NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 17, 2025
Game Summary
| Center Letter | P |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, d, i, l, t, u |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 37 words |
| Total Points | 152 points |
| Genius Level | 106 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 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 3 |
| D | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| I | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| L | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| P | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 27 |
| T | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 |
| U | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | Σ | 15 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 37 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AD×1 AP×2 |
|---|---|
| D | |
| I | |
| L | LI×1 |
| P | PA×11 PI×4 PL×4 PU×8 |
| T | TA×1 TI×2 TU×1 |
| U | UP×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ADA×1 APP×2 |
|---|---|
| D | |
| I | |
| L | LIP×1 |
| P | PAI×2 PAL×6 PAP×3 PIL×1 PIP×1 PIT×2 PLA×4 PUL×4 PUP×3 PUT×1 |
| T | TAP×1 TIL×1 TIP×1 TUL×1 |
| U | UPL×1 UPT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| pl..... † | PL7 | A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed. |
| ad... | AD5 | To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit |
| ap.... | AP6 | To fill with horror; to dismay. |
| ap..... | AP7 | Applause; applauding. |
| li... | LI5 | Any of a group of organic compounds including the fats, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides. Lipids are characterized by being insoluble in water, and account for most of the fat present in the human body. |
| pa.. | PA4 | simple past tense and past participle of pay |
| pa.. | PA4 | A vessel of wood, tin, plastic, etc., usually cylindrical and having a handle -- used especially for carrying liquids, for example water or milk; a bucket (sometimes with a cover). |
| pa.... | PA6 | An open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves. |
| pa..... | PA7 | Pertaining to the palate. |
| pa...... | PA8 | Of or relating to a palace. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Senses relating to cloth. Fine cloth, especially purple cloth used for robes. A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse. A piece of cardboard, covered with linen and embroidered on one side, used to cover the chalice during the Eucharist. A cloth used for various purposes on the altar in a church, such as a corporal (“cloth on which elements of the Eucharist are placed”) or frontal (“drapery covering the front of an altar”). |
| pa.... | PA6 | Appearing weak, pale, or wan. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Synonym of pedipalp. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father. |
| pa... | PA5 | Having to do with the pope or the papacy. |
| pa..... | PA7 | A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body. A vascular process of connective tissue extending into and nourishing the root of a hair, feather, or developing tooth. Any of the vascular protuberances of the dermal layer of the skin extending into the epidermal layer and often containing tactile corpuscles. Any of the small protuberances on the upper surface of the tongue often containing taste buds. |
| pi.. | PI4 | A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication. |
| pi... | PI5 | Any of various small passerine birds, mainly from the genus Anthus, that are often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country. |
| pi.. | PI4 | A flat bread pouch used for making sandwiches such as gyros or falafels. |
| pi..... | PI7 | Alternative spelling of pit-a-pat |
| pl... | PL5 | A type of twilled woollen cloth, often with a tartan or chequered pattern. |
| pl... | PL5 | A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat. |
| pl.. | PL4 | A plot of land; a lot. |
| pu.. | PU4 | One of a breed of Hungarian sheepdog with a distinctive thick, corded coat. |
| pu.. | PU4 | To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force. |
| pu.. | PU4 | A soft, moist, shapeless mass or matter. A mixture of wood, cellulose and/or rags and water ground up to make paper. A mass of chemically processed wood fibres (cellulose). A suspension of mineral particles, typically achieved by some form of agitation. The soft center of a fruit. |
| pu.... | PU6 | A raised platform in a church, usually enclosed, where the minister or preacher stands when giving the sermon. |
| pu.. | PU4 | Used as a specific epithet; resembling an insect in its pupal stage of development. |
| pu... | PU5 | Of or pertaining to the pupa stage of insect metamorphosis. |
| pu... | PU5 | A learner at a school under the supervision of a teacher. |
| pu.. | PU4 | The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry. |
| ti..... | TI7 | Any of various edible fish, formerly species of the genus Tilapia, but now placed in other cichlid genera (such as Oreochromis), native to Africa and the Middle East but cultivated worldwide. |
| ti.. | TI4 | Alternative form of teepee |
| tu... | TU5 | A type of flowering plant, genus Tulipa. |
| up... | UP5 | simple past tense and past participle of uplight |
| up.... | UP6 | To tilt upward. |
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.
- plaudit† (PL7)
- adapt (AD5)
- appall (AP6)
- applaud (AP7)
- lipid (LI5)
- paid (PA4)
- pail (PA4)
- palapa (PA6)
- palatal (PA7)
- palatial (PA8)
- pall (PA4)
- pallid (PA6)
- palp (PA4)
- papa (PA4)
- papal (PA5)
- papilla (PA7)
- pill (PI4)
- pipit (PI5)
- pita (PI4)
- pitapat (PI7)
- plaid (PL5)
- plait (PL5)
- plat (PL4)
- puli (PU4)
- pull (PU4)
- pulp (PU4)
- pulpit (PU6)
- pupa (PU4)
- pupal (PU5)
- pupil (PU5)
- putt (PU4)
- tapa (TA4)
- tilapia (TI7)
- tipi (TI4)
- tulip (TU5)
- uplit (UP5)
- uptilt (UP6)
Answer Definitions
- plaudit† (noun): A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed.
- adapt (verb): To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit
- appall (verb): To fill with horror; to dismay.
- applaud (noun): Applause; applauding.
- lipid (noun): Any of a group of organic compounds including the fats, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides. Lipids are characterized by being insoluble in water, and account for most of the fat present in the human body.
- paid (verb): simple past tense and past participle of pay
- pail (noun): A vessel of wood, tin, plastic, etc., usually cylindrical and having a handle -- used especially for carrying liquids, for example water or milk; a bucket (sometimes with a cover).
- palapa (noun): An open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves.
- palatal (adjective): Pertaining to the palate.
- palatial (adjective): Of or relating to a palace.
- pall (noun): Senses relating to cloth. Fine cloth, especially purple cloth used for robes. A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse. A piece of cardboard, covered with linen and embroidered on one side, used to cover the chalice during the Eucharist. A cloth used for various purposes on the altar in a church, such as a corporal (“cloth on which elements of the Eucharist are placed”) or frontal (“drapery covering the front of an altar”).
- pallid (adjective): Appearing weak, pale, or wan.
- palp (noun): Synonym of pedipalp.
- papa (noun): Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father.
- papal (adjective): Having to do with the pope or the papacy.
- papilla (noun): A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body. A vascular process of connective tissue extending into and nourishing the root of a hair, feather, or developing tooth. Any of the vascular protuberances of the dermal layer of the skin extending into the epidermal layer and often containing tactile corpuscles. Any of the small protuberances on the upper surface of the tongue often containing taste buds.
- pill (noun): A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
- pipit (noun): Any of various small passerine birds, mainly from the genus Anthus, that are often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
- pita (noun): A flat bread pouch used for making sandwiches such as gyros or falafels.
- pitapat (verb): Alternative spelling of pit-a-pat
- plaid (noun): A type of twilled woollen cloth, often with a tartan or chequered pattern.
- plait (noun): A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.
- plat (noun): A plot of land; a lot.
- puli (noun): One of a breed of Hungarian sheepdog with a distinctive thick, corded coat.
- pull (verb): To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force.
- pulp (noun): A soft, moist, shapeless mass or matter. A mixture of wood, cellulose and/or rags and water ground up to make paper. A mass of chemically processed wood fibres (cellulose). A suspension of mineral particles, typically achieved by some form of agitation. The soft center of a fruit.
- pulpit (noun): A raised platform in a church, usually enclosed, where the minister or preacher stands when giving the sermon.
- pupa (noun): Used as a specific epithet; resembling an insect in its pupal stage of development.
- pupal (adjective): Of or pertaining to the pupa stage of insect metamorphosis.
- pupil (noun): A learner at a school under the supervision of a teacher.
- putt (noun): The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
- tapa (noun): A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry.
- tilapia (noun): Any of various edible fish, formerly species of the genus Tilapia, but now placed in other cichlid genera (such as Oreochromis), native to Africa and the Middle East but cultivated worldwide.
- tipi (noun): Alternative form of teepee
- tulip (noun): A type of flowering plant, genus Tulipa.
- uplit (verb): simple past tense and past participle of uplight
- uptilt (verb): To tilt upward.