NYT Spelling Bee Answers for September 9, 2025
Game Summary
| Center Letter | N |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | b, d, e, l, m, o |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 59 words |
| Total Points | 264 points |
| Genius Level | 185 points |
| Bingo? | Yes |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 14 |
| D | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 6 |
| E | 1 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | 8 |
| L | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| M | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 8 |
| N | 8 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 16 |
| O | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | Σ | 22 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 4 | - | 1 | 59 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| B | BE×3 BL×4 BO×7 |
|---|---|
| D | DE×3 DO×3 |
| E | EB×1 EM×4 EN×3 |
| L | LE×2 LO×2 |
| M | ME×4 MO×4 |
| N | NE×6 NO×10 |
| O | OD×1 OL×1 OM×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| B | BEE×1 BEL×1 BEN×1 BLE×2 BLO×2 BON×6 BOO×1 |
|---|---|
| D | DEB×2 DEM×1 DON×3 |
| E | EBO×1 EMB×2 EME×2 END×1 ENN×2 |
| L | LEM×1 LEN×1 LON×1 LOO×1 |
| M | MEL×2 MEN×2 MON×2 MOO×2 |
| N | NEE×4 NEN×1 NEO×1 NOB×2 NOD×2 NOE×1 NON×1 NOO×4 |
| O | ODE×1 OLD×1 OME×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) |
|---|---|---|
| em...... † | EM8 | To render (someone) bolder or more courageous. |
| em........ † | EM10 | Having been made bold. |
| be.. | BE4 | past participle of be. |
| be..... | BE7 | plural of bellman |
| be.. | BE4 | To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means. |
| bl... | BL5 | A mixture of two or more things. |
| bl..... | BL7 | Being a mixture. |
| bl... | BL5 | Of a bleached or pale golden (light yellowish) colour. |
| bl.... | BL6 | Alternative form of blond (person of fair hair). |
| bo.... | BO6 | A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Evidence of a long-term debt, by which the bond issuer (the borrower) is obliged to pay interest when due, and repay the principal at maturity, as specified on the face of the bond certificate. The rights of the holder are specified in the bond indenture, which contains the legal terms and conditions under which the bond was issued. Bonds are available in two forms: registered bonds, and bearer bonds. |
| bo.... | BO6 | simple past tense and past participle of bond |
| bo.. | BO4 | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| bo... | BO5 | simple past tense and past participle of bone |
| bo.... | BO6 | The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A prayer; petition. |
| de.... | DE6 | To remove the bones from. |
| de..... | DE7 | Having its bones removed. |
| de... | DE5 | An evil supernatural spirit. An evil spirit resident in or working for Hell; a devil. A false god or idol; a Satanic divinity. A very wicked or malevolent person; also a mischievous person, especially a child. A source (especially personified) of great evil or wickedness; a destructive feeling or character flaw. |
| do.. | DO4 | Having completed or finished an activity. |
| do... | DO5 | Someone who receives a gift from a donor. |
| do.... | DO6 | simple past tense and past participle of don |
| eb.. | EB4 | (now poetic) Ebony; an ebony tree. |
| em... | EM5 | To correct and revise (text or a document). |
| em..... | EM7 | simple past tense and past participle of emend |
| en... | EN5 | simple past tense and past participle of end |
| en..... | EN7 | To bestow with nobility, honour or grace. |
| en...... | EN8 | simple past and past participle of ennoble |
| le... | LE5 | A yellowish citrus fruit. |
| le.. | LE4 | To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned. |
| lo.. | LO4 | Solitary; having no companion. |
| lo.. | LO4 | An idler, a lout. |
| me...... | ME8 | A type of reed organ with a single keyboard. |
| me... | ME5 | Any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber. Genus Cucumis, various musk melons, including the honeydew and the cantaloupes, and the horned melon. Genus Citrullus, the watermelon and others Genus Benincasa, a winter melon Genus Momordica, the bitter melon |
| me.. | ME4 | A place, as in clothing, which has been repaired by mending. |
| me.... | ME6 | simple past tense and past participle of mend |
| mo... | MO5 | A dialogue between master and student designed to obtain an intuitive truth. |
| mo.. | MO4 | Clipping of mononucleosis. |
| mo.. | MO4 | Alternative letter-case form of Moon (“the Earth's only permanent natural satellite”). |
| mo.... | MO6 | simple past tense and past participle of moon |
| ne.. | NE4 | A requirement for something; something needed. |
| ne.... | NE6 | Necessary; being required. |
| ne.... | NE6 | A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing as in sewing, embroidery, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, sutures, etc; or a blunt but otherwise similar implement used for forming loops or knots in crafts such as darning, knitting, tatting, etc. |
| ne..... | NE7 | Covered or armored with needles. |
| ne.. | NE4 | The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957. |
| ne.. | NE4 | The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10. The second of the noble gases, it is a colourless, odorless inert gas. |
| no... | NO5 | An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood. |
| no...... | NO8 | plural of nobleman |
| no.... | NO6 | simple past tense and past participle of nod |
| no.. | NO4 | A knot, knob, protuberance or swelling. |
| no.. | NO4 | A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol. |
| no.. | NO4 | Not any of a given number or group. |
| 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. |
| no.... | NO6 | a string or strip of pasta |
| no..... | NO7 | simple past tense and past participle of noodle |
| no.. | NO4 | The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday. |
| od... | OD5 | An ancient Greek or Roman building used for performances of music and poetry. |
| ol... | OL5 | From or relating to a previous era. |
| om.. | OM4 | Something which portends or is perceived to portend either a good or evil event or circumstance in the future, or which causes a foreboding; a portent or augury. |
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.
- embolden† (EM8)
- emboldened† (EM10)
- been (BE4)
- bellmen (BE7)
- bend (BE4)
- blend (BL5)
- blended (BL7)
- blond (BL5)
- blonde (BL6)
- bonbon (BO6)
- bond (BO4)
- bonded (BO6)
- bone (BO4)
- boned (BO5)
- bonobo (BO6)
- boon (BO4)
- debone (DE6)
- deboned (DE7)
- demon (DE5)
- done (DO4)
- donee (DO5)
- donned (DO6)
- ebon (EB4)
- emend (EM5)
- emended (EM7)
- ended (EN5)
- ennoble (EN7)
- ennobled (EN8)
- lemon (LE5)
- lend (LE4)
- lone (LO4)
- loon (LO4)
- melodeon (ME8)
- melon (ME5)
- mend (ME4)
- mended (ME6)
- mondo (MO5)
- mono (MO4)
- moon (MO4)
- mooned (MO6)
- need (NE4)
- needed (NE6)
- needle (NE6)
- needled (NE7)
- nene (NE4)
- neon (NE4)
- noble (NO5)
- noblemen (NO8)
- nodded (NO6)
- node (NO4)
- noel (NO4)
- none (NO4)
- noob (NO4)
- noodle (NO6)
- noodled (NO7)
- noon (NO4)
- odeon (OD5)
- olden (OL5)
- omen (OM4)
Answer Definitions
- embolden† (verb): To render (someone) bolder or more courageous.
- emboldened† (adjective): Having been made bold.
- been (verb): past participle of be.
- bellmen (noun): plural of bellman
- bend (verb): To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means.
- blend (noun): A mixture of two or more things.
- blended (adjective): Being a mixture.
- blond (adjective): Of a bleached or pale golden (light yellowish) colour.
- blonde (noun): Alternative form of blond (person of fair hair).
- bonbon (noun): A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.
- bond (noun): Evidence of a long-term debt, by which the bond issuer (the borrower) is obliged to pay interest when due, and repay the principal at maturity, as specified on the face of the bond certificate. The rights of the holder are specified in the bond indenture, which contains the legal terms and conditions under which the bond was issued. Bonds are available in two forms: registered bonds, and bearer bonds.
- bonded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of bond
- bone (noun): A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.
- boned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of bone
- bonobo (noun): The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.
- boon (noun): A prayer; petition.
- debone (verb): To remove the bones from.
- deboned (adjective): Having its bones removed.
- demon (noun): An evil supernatural spirit. An evil spirit resident in or working for Hell; a devil. A false god or idol; a Satanic divinity. A very wicked or malevolent person; also a mischievous person, especially a child. A source (especially personified) of great evil or wickedness; a destructive feeling or character flaw.
- done (adjective): Having completed or finished an activity.
- donee (noun): Someone who receives a gift from a donor.
- donned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of don
- ebon (noun): (now poetic) Ebony; an ebony tree.
- emend (verb): To correct and revise (text or a document).
- emended (verb): simple past tense and past participle of emend
- ended (verb): simple past tense and past participle of end
- ennoble (verb): To bestow with nobility, honour or grace.
- ennobled (verb): simple past and past participle of ennoble
- lemon (noun): A yellowish citrus fruit.
- lend (verb): To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
- lone (adjective): Solitary; having no companion.
- loon (noun): An idler, a lout.
- melodeon (noun): A type of reed organ with a single keyboard.
- melon (noun): Any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber. Genus Cucumis, various musk melons, including the honeydew and the cantaloupes, and the horned melon. Genus Citrullus, the watermelon and others Genus Benincasa, a winter melon Genus Momordica, the bitter melon
- mend (noun): A place, as in clothing, which has been repaired by mending.
- mended (verb): simple past tense and past participle of mend
- mondo (noun): A dialogue between master and student designed to obtain an intuitive truth.
- mono (noun): Clipping of mononucleosis.
- moon (proper noun): Alternative letter-case form of Moon (“the Earth's only permanent natural satellite”).
- mooned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of moon
- need (noun): A requirement for something; something needed.
- needed (adjective): Necessary; being required.
- needle (noun): A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing as in sewing, embroidery, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, sutures, etc; or a blunt but otherwise similar implement used for forming loops or knots in crafts such as darning, knitting, tatting, etc.
- needled (adjective): Covered or armored with needles.
- nene (noun): The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957.
- neon (noun): The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10. The second of the noble gases, it is a colourless, odorless inert gas.
- noble (noun): An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood.
- noblemen (noun): plural of nobleman
- nodded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of nod
- node (noun): A knot, knob, protuberance or swelling.
- noel (noun): A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol.
- none (pronoun): Not any of a given number or group.
- 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.
- noodle (noun): a string or strip of pasta
- noodled (verb): simple past tense and past participle of noodle
- noon (noun): The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
- odeon (noun): An ancient Greek or Roman building used for performances of music and poetry.
- olden (adjective): From or relating to a previous era.
- omen (noun): Something which portends or is perceived to portend either a good or evil event or circumstance in the future, or which causes a foreboding; a portent or augury.