NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 12, 2026
Game Summary
| Center Letter | I |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, e, l, t, z |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 46 words |
| Total Points | 223 points |
| Genius Level | 156 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 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 6 |
| C | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | 7 |
| E | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| I | - | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 5 |
| L | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 11 |
| T | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Z | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 13 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 46 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×3 AL×1 AT×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×3 CE×2 CI×2 |
| E | EC×1 EL×2 |
| I | IC×1 IL×2 IT×2 |
| L | LA×5 LI×6 |
| T | TA×7 TI×6 |
| Z | ZI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACA×2 ACE×1 ALI×1 ATI×1 ATT×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAC×1 CAL×1 CAT×1 CEL×2 CIL×1 CIT×1 |
| E | ECL×1 ELI×2 |
| I | ICI×1 ILI×1 ILL×1 ITA×2 |
| L | LAC×1 LAI×3 LAT×1 LIC×2 LIL×2 LIT×2 |
| T | TAC×4 TAI×1 TAL×2 TIL×3 TIT×3 |
| Z | ZIT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| it....... † | IT9 | To put into italics. |
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| ac.... | AC6 | Of, pertaining to, or producing vinegar |
| al.. | AL4 | simple past tense and past participle of alight |
| at... | AT5 | At an angle from the vertical or horizontal. |
| at... | AT5 | The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation. |
| ca... | CA5 | plural of cactus |
| ca..... | CA7 | a very widely distributed crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3, found as limestone, chalk and marble |
| ca..... | CA7 | Any of several perennial herbs, of the genus Typha, that have long flat leaves, and grow in marshy places. |
| ce.... | CE6 | Of, pertaining to or located within the abdomen or abdominal cavity. |
| ce... | CE5 | plural of cello |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cilium |
| ci.. | CI4 | to quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another. |
| ec...... | EC8 | Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles. |
| el.... | EL6 | To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer. |
| el... | EL5 | Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician. |
| ic.... | IC6 | A drooping, tapering shape of ice. |
| il... | IL5 | Relating to the ilium. |
| il..... | IL7 | Not approved by law, but not invalid. |
| it.... | IT6 | Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of, relating to, or derived from milk. |
| la.. | LA4 | A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity). |
| la..... | LA7 | To convert from church controlled to independent of the church; to secularize. |
| la..... | LA7 | A flat panel constructed with widely-spaced crossed thin strips of wood or other material, commonly used as a garden trellis. |
| li.. | LI4 | plural of louse |
| li... | LI5 | Not forbidden by formal or informal rules. |
| li... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
| li.. | LI4 | To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music. |
| li.. | LI4 | Abridged; refers to a simpler or unpaid version of a product. |
| li.... | LI6 | Small in size. |
| ta... | TA5 | Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end. |
| ta...... | TA8 | of or relating to tactics |
| ta..... | TA7 | Tangible; perceptible to the sense of touch. |
| ta.. | TA4 | The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus. |
| ta.. | TA4 | plural of talus |
| ta.... | TA6 | A traditional Jewish prayer shawl with tassels which covers the chest and upper part of the back. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile etc. |
| ti.. | TI4 | Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). |
| ti.. | TI4 | To slope or incline (something); to slant. |
| ti....... | TI9 | To stimulate or excite sensually |
| ti... | TI5 | An appellation given to a person or family to signify either veneration, official position, social rank, the possession of assets or properties, or a professional or academic qualification. See also Category:Titles |
| ti.... | TI6 | Any small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark, especially if part of a letter, or if a letter-like abbreviation; in particular, the dots over the Latin letters i and j. |
| zi.. | ZI4 | A type of macaroni pasta in the form of long smooth hollow tubes. |
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.
- italicize† (IT9)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- acetic (AC6)
- alit (AL4)
- atilt (AT5)
- attic (AT5)
- cacti (CA5)
- calcite (CA7)
- cattail (CA7)
- celiac (CE6)
- celli (CE5)
- cilia (CI5)
- cite (CI4)
- eclectic (EC8)
- elicit (EL6)
- elite (EL5)
- icicle (IC6)
- iliac (IL5)
- illicit (IL7)
- italic (IT6)
- lactic (LA6)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- laicize (LA7)
- lattice (LA7)
- lice (LI4)
- licit (LI5)
- lilac (LI5)
- lilt (LI4)
- lite (LI4)
- little (LI6)
- tacit (TA5)
- tactic (TA6)
- tactical (TA8)
- tactile (TA7)
- tail (TA4)
- tali (TA4)
- tallit (TA6)
- tile (TI4)
- till (TI4)
- tilt (TI4)
- titillate (TI9)
- title (TI5)
- tittle (TI6)
- ziti (ZI4)
Answer Definitions
- italicize† (verb): To put into italics.
- acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
- acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
- acetic (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or producing vinegar
- alit (verb): simple past tense and past participle of alight
- atilt (adjective): At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.
- attic (noun): The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
- cacti (noun): plural of cactus
- calcite (noun): a very widely distributed crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3, found as limestone, chalk and marble
- cattail (noun): Any of several perennial herbs, of the genus Typha, that have long flat leaves, and grow in marshy places.
- celiac (adjective): Of, pertaining to or located within the abdomen or abdominal cavity.
- celli (noun): plural of cello
- cilia (noun): plural of cilium
- cite (verb): to quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.
- eclectic (adjective): Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles.
- elicit (verb): To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer.
- elite (adjective): Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.
- icicle (noun): A drooping, tapering shape of ice.
- iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
- illicit (adjective): Not approved by law, but not invalid.
- italic (adjective): Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.
- lactic (adjective): Of, relating to, or derived from milk.
- laic (noun): A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
- laical (adjective): Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity).
- laicize (verb): To convert from church controlled to independent of the church; to secularize.
- lattice (noun): A flat panel constructed with widely-spaced crossed thin strips of wood or other material, commonly used as a garden trellis.
- lice (noun): plural of louse
- licit (adjective): Not forbidden by formal or informal rules.
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- lilt (verb): To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
- lite (adjective): Abridged; refers to a simpler or unpaid version of a product.
- little (adjective): Small in size.
- tacit (adjective): Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence.
- tactic (noun): A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.
- tactical (adjective): of or relating to tactics
- tactile (adjective): Tangible; perceptible to the sense of touch.
- tail (noun): The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.
- tali (noun): plural of talus
- tallit (noun): A traditional Jewish prayer shawl with tassels which covers the chest and upper part of the back.
- tile (noun): A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile etc.
- till (preposition): Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
- tilt (verb): To slope or incline (something); to slant.
- titillate (verb): To stimulate or excite sensually
- title (noun): An appellation given to a person or family to signify either veneration, official position, social rank, the possession of assets or properties, or a professional or academic qualification. See also Category:Titles
- tittle (noun): Any small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark, especially if part of a letter, or if a letter-like abbreviation; in particular, the dots over the Latin letters i and j.
- ziti (noun): A type of macaroni pasta in the form of long smooth hollow tubes.