN8)
- binging (BI7)
- bingo (BI5)
- binning (BI7)
- bobbin (BO6)
- bobbing (BO7)
- bogging (BO7)
- boing (BO5)
- bonbon (BO6)
- bong (BO4)
- bongo (BO5)
- boning (BO6)
- bonobo (BO6)
- boob (BO4)
- booboo (BO6)
- booing (BO6)
- boon (BO4)
- boxing (BO6)
- bugging (BU7)
- bung (BU4)
- bunion (BU6)
- gibbon (GI6)
- gibing (GI6)
- inbox (IN5)
- noob (NO4)
- nubbin (NU6)
- unbox (UN5)
Answer Definitions
- unboxing† (verb): present participle of unbox
- binging (verb): present participle of binge
- bingo (noun): A game of chance for two or more players, who mark off numbers on a grid as they are announced by the caller; the game is won by the first person to call out "bingo!" or "house!" after crossing off all numbers on the grid or in one line of the grid.
- binning (verb): present participle of bin
- bobbin (noun): A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.
- bobbing (verb): present participle of bob
- bogging (verb): present participle of bog
- boing (noun): The sound made by an elastic object (such as a spring) when bouncing; the sound of a bounce.
- bonbon (noun): A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.
- bong (noun): The clang of a large bell.
- bongo (noun): A striped bovine mammal found in Africa, Tragelaphus eurycerus.
- boning (verb): present participle of bone
- bonobo (noun): The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.
- boob (noun): An idiot; a fool.
- booboo (noun): Alternative spelling of boo-boo
- booing (noun): A disapproving exclamation by a member of an audience.
- boon (noun): A prayer; petition.
- boxing (verb): present participle of box
- bugging (verb): present participle of bug
- bung (noun): A stopper, alternative to a cork, often made of rubber used to prevent fluid passing through the neck of a bottle, vat, a hole in a vessel etc.
- bunion (noun): A bump or bulge on the first joint of the big toe caused by the swelling of a sac of fluid under the skin.
- gibbon (noun): A small ape of the family Hylobatidae with long limbs, which it uses to travel through rainforests by swinging from branch to branch.
- gibing (verb): present participle of gibe
- inbox (noun): A container in which papers to be dealt with are put.
- noob (noun): A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.
- nubbin (noun): A stub, especially a stub of undeveloped corn or fruit or nipple.
- unbox (verb): To remove from a box.