NYT Spelling Bee Answers for February 21, 2026
Game Summary
| Center Letter | M |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, i, n, o, t |
| # of Pangrams | 6 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 66 words |
| Total Points | 383 points |
| Genius Level | 268 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 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| C | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 13 |
| I | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 3 |
| M | 12 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 32 |
| N | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| O | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| T | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | Σ | 19 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | - | 1 | 66 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AM×5 AN×3 AT×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×4 CI×1 CO×8 |
| I | IM×2 IN×1 |
| M | MA×12 MI×9 MO×11 |
| N | NO×2 |
| O | OM×1 OT×1 |
| T | TA×1 TO×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AMI×1 AMM×2 AMN×2 ANA×1 ANI×2 ATO×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CAI×1 CAM×2 CAT×1 CIN×1 COM×6 CON×2 |
| I | IMA×1 IMI×1 INT×1 |
| M | MAI×3 MAM×3 MAN×6 MIC×1 MIM×1 MIN×6 MIT×1 MOA×2 MOM×1 MON×4 MOO×2 MOT×2 |
| N | NOM×1 NON×1 |
| O | OMI×1 OTT×1 |
| T | TAT×1 TOM×3 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| am...... † | AM8 | No definition found; request failed |
| an...... † | AN8 | No definition found; request failed |
| co......... † | CO11 | No definition found; request failed |
| co........... † | CO13 | No definition found; request failed |
| ma....... † | MA9 | No definition found; request failed |
| mo....... † | MO9 | No definition found; request failed |
| am... | AM5 | Relating to an amine. |
| am.. | AM4 | Ammunition. |
| am..... | AM7 | A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste. |
| am... | AM5 | amniocentesis |
| an... | AN5 | The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus. |
| an....... | AN9 | The act of animating, or giving life or spirit. |
| at.. | AT4 | The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. |
| at.... | AT6 | Of or relating to atoms; composed of atoms; monatomic. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A camisole. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A pattern on clothing consisting of irregularly shaped patches that are either greenish/brownish, brownish/whitish, or bluish/whitish, as used by ground combat forces. |
| ca..... | CA7 | Synonym of catnip (the plant Nepeta cataria, or other members of the genus) |
| ci...... | CI8 | A small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka and southern India, Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum zeylanicum, belonging to the family Lauraceae. |
| co.. | CO4 | A state of unconsciousness from which one may not wake up, usually induced by some form of trauma. |
| co... | CO5 | Pertaining to comedy, as a literary genre. |
| co... | CO5 | English Wikipedia has an article on:commaWikipedia The punctuation mark ⟨,⟩ used to indicate a set of parts of a sentence or between elements of a list. |
| co.... | CO6 | To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto. |
| co.... | CO6 | Mutual; shared by more than one. |
| co....... | CO9 | A state of turbulent motion. |
| im.. | IM4 | One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque. |
| im....... | IM9 | The act of imitating. |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of intimating. |
| ma.. | MA4 | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. |
| ma.. | MA4 | Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal. |
| ma...... | MA8 | To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action. |
| ma.. | MA4 | Mother, female parent. |
| ma... | MA5 | The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder. |
| ma.... | MA6 | Alternative letter-case form of Mammon (wealth, material avarice). |
| ma... | MA5 | Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity. |
| ma.... | MA6 | An insane person, especially one who suffers from a mania. |
| ma... | MA5 | Of or pertaining to someone who exhibits mania or craziness; wicked. |
| ma... | MA5 | Food miraculously produced for the Israelites in the desert in the book of Exodus. |
| ma... | MA5 | A kind of fabric or blanket used in Latin America and southwestern United States. |
| 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... | MI5 | To imitate, especially in order to ridicule. |
| mi.. | MI4 | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| mi..... | MI7 | A small movie camera. |
| mi... | MI5 | A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem. |
| mi.... | MI6 | plural of minimum |
| mi.... | MI6 | A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being. |
| mi.. | MI4 | A building or institution where money (originally, only coins) is produced under government licence. |
| mi.. | MI4 | A mitten |
| mo.. | MO4 | a low, mournful cry of pain, sorrow or pleasure |
| mo.. | MO4 | A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation. |
| mo... | MO5 | mother |
| mo.. | MO4 | Clipping of mononucleosis. |
| mo....... | MO9 | Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject. |
| mo........ | MO10 | A person who is obsessed with a single thing, to the exclusion of other concerns. |
| mo.. | MO4 | Alternative letter-case form of Moon (“the Earth's only permanent natural satellite”). |
| mo.. | MO4 | Subject to discussion (originally at a moot); arguable, debatable, unsolved or impossible to solve. |
| mo.... | MO6 | A state of progression from one place to another. |
| mo... | MO5 | A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement. |
| no........ | NO10 | An act or instance of nominating. |
| no.... | NO6 | A non-commissioned officer, such as a sergeant (army) or petty officer (navy). |
| om.. | OM4 | To leave out or exclude. |
| ot..... | OT7 | An upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc. |
| ta.... | TA6 | Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. |
| to.... | TO6 | A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit. |
| to.... | TO6 | A tom, an intact male cat. |
| to.... | TO6 | Alternative spelling of tom-tit |
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.
- amniotic† (AM8)
- anatomic† (AN8)
- contaminant† (CO11)
- contamination† (CO13)
- manicotti† (MA9)
- monatomic† (MO9)
- amino (AM5)
- ammo (AM4)
- ammonia (AM7)
- amnio (AM5)
- anima (AN5)
- animation (AN9)
- atom (AT4)
- atomic (AT6)
- caiman (CA6)
- cami (CA4)
- camo (CA4)
- catmint (CA7)
- cinnamon (CI8)
- coma (CO4)
- comic (CO5)
- comma (CO5)
- commit (CO6)
- common (CO6)
- commotion (CO9)
- imam (IM4)
- imitation (IM9)
- intimation (IN10)
- maim (MA4)
- main (MA4)
- maintain (MA8)
- mama (MA4)
- mamma (MA5)
- mammon (MA6)
- mania (MA5)
- maniac (MA6)
- manic (MA5)
- manna (MA5)
- manta (MA5)
- mica (MI4)
- mimic (MI5)
- mini (MI4)
- minicam (MI7)
- minim (MI5)
- minima (MI6)
- minion (MI6)
- mint (MI4)
- mitt (MI4)
- moan (MO4)
- moat (MO4)
- momma (MO5)
- mono (MO4)
- monomania (MO9)
- monomaniac (MO10)
- moon (MO4)
- moot (MO4)
- motion (MO6)
- motto (MO5)
- nomination (NO10)
- noncom (NO6)
- omit (OM4)
- ottoman (OT7)
- tatami (TA6)
- tomato (TO6)
- tomcat (TO6)
- tomtit (TO6)
Answer Definitions
- amniotic† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- anatomic† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- contaminant† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- contamination† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- manicotti† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- monatomic† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- amino (adjective): Relating to an amine.
- ammo (noun): Ammunition.
- ammonia (noun): A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste.
- amnio (noun): amniocentesis
- anima (noun): The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.
- animation (noun): The act of animating, or giving life or spirit.
- atom (noun): The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
- atomic (adjective): Of or relating to atoms; composed of atoms; monatomic.
- caiman (noun): Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae.
- cami (noun): A camisole.
- camo (noun): A pattern on clothing consisting of irregularly shaped patches that are either greenish/brownish, brownish/whitish, or bluish/whitish, as used by ground combat forces.
- catmint (noun): Synonym of catnip (the plant Nepeta cataria, or other members of the genus)
- cinnamon (noun): A small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka and southern India, Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum zeylanicum, belonging to the family Lauraceae.
- coma (noun): A state of unconsciousness from which one may not wake up, usually induced by some form of trauma.
- comic (adjective): Pertaining to comedy, as a literary genre.
- comma (noun): English Wikipedia has an article on:commaWikipedia The punctuation mark ⟨,⟩ used to indicate a set of parts of a sentence or between elements of a list.
- commit (verb): To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto.
- common (adjective): Mutual; shared by more than one.
- commotion (noun): A state of turbulent motion.
- imam (noun): One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.
- imitation (noun): The act of imitating.
- intimation (noun): The act of intimating.
- maim (verb): To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.
- main (adjective): Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
- maintain (verb): To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action.
- mama (noun): Mother, female parent.
- mamma (noun): The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder.
- mammon (proper noun): Alternative letter-case form of Mammon (wealth, material avarice).
- mania (noun): Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity.
- maniac (noun): An insane person, especially one who suffers from a mania.
- manic (adjective): Of or pertaining to someone who exhibits mania or craziness; wicked.
- manna (noun): Food miraculously produced for the Israelites in the desert in the book of Exodus.
- manta (noun): A kind of fabric or blanket used in Latin America and southwestern United States.
- 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.
- mimic (verb): To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
- mini (adjective): Miniature, tiny, small.
- minicam (noun): A small movie camera.
- minim (noun): A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem.
- minima (noun): plural of minimum
- minion (noun): A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
- mint (noun): A building or institution where money (originally, only coins) is produced under government licence.
- mitt (noun): A mitten
- moan (noun): a low, mournful cry of pain, sorrow or pleasure
- moat (noun): A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation.
- momma (noun): mother
- mono (noun): Clipping of mononucleosis.
- monomania (noun): Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject.
- monomaniac (noun): A person who is obsessed with a single thing, to the exclusion of other concerns.
- moon (proper noun): Alternative letter-case form of Moon (“the Earth's only permanent natural satellite”).
- moot (adjective): Subject to discussion (originally at a moot); arguable, debatable, unsolved or impossible to solve.
- motion (noun): A state of progression from one place to another.
- motto (noun): A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
- nomination (noun): An act or instance of nominating.
- noncom (noun): A non-commissioned officer, such as a sergeant (army) or petty officer (navy).
- omit (verb): To leave out or exclude.
- ottoman (noun): An upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc.
- tatami (noun): Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses.
- tomato (noun): A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
- tomcat (noun): A tom, an intact male cat.
- tomtit (noun): Alternative spelling of tom-tit