NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 28, 2025
Game Summary
| Center Letter | D |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, b, o, r, t, u |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 35 words |
| Total Points | 141 points |
| Genius Level | 99 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 | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| B | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| D | 9 | 1 | 3 | - | - | 1 | - | 14 |
| O | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| R | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| T | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 4 |
| U | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 17 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 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 | AB×2 AD×1 AR×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×2 BO×1 BR×3 |
| D | DA×4 DO×7 DR×3 |
| O | OD×1 OU×3 |
| R | RA×1 RO×2 |
| T | TA×1 TO×1 TR×2 |
| U |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABO×1 ABR×1 ADO×1 ARD×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAR×1 BAU×1 BOA×1 BRA×1 BRO×2 |
| D | DAR×2 DAT×1 DAU×1 DOD×1 DOO×2 DOR×1 DOT×1 DOU×2 DRA×2 DRU×1 |
| O | ODO×1 OUT×3 |
| R | RAD×1 ROA×1 ROO×1 |
| T | TAB×1 TOA×1 TRO×2 |
| U |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| ou...... † | OU8 | Situated outside the hull of a vessel. |
| tr........ † | TR10 | An itinerant composer and performer of songs in medieval Europe; a jongleur or travelling minstrel. |
| ab.... | AB6 | On board; into or within a ship or boat; hence, into or within a railway car. |
| ab.... | AB6 | Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries. |
| ad... | AD5 | A Philippine dish in which pork or chicken is slowly cooked in a sauce including soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed garlic. |
| ar... | AR5 | Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A unit of data transmission symbol rate; the number of signalling events per second. |
| bo... | BO5 | A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any material, usually wood or similar, often for use in construction or furniture-making. |
| br.. | BR4 | A thin, small nail, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an escutcheon pin. |
| br... | BR5 | Wide in extent or scope. |
| br... | BR5 | The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother. |
| da.. | DA4 | A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin. |
| da....... | DA9 | A board used as a target for throwing darts. |
| da.. | DA4 | plural of datum |
| da.. | DA4 | Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction. |
| do.. | DO4 | A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius. |
| do.... | DO6 | Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing. |
| do.. | DO4 | A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key. |
| do.... | DO6 | Coryphaena hippurus, the mahi-mahi or dolphin, a species of fish with a dorsal fin that runs the length of the body, also known for iridescent coloration. |
| do.... | DO6 | An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage. |
| do... | DO5 | To be undecided about; to lack confidence in; to disbelieve, to question. |
| do.. | DO4 | Stern, harsh and forbidding. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour. |
| dr.. | DR4 | To damn or curse. |
| dr.. | DR4 | Carbonaceous shale; small coal; slate, dross, or rubbish in coal. |
| od.. | OD4 | Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive. |
| ou... | OU5 | To excel; go beyond in performance; surpass. |
| ou..... | OU7 | Situated in, designed to be used in, or carried on in the open air. |
| ra... | RA5 | A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces |
| ro.. | RO4 | A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane. |
| ro.. | RO4 | A crucifix, cross, especially in a church. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A silk banner attached to a bugle or trumpet. |
| to.. | TO4 | An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae. |
| tr.. | TR4 | simple past tense of tread |
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.
- outboard† (OU8)
- troubadour† (TR10)
- aboard (AB6)
- abroad (AB6)
- adobo (AD5)
- ardor (AR5)
- bard (BA4)
- baud (BA4)
- board (BO5)
- brad (BR4)
- broad (BR5)
- brood (BR5)
- dart (DA4)
- dartboard (DA9)
- data (DA4)
- daub (DA4)
- dodo (DO4)
- doodad (DO6)
- door (DO4)
- dorado (DO6)
- dotard (DO6)
- doubt (DO5)
- dour (DO4)
- drab (DR4)
- drat (DR4)
- drub (DR4)
- odor (OD4)
- outdo (OU5)
- outdoor (OU7)
- radar (RA5)
- road (RO4)
- rood (RO4)
- tabard (TA6)
- toad (TO4)
- trod (TR4)
Answer Definitions
- outboard† (adjective): Situated outside the hull of a vessel.
- troubadour† (noun): An itinerant composer and performer of songs in medieval Europe; a jongleur or travelling minstrel.
- aboard (adverb): On board; into or within a ship or boat; hence, into or within a railway car.
- abroad (adverb): Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries.
- adobo (noun): A Philippine dish in which pork or chicken is slowly cooked in a sauce including soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed garlic.
- ardor (noun): Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
- bard (noun): A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.
- baud (noun): A unit of data transmission symbol rate; the number of signalling events per second.
- board (noun): A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any material, usually wood or similar, often for use in construction or furniture-making.
- brad (noun): A thin, small nail, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an escutcheon pin.
- broad (adjective): Wide in extent or scope.
- brood (noun): The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother.
- dart (noun): A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
- dartboard (noun): A board used as a target for throwing darts.
- data (noun): plural of datum
- daub (noun): Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction.
- dodo (noun): A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius.
- doodad (noun): Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing.
- door (noun): A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key.
- dorado (noun): Coryphaena hippurus, the mahi-mahi or dolphin, a species of fish with a dorsal fin that runs the length of the body, also known for iridescent coloration.
- dotard (noun): An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage.
- doubt (verb): To be undecided about; to lack confidence in; to disbelieve, to question.
- dour (adjective): Stern, harsh and forbidding.
- drab (noun): A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour.
- drat (verb): To damn or curse.
- drub (noun): Carbonaceous shale; small coal; slate, dross, or rubbish in coal.
- odor (noun): Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.
- outdo (verb): To excel; go beyond in performance; surpass.
- outdoor (adjective): Situated in, designed to be used in, or carried on in the open air.
- radar (noun): A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces
- road (noun): A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
- rood (noun): A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.
- tabard (noun): A silk banner attached to a bugle or trumpet.
- toad (noun): An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
- trod (verb): simple past tense of tread