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.

• initialize^†  (IN10)
• tantalize^†  (TA9)
• alien  (AL5)
• alienate  (AL8)
• alit  (AL4)
• allele  (AL6)
• anal  (AN4)
• annal  (AN5)
• anneal  (AN6)
• antenatal  (AN9)
• atilt  (AT5)
• azalea  (AZ6)
• elan  (EL4)
• elate  (EL5)
• elite  (EL5)
• entail  (EN6)
• entitle  (EN7)
• initial  (IN7)
• inlet  (IN5)
• intel  (IN5)
• lain  (LA4)
• lanai  (LA5)
• lane  (LA4)
• lantana  (LA7)
• late  (LA4)
• laten  (LA5)
• latent  (LA6)
• latte  (LA5)
• laze  (LA4)
• lean  (LE4)
• leant  (LE5)
• lenient  (LE7)
• lent  (LE4)
• lentil  (LE6)
• lien  (LI4)
• lilt  (LI4)
• line  (LI4)
• lineal  (LI6)
• linen  (LI5)
• linnet  (LI6)
• lint  (LI4)
• lintel  (LI6)
• lite  (LI4)
• little  (LI6)
• nail  (NA4)
• natal  (NA5)
• nettle  (NE6)
• tail  (TA4)
• tale  (TA4)
• talent  (TA6)
• tali  (TA4)
• tall  (TA4)
• tallit  (TA6)
• tattle  (TA6)
• tattletale  (TA10)
• teal  (TE4)
• tell  (TE4)
• telltale  (TE8)
• tile  (TI4)
• till  (TI4)
• tilt  (TI4)
• titillate  (TI9)
• title  (TI5)
• tittle  (TI6)
• zeal  (ZE4)

Answer Definitions

• initialize^† (verb): To assign initial values to something
• tantalize^† (verb): to tease (someone) by offering something desirable but keeping it out of reach
• alien (noun): Any life form of extraterrestrial or extradimensional origin.
• alienate (adjective): Estranged; withdrawn in affection; foreign
• alit (verb): simple past tense and past participle of alight
• allele (noun): One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position, or locus, on a chromosome.
• anal (adjective): of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
• annal (noun): The record of a single event or item.
• anneal (verb): To subject to great heat and then (often slow) cooling, and sometimes reheating and further cooling, for the purpose of rendering less brittle; to temper; to toughen.
• antenatal (adjective): occurring or existing before birth
• atilt (adjective): At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.
• azalea (noun): A plant of the obsolete genus Azalea.
• elan (noun): Uncommon spelling of élan.
• elate (verb): To make joyful or proud.
• elite (adjective): Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.
• entail (verb): To imply or require.
• entitle (verb): To give a title to. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
• initial (adjective): Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.
• inlet (verb): To let in; admit.
• intel (noun): intelligence (secret information)
• lain (verb): past participle of lie (“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”)
• lanai (noun): A Hawaiian-style roofed patio.
• lane (noun): A road, street, or similar thoroughfare.
• lantana (noun): Any member of the genus Lantana of perennial verbenas with aromatic flower clusters.
• late (adjective): Near the end of a period of time.
• laten (verb): To grow late; become later.
• latent (adjective): Existing or present but concealed or inactive.
• latte (noun): A drink of coffee made from espresso and steamed milk, generally topped with foam.
• laze (verb): To be lazy, waste time.
• lean (verb): To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
• leant (verb): simple past tense and past participle of lean
• lenient (adjective): Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation
• lent (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Lent
• lentil (noun): Any of several plants of the genus Lens, especially Lens culinaris, from southwest Asia, that have edible, lens-shaped seeds within flattened pods.
• lien (noun): A tendon.
• lilt (verb): To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
• line (noun): A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
• lineal (adjective): Having an ancestral relationship to mothers, fathers, grandparents, (etc.) and having a descendant relationship to sons, daughters, grandchildren (etc.), exclusive of collateral siblings.
• linen (noun): Thread or cloth made from flax fiber.
• linnet (noun): A small passerine bird, the common linnet (Linaria cannabina, syn. Carduelis cannabina), in the finch family Fringillidae, native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa.
• lint (noun): Clinging fuzzy fluff that clings to fabric or accumulates in one's pockets or navel etc.
• lintel (noun): A horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.
• lite (adjective): Abridged; refers to a simpler or unpaid version of a product.
• little (adjective): Small in size.
• nail (noun): The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
• natal (adjective): Of or relating to birth.
• nettle (noun): Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash. Especially, most species of herb genus Urtica, the stinging nettles: Most, but not all, subspecies of Urtica dioica (common nettle), Urtica incisa (Australian nettle); Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis); Bull nettles and spurge nettles of genus Cnidoscolus: Cnidoscolus stimulosus, bull nettle, spurge nettle, Cnidoscolus texanus, Texas bull nettle, Cnidoscolus urens, bull nettle, Nettle trees or tree nettles: Various species of the genus Dendrocnide: Urera baccifera (scratchbush), Urtica ferox (tree nettle); rock nettle (Eucnide); small-leaved nettle (Dendrocnide photinophylla).
• tail (noun): The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.
• tale (noun): An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a rumour; a report, especially an idle or malicious story; a piece of gossip or slander; a lie.
• talent (noun): A marked natural ability or skill.
• tali (noun): plural of talus
• tall (adjective): Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.
• tallit (noun): A traditional Jewish prayer shawl with tassels which covers the chest and upper part of the back.
• tattle (verb): To chatter; to gossip.
• tattletale (adjective): telltale; giveaway
• teal (noun): Any of various small freshwater ducks of the genus Anas that are brightly coloured and have short necks.
• tell (verb): To count, reckon, or enumerate.
• telltale (noun): One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
• tile (noun): A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile etc.
• till (preposition): Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
• tilt (verb): To slope or incline (something); to slant.
• titillate (verb): To stimulate or excite sensually
• title (noun): An appellation given to a person or family to signify either veneration, official position, social rank, the possession of assets or properties, or a professional or academic qualification. See also Category:Titles
• tittle (noun): Any small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark, especially if part of a letter, or if a letter-like abbreviation; in particular, the dots over the Latin letters i and j.
• zeal (noun): The fervour or tireless devotion for a person, cause, or ideal and determination in its furtherance; diligent enthusiasm; powerful interest.