NYT Spelling Bee Answers for April 16, 2026
Game Summary
| Center Letter | F |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, g, i, l, n, t |
| # of Pangrams | 3 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 50 words |
| Total Points | 285 points |
| Genius Level | 200 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 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | 4 |
| F | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | - | 35 |
| G | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| I | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | - | 4 |
| L | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| N | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| T | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 14 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 50 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AF×2 AL×1 AN×1 |
|---|---|
| F | FA×11 FI×11 FL×13 |
| G | GA×1 GI×2 |
| I | IN×4 |
| L | LI×2 |
| N | NA×1 |
| T | TI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AFF×2 ALF×1 ANT×1 |
|---|---|
| F | FAI×4 FAL×2 FAN×3 FAT×2 FIA×1 FIF×1 FIL×4 FIN×4 FIT×1 FLA×8 FLI×5 |
| G | GAF×1 GIF×2 |
| I | INF×4 |
| L | LIF×2 |
| N | NAI×1 |
| T | TIF×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) |
|---|---|---|
| af......... † | AF11 | No definition found; request failed |
| fl........ † | FL10 | No definition found; request failed |
| in....... † | IN9 | No definition found; request failed |
| af..... | AF7 | The individual witness whose statement is contained in an affidavit or sworn deposition. |
| al..... | AL7 | A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop. |
| an.... | AN6 | Alternative letter-case form of Antifa. |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be unsuccessful. |
| fa..... | FA7 | present participle of fail |
| fa... | FA5 | (of a being) Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness |
| fa...... | FA8 | present participle and gerund of faint |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity. |
| fa..... | FA7 | present participle of fall |
| fa.. | FA4 | a long, pointed canine tooth used for biting and tearing flesh |
| fa..... | FA7 | present participle of fan |
| fa..... | FA7 | Any of several birds, of the genus Rhipidura, from Asia, Australia and New Zealand. |
| fa... | FA5 | Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny. |
| fa.... | FA6 | present participle and gerund of fate |
| fi.. | FI4 | An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree. |
| fi.... | FI6 | present participle of fife |
| fi.... | FI6 | Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter. |
| fi.... | FI6 | Any particle that has been removed by a file or similar implement; a shaving. |
| fi.. | FI4 | To occupy fully, to take up all of. |
| fi..... | FI7 | present participle of fill |
| fi....... | FI9 | present participle of finagle |
| fi... | FI5 | A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class. |
| fi.... | FI6 | The knot or bunch of foliage, or foliated ornament, that forms the upper extremity of a pinnacle in Gothic architecture. |
| fi.... | FI6 | present participle of fine |
| fi..... | FI7 | present participle of fit |
| fl.. | FL4 | A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem, used as a visual signal or symbol. |
| fl...... | FL8 | present participle of flag |
| fl... | FL5 | A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material. |
| fl...... | FL8 | present participle of flail |
| fl.. | FL4 | Baked tart with sweet or savoury filling in an open-topped pastry case. |
| fl...... | FL8 | A flange. |
| fl.. | FL4 | Having no variations in height. |
| fl... | FL5 | An act of throwing, often violently. |
| fl...... | FL8 | present participle of fling |
| fl... | FL5 | A hard, fine-grained quartz that fractures conchoidally and generates sparks when struck against a material such as steel, because tiny chips of the steel are heated to incandescence and burn in air. |
| fl.. | FL4 | A fluttering or darting movement. |
| fl...... | FL8 | No definition found; request failed |
| ga.. | GA4 | A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat. |
| gi.. | GI4 | Something given to another voluntarily, without charge. |
| gi..... | GI7 | present participle of gift |
| in.... | IN6 | A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age, needing almost constant care and attention. |
| in.... | IN6 | To fill in a space, hole or gap. |
| in....... | IN9 | present participle of infill |
| li.. | LI4 | To raise or rise. |
| li..... | LI7 | No definition found; request failed |
| na.. | NA4 | Alternative spelling of naïf. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A small argument; a petty quarrel. |
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.
- affiliating† (AF11)
- flatlining† (FL10)
- inflating† (IN9)
- affiant (AF7)
- alfalfa (AL7)
- antifa (AN6)
- fail (FA4)
- failing (FA7)
- faint (FA5)
- fainting (FA8)
- fall (FA4)
- falling (FA7)
- fang (FA4)
- fanning (FA7)
- fantail (FA7)
- fatal (FA5)
- fating (FA6)
- fiat (FI4)
- fifing (FI6)
- filial (FI6)
- filing (FI6)
- fill (FI4)
- filling (FI7)
- finagling (FI9)
- final (FI5)
- finial (FI6)
- fining (FI6)
- fitting (FI7)
- flag (FL4)
- flagging (FL8)
- flail (FL5)
- flailing (FL8)
- flan (FL4)
- flanging (FL8)
- flat (FL4)
- fling (FL5)
- flinging (FL8)
- flint (FL5)
- flit (FL4)
- flitting (FL8)
- gaff (GA4)
- gift (GI4)
- gifting (GI7)
- infant (IN6)
- infill (IN6)
- infilling (IN9)
- lift (LI4)
- lifting (LI7)
- naif (NA4)
- tiff (TI4)
Answer Definitions
- affiliating† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- flatlining† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- inflating† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- affiant (noun): The individual witness whose statement is contained in an affidavit or sworn deposition.
- alfalfa (noun): A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
- antifa (proper noun): Alternative letter-case form of Antifa.
- fail (verb): To be unsuccessful.
- failing (verb): present participle of fail
- faint (adjective): (of a being) Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness
- fainting (verb): present participle and gerund of faint
- fall (verb): To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
- falling (verb): present participle of fall
- fang (noun): a long, pointed canine tooth used for biting and tearing flesh
- fanning (verb): present participle of fan
- fantail (noun): Any of several birds, of the genus Rhipidura, from Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
- fatal (adjective): Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny.
- fating (verb): present participle and gerund of fate
- fiat (noun): An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
- fifing (verb): present participle of fife
- filial (adjective): Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
- filing (noun): Any particle that has been removed by a file or similar implement; a shaving.
- fill (verb): To occupy fully, to take up all of.
- filling (verb): present participle of fill
- finagling (verb): present participle of finagle
- final (noun): A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class.
- finial (noun): The knot or bunch of foliage, or foliated ornament, that forms the upper extremity of a pinnacle in Gothic architecture.
- fining (verb): present participle of fine
- fitting (verb): present participle of fit
- flag (noun): A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem, used as a visual signal or symbol.
- flagging (verb): present participle of flag
- flail (noun): A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
- flailing (verb): present participle of flail
- flan (noun): Baked tart with sweet or savoury filling in an open-topped pastry case.
- flanging (noun): A flange.
- flat (adjective): Having no variations in height.
- fling (noun): An act of throwing, often violently.
- flinging (verb): present participle of fling
- flint (noun): A hard, fine-grained quartz that fractures conchoidally and generates sparks when struck against a material such as steel, because tiny chips of the steel are heated to incandescence and burn in air.
- flit (noun): A fluttering or darting movement.
- flitting (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- gaff (noun): A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
- gift (noun): Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
- gifting (verb): present participle of gift
- infant (noun): A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age, needing almost constant care and attention.
- infill (verb): To fill in a space, hole or gap.
- infilling (verb): present participle of infill
- lift (verb): To raise or rise.
- lifting (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- naif (adjective): Alternative spelling of naïf.
- tiff (noun): A small argument; a petty quarrel.