NYT Spelling Bee Answers for September 12, 2025
Game Summary
| Center Letter | I |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, h, k, m, n, u |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 19 words |
| Total Points | 74 points |
| Genius Level | 52 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 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 6 |
| H | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| I | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| K | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| M | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| N | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| U | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | Σ | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CH×4 CI×1 CU×1 |
|---|---|
| H | HI×1 |
| I | IN×1 |
| K | KI×3 |
| M | MI×5 MU×1 |
| N | NI×1 |
| U | UN×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | CHI×4 CIN×1 CUM×1 |
|---|---|
| H | HIC×1 |
| I | INC×1 |
| K | KIC×1 KIM×1 KIN×1 |
| M | MIM×1 MIN×4 MUN×1 |
| N | NIC×1 |
| U | UNK×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) |
|---|---|---|
| mu...... † | MU8 | A child. |
| ch.. | CH4 | Elegant, stylish. |
| ch.... | CH6 | Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way. |
| ch... | CH5 | A young bird. |
| ch.. | CH4 | The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth. |
| ci... | CI5 | A simple saddle girth used in Mexico. |
| cu... | CU5 | The flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae. |
| hi.. | HI4 | An awkward, naive, clumsy and/or rude country person. |
| in.. | IN4 | A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres. |
| ki.. | KI4 | To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg. |
| ki.... | KI6 | A Korean dish made of vegetables, such as cabbage or radishes, that are salted, seasoned, and stored in sealed containers to undergo lactic acid fermentation. |
| ki.. | KI4 | To laugh loudly. |
| mi... | MI5 | To imitate, especially in order to ridicule. |
| mi.. | MI4 | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| mi... | MI5 | A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem. |
| mi..... | MI7 | The lowest limit. |
| mi.. | MI4 | (plural mink or minks) Any of various semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals in the Mustelinae subfamily, similar to weasels, with dark fur, native to Europe and America, of which two species in different genera are extant: the American mink (Neovison vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola). |
| ni.. | NI4 | A small cut in a surface. A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment. |
| un.... | UN6 | To remove the kinks from. |
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.
- munchkin† (MU8)
- chic (CH4)
- chichi (CH6)
- chick (CH5)
- chin (CH4)
- cinch (CI5)
- cumin (CU5)
- hick (HI4)
- inch (IN4)
- kick (KI4)
- kimchi (KI6)
- kink (KI4)
- mimic (MI5)
- mini (MI4)
- minim (MI5)
- minimum (MI7)
- mink (MI4)
- nick (NI4)
- unkink (UN6)
Answer Definitions
- munchkin† (noun): A child.
- chic (adjective): Elegant, stylish.
- chichi (adjective): Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
- chick (noun): A young bird.
- chin (noun): The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
- cinch (noun): A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
- cumin (noun): The flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae.
- hick (noun): An awkward, naive, clumsy and/or rude country person.
- inch (noun): A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
- kick (verb): To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg.
- kimchi (noun): A Korean dish made of vegetables, such as cabbage or radishes, that are salted, seasoned, and stored in sealed containers to undergo lactic acid fermentation.
- kink (verb): To laugh loudly.
- mimic (verb): To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
- mini (adjective): Miniature, tiny, small.
- minim (noun): A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem.
- minimum (noun): The lowest limit.
- mink (noun): (plural mink or minks) Any of various semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals in the Mustelinae subfamily, similar to weasels, with dark fur, native to Europe and America, of which two species in different genera are extant: the American mink (Neovison vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola).
- nick (noun): A small cut in a surface. A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.
- unkink (verb): To remove the kinks from.