NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 16, 2025

Aug 16, 2025 · 11 min read · spelling bee ·

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Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for August 16, 2025

Game Summary

Center Letter	R
Outer Letters	a, c, g, i, n, u
# of Pangrams	2 (Perfect: none)
Total Words	71 words
Total Points	388 points
Genius Level	272 points
Bingo?	Yes

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	3	1	4	2	4	1	1	16
C	1	4	3	1	1	-	-	10
G	4	1	-	1	3	-	-	9
I	-	2	-	2	1	1	1	7
N	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	2
R	8	3	4	7	-	-	-	22
U	1	1	1	-	1	1	-	5
Σ	18	12	13	13	10	3	2	71

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A	AC×1 AG×2 AI×1 AR×9 AU×3
C	CA×2 CI×3 CR×4 CU×1
G	GA×1 GR×6 GU×2
I	IN×7
N	NA×1 NI×1
R	RA×11 RI×5 RU×6
U	UN×3 UR×2

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A	ACC×1 AGA×1 AGR×1 AIR×1 ARA×1 ARC×2 ARG×1 ARI×1 ARN×1 ARR×3 AUG×2 AUR×1
C	CAI×1 CAR×1 CIG×1 CIR×2 CRA×3 CRI×1 CUR×1
G	GAR×1 GRA×4 GRI×2 GUA×1 GUR×1
I	INC×2 ING×2 INU×3
N	NAR×1 NIG×1
R	RAC×1 RAG×4 RAI×2 RAN×3 RAR×1 RIC×2 RIG×1 RIN×2 RUI×3 RUN×3
U	UNC×1 UNR×2 URG×1 URI×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)
ac...... ^†	AC8	present participle of accrue
un...... ^†	UN8	Characterized by a lack of care; not caring.
ag..	AG4	A gelatinous material obtained from red algae, especially Gracilaria species, used as a bacterial culture medium, in electrophoresis and as a food additive.
ag......	AG8	Of, or relating to, the ownership, tenure and cultivation of land.
ai....	AI6	present participle and gerund of air
ar......	AR8	plural of arancino
ar....	AR6	Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
ar....	AR6	present participle of arc
ar.....	AR7	present participle of argue
ar..	AR4	A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata.
ar....	AR6	Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana.
ar.....	AR7	To officially charge someone in a court of law.
ar........	AR10	present participle and gerund of arraign
ar.......	AR9	present participle and gerund of arrange
au...	AU5	A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.
au......	AU8	present participle of augur
au..	AU4	Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something.
ca...	CA5	A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
ca....	CA6	Kind, sensitive, or empathetic.
ci...	CI5	A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked.
ci...	CI5	Approximately, about, around
ci...	CI5	plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
cr..	CR4	A rocky outcrop; a rugged steep cliff or rock.
cr....	CR6	plural of cranium
cr.....	CR7	present participle of crane
cr......	CR8	present participle of cringe
cu....	CU6	present participle of cure
ga......	GA8	present participle and gerund of garage
gr.....	GR7	present participle of grace
gr...	GR5	The harvested seeds of various grass food crops eg: wheat, corn, barley.
gr......	GR8	present participle and gerund of grain
gr..	GR4	A grandmother.
gr..	GR4	A smile in which the lips are parted to reveal the teeth.
gr......	GR8	present participle of grin
gu..	GU4	An annual legume (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), used as a food for cattle and humans.
gu..	GU4	A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher.
in...	IN5	to bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to
in.......	IN9	present participle of incur
in.....	IN7	To dye with a fast or lasting colour.
in........	IN10	present participle and gerund of ingrain
in.....	IN7	present participle of inure
in...	IN5	To place (the remains of a person who has died) in an urn or other container.
in......	IN8	present participle of inurn
na..	NA4	A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
ni....	NI6	Regular sushi: a piece of raw fish (or other topping) on top of a small oblong brick of sticky white rice.
ra....	RA6	The sport of competing in races.
ra..	RA4	Any of various melodic forms used in Indian classical music, or a piece of music composed in such a form.
ra.....	RA7	present participle and gerund of rag
ra....	RA6	present participle and gerund of rage
ra..	RA4	Alternative spelling of ragù
ra..	RA4	Condensed water falling from a cloud.
ra.....	RA7	present participle and gerund of rain
ra..	RA4	simple past tense of ring
ra.....	RA7	present participle and gerund of range
ra..	RA4	The wife of a rajah.
ra....	RA6	Eager.
ri...	RI5	An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.
ri....	RI6	present participle of rice
ri.....	RI7	Dress; tackle; especially , the ropes, chains, etc., that support the masts and spars of a sailing vessel, and serve as purchases for adjusting the sails, etc.
ri..	RI4	A solid object in the shape of a circle. A circumscribing object, (roughly) circular and hollow, looking like an annual ring, earring, finger ring etc.
ri.....	RI7	The sound of something that rings.
ru..	RU4	The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
ru...	RU5	present participle of rue
ru.....	RU7	present participle of ruin
ru..	RU4	A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round.
ru...	RU5	Of, pertaining to, or written using runes.
ru.....	RU7	Present participle of run.
un...	UN5	To remove the rigging from (a vessel, etc.).
un.......	UN9	present participle of unrig
ur....	UR6	present participle of urge
ur..	UR4	Pertaining to, contained in, or obtained from urine.

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.

accruing^† (AC8)
uncaring^† (UN8)
agar (AG4)
agrarian (AG8)
airing (AI6)
arancini (AR8)
arcana (AR6)
arcing (AR6)
arguing (AR7)
aria (AR4)
arnica (AR6)
arraign (AR7)
arraigning (AR10)
arranging (AR9)
augur (AU5)
auguring (AU8)
aura (AU4)
cairn (CA5)
caring (CA6)
cigar (CI5)
circa (CI5)
cirri (CI5)
crag (CR4)
crania (CR6)
craning (CR7)
cringing (CR8)
curing (CU6)
garaging (GA8)
gracing (GR7)
grain (GR5)
graining (GR8)
gran (GR4)
grin (GR4)
grinning (GR8)
guar (GU4)
guru (GU4)
incur (IN5)
incurring (IN9)
ingrain (IN7)
ingraining (IN10)
inuring (IN7)
inurn (IN5)
inurning (IN8)
narc (NA4)
nigiri (NI6)
racing (RA6)
raga (RA4)
ragging (RA7)
raging (RA6)
ragu (RA4)
rain (RA4)
raining (RA7)
rang (RA4)
ranging (RA7)
rani (RA4)
raring (RA6)
ricin (RI5)
ricing (RI6)
rigging (RI7)
ring (RI4)
ringing (RI7)
ruin (RU4)
ruing (RU5)
ruining (RU7)
rung (RU4)
runic (RU5)
running (RU7)
unrig (UN5)
unrigging (UN9)
urging (UR6)
uric (UR4)

Answer Definitions

accruing^† (verb): present participle of accrue
uncaring^† (adjective): Characterized by a lack of care; not caring.
agar (noun): A gelatinous material obtained from red algae, especially Gracilaria species, used as a bacterial culture medium, in electrophoresis and as a food additive.
agrarian (adjective): Of, or relating to, the ownership, tenure and cultivation of land.
airing (verb): present participle and gerund of air
arancini (noun): plural of arancino
arcana (noun): Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
arcing (verb): present participle of arc
arguing (verb): present participle of argue
aria (noun): A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata.
arnica (noun): Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana.
arraign (verb): To officially charge someone in a court of law.
arraigning (verb): present participle and gerund of arraign
arranging (verb): present participle and gerund of arrange
augur (noun): A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.
auguring (verb): present participle of augur
aura (noun): Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something.
cairn (noun): A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
caring (adjective): Kind, sensitive, or empathetic.
cigar (noun): A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked.
circa (preposition): Approximately, about, around
cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
crag (noun): A rocky outcrop; a rugged steep cliff or rock.
crania (noun): plural of cranium
craning (verb): present participle of crane
cringing (verb): present participle of cringe
curing (verb): present participle of cure
garaging (verb): present participle and gerund of garage
gracing (verb): present participle of grace
grain (noun): The harvested seeds of various grass food crops eg: wheat, corn, barley.
graining (verb): present participle and gerund of grain
gran (noun): A grandmother.
grin (noun): A smile in which the lips are parted to reveal the teeth.
grinning (verb): present participle of grin
guar (noun): An annual legume (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), used as a food for cattle and humans.
guru (noun): A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher.
incur (verb): to bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to
incurring (verb): present participle of incur
ingrain (verb): To dye with a fast or lasting colour.
ingraining (verb): present participle and gerund of ingrain
inuring (verb): present participle of inure
inurn (verb): To place (the remains of a person who has died) in an urn or other container.
inurning (verb): present participle of inurn
narc (noun): A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
nigiri (noun): Regular sushi: a piece of raw fish (or other topping) on top of a small oblong brick of sticky white rice.
racing (noun): The sport of competing in races.
raga (noun): Any of various melodic forms used in Indian classical music, or a piece of music composed in such a form.
ragging (verb): present participle and gerund of rag
raging (verb): present participle and gerund of rage
ragu (noun): Alternative spelling of ragù
rain (noun): Condensed water falling from a cloud.
raining (verb): present participle and gerund of rain
rang (verb): simple past tense of ring
ranging (verb): present participle and gerund of range
rani (noun): The wife of a rajah.
raring (adjective): Eager.
ricin (noun): An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.
ricing (verb): present participle of rice
rigging (noun): Dress; tackle; especially , the ropes, chains, etc., that support the masts and spars of a sailing vessel, and serve as purchases for adjusting the sails, etc.
ring (noun): A solid object in the shape of a circle. A circumscribing object, (roughly) circular and hollow, looking like an annual ring, earring, finger ring etc.
ringing (noun): The sound of something that rings.
ruin (noun): The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
ruing (verb): present participle of rue
ruining (verb): present participle of ruin
rung (noun): A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round.
runic (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or written using runes.
running (verb): Present participle of run.
unrig (verb): To remove the rigging from (a vessel, etc.).
unrigging (verb): present participle of unrig
urging (verb): present participle of urge
uric (adjective): Pertaining to, contained in, or obtained from urine.

	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Σ
A	3	1	4	2	4	1	1	16
C	1	4	3	1	1	-	-	10
G	4	1	-	1	3	-	-	9
I	-	2	-	2	1	1	1	7
N	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	2
R	8	3	4	7	-	-	-	22
U	1	1	1	-	1	1	-	5
Σ	18	12	13	13	10	3	2	71

	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Σ
A	3	1	4	2	4	1	1	16
C	1	4	3	1	1	-	-	10
G	4	1	-	1	3	-	-	9
I	-	2	-	2	1	1	1	7
N	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	2
R	8	3	4	7	-	-	-	22
U	1	1	1	-	1	1	-	5
Σ	18	12	13	13	10	3	2	71