NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 16, 2026
Game Summary
| Center Letter | C |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, e, f, i, l, m |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 45 words |
| Total Points | 178 points |
| Genius Level | 125 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 4 |
| C | 9 | 7 | 1 | - | 1 | 18 |
| E | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| F | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | 5 |
| I | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 3 |
| L | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 5 |
| M | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 8 | Σ | 18 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 45 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×4 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×9 CE×3 CI×1 CL×5 |
| E | EF×1 EM×1 |
| F | FA×3 FE×1 FL×1 |
| I | IC×2 IL×1 |
| L | LA×3 LI×2 |
| M | MA×4 ME×1 MI×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACA×2 ACC×1 ACM×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAF×1 CAL×4 CAM×4 CEL×3 CIL×1 CLA×2 CLE×1 CLI×2 |
| E | EFF×1 EMC×1 |
| F | FAC×3 FEC×1 FLE×1 |
| I | ICE×1 ICI×1 ILI×1 |
| L | LAC×1 LAI×2 LIC×1 LIL×1 |
| M | MAC×1 MAL×3 MEC×1 MIC×2 MIM×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ma..... † | MA7 | Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful. |
| 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..... | AC7 | To shout; to call out. |
| ac.. | AC4 | A high point: the highest point of any range, the most developed stage of any process, or the culmination of any field or historical period. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Alternative form of café |
| ca.. | CA4 | A young cow or bull. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A telephone conversation; a phone call. |
| ca... | CA5 | A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety. |
| ca.. | CA4 | simple past tense of come |
| ca... | CA5 | A beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus. |
| ca...... | CA8 | Any plant of the genus Camellia, shrubs and small trees native to Asia; Camellia japonica is the most popular as a garden plant; Camellia sinensis is the tea plant. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A camisole. |
| ce.... | CE6 | Of, pertaining to or located within the abdomen or abdominal cavity. |
| ce.. | CE4 | A single-room dwelling for a hermit. |
| ce... | CE5 | plural of cello |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cilium |
| cl... | CL5 | A demand of ownership made for something. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff |
| cl... | CL5 | A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face. |
| cl... | CL5 | A particular region defined by its weather or climate. |
| ef.... | EF6 | To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible. |
| em... | EM5 | Alternative form of MC in its senses as Master of ceremonies. A rapper. |
| fa.. | FA4 | The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose and mouth, and the surrounding area. |
| fa.... | FA6 | Of or affecting the face. |
| fa.... | FA6 | Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy. |
| fe... | FE5 | Of or relating to feces. |
| fl.... | FL6 | Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal |
| ic..... | IC7 | A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice, somewhat analogous to a waterfall. |
| ic.... | IC6 | A drooping, tapering shape of ice. |
| il... | IL5 | Relating to the ilium. |
| la.. | LA4 | A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread. |
| 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). |
| li.. | LI4 | plural of louse |
| li... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
| ma.. | MA4 | A heavy fighting club. |
| ma... | MA5 | Pertaining to apples. |
| ma.... | MA6 | Intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way. Desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune. |
| me... | ME5 | Alternative form of Mecca; a place to which a group of people (for example shoppers) are drawn. |
| mi.. | MI4 | Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic. |
| mi.. | MI4 | plural of mouse |
| mi... | MI5 | To imitate, especially in order to ridicule. |
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.
- malefic† (MA7)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- acclaim (AC7)
- acme (AC4)
- cafe (CA4)
- calf (CA4)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- calm (CA4)
- came (CA4)
- camel (CA5)
- camellia (CA8)
- cami (CA4)
- celiac (CE6)
- cell (CE4)
- celli (CE5)
- cilia (CI5)
- claim (CL5)
- clam (CL4)
- clef (CL4)
- cliff (CL5)
- clime (CL5)
- efface (EF6)
- emcee (EM5)
- face (FA4)
- facial (FA6)
- facile (FA6)
- fecal (FE5)
- fleece (FL6)
- icefall (IC7)
- icicle (IC6)
- iliac (IL5)
- lace (LA4)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- lice (LI4)
- lilac (LI5)
- mace (MA4)
- malic (MA5)
- malice (MA6)
- mecca (ME5)
- mica (MI4)
- mice (MI4)
- mimic (MI5)
Answer Definitions
- malefic† (adjective): Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful.
- 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.
- acclaim (verb): To shout; to call out.
- acme (noun): A high point: the highest point of any range, the most developed stage of any process, or the culmination of any field or historical period.
- cafe (noun): Alternative form of café
- calf (noun): A young cow or bull.
- call (noun): A telephone conversation; a phone call.
- calla (noun): A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
- calm (adjective): Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.
- came (verb): simple past tense of come
- camel (noun): A beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus.
- camellia (noun): Any plant of the genus Camellia, shrubs and small trees native to Asia; Camellia japonica is the most popular as a garden plant; Camellia sinensis is the tea plant.
- cami (noun): A camisole.
- celiac (adjective): Of, pertaining to or located within the abdomen or abdominal cavity.
- cell (noun): A single-room dwelling for a hermit.
- celli (noun): plural of cello
- cilia (noun): plural of cilium
- claim (noun): A demand of ownership made for something.
- clam (noun): A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
- clef (noun): A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff
- cliff (noun): A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
- clime (noun): A particular region defined by its weather or climate.
- efface (verb): To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible.
- emcee (noun): Alternative form of MC in its senses as Master of ceremonies. A rapper.
- face (noun): The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose and mouth, and the surrounding area.
- facial (adjective): Of or affecting the face.
- facile (adjective): Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy.
- fecal (adjective): Of or relating to feces.
- fleece (noun): Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal
- icefall (noun): A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice, somewhat analogous to a waterfall.
- icicle (noun): A drooping, tapering shape of ice.
- iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
- lace (noun): A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread.
- 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).
- lice (noun): plural of louse
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- mace (noun): A heavy fighting club.
- malic (adjective): Pertaining to apples.
- malice (noun): Intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way. Desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune.
- mecca (noun): Alternative form of Mecca; a place to which a group of people (for example shoppers) are drawn.
- mica (noun): Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic.
- mice (noun): plural of mouse
- mimic (verb): To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.