NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 3, 2026

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 3, 2026

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 3, 2026
Center LetterC
Outer Lettersa, n, o, r, t, u
# of Pangrams1 (Perfect: none)
Total Words69 words
Total Points383 points
Genius Level268 points
Bingo?Yes

Table of Contents

As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!

  1. Spelling Bee Grid
  2. Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
  3. Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
  4. Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
  5. Today's Complete Solution
  6. Answer Definitions

If you're just here for a list of NYT Spelling Bee answers, Jump down to the answers ↓ (Spoiler Alert!).

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 3, 2026

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.

45678910Σ
A121221211
C8812112-142
N11-----2
O111----3
R--21---3
T21121--7
U-1-----1
Σ1314171651369

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.

A
AC×5
AR×2
AT×3
AU×1
C
CA×16
CO×18
CR×3
CU×5
N
NA×2
O
OC×2
OR×1
R
RA×2
RO×1
T
TA×2
TO×2
TR×2
TU×1
U
UN×1

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.

A
ACC×2
ACO×1
ACT×2
ARC×2
ATT×3
AUT×1
C
CAC×1
CAN×9
CAR×5
CAT×1
COA×1
COC×4
CON×7
COO×1
COR×2
COT×1
COU×2
CRO×3
CUR×4
CUT×1
N
NAR×2
O
OCC×1
OCT×1
ORC×1
R
RAC×1
RAN×1
ROC×1
T
TAC×2
TOC×1
TOU×1
TRA×2
TUR×1
U
UNC×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 ().

Word2L RefDefinition (click to reveal)
tu...... TU8A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.
ac.....AC7A registry of pecuniary transactions; a written or printed statement of business dealings or debts and credits, and also of other things subjected to a reckoning or review.
ac........AC10One who renders account; one accountable.
ac...AC5The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule.
ac...AC5Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant.
ac......AC8Something that actuates something else.
ar....AR6Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
ar..AR4A note in string instrument musical notation indicating that the bow is to be used in the usual way, usually following a passage that is played pizzicato.
at.....AT7To pull toward without touching.
at........AT10Anything that attracts, but especially a substance (such as a pheromone) that attracts insects or other animals
at.......AT9Something which attracts.
au......AU8An absolute ruler with infinite power.
ca...CA5A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.
ca....CA6A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
ca...CA5Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
ca....CA6A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.
ca....CA6Can not (be unable to).
ca...CA5A generally accepted principle; a rule.
ca..CA4An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
ca.....CA7A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music.
ca....CA6A division of a political unit. One of the states comprising the Swiss Confederation. A subdivision of an arrondissement of France. A division of Luxembourg, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc. A subdivision of a county, of Quebec, Canada; equivalent to a township.
ca....CA6singer, especially someone who takes a special role of singing or song leading at a ceremony
ca...CA5A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 200 milligrams.
ca....CA6A vegetable with a nutritious, juicy, sweet root that is often orange in colour, Daucus carota, especially the subspecies sativus in the family Apiaceae.
ca..CA4A small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, more often used for transporting goods than passengers.
ca....CA6An inexpensive, disposable box-like container fashioned from either paper, paper with wax-covering (wax paper), or other lightweight material.
ca.....CA7A humorous drawing, often with a caption, or a strip of such drawings.
ca......CA8A waterspout.
co..CO4An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
co..CO4Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.
co...CO5The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.
co.....CO7A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
co....CO6The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.
co.....CO7To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking.
co....CO6To agree (in action or opinion); to have a common opinion; to coincide; to correspond.
co.....CO7The act of touching physically; being in close association.
co.....CO7To twist in a violent manner.
co.....CO7An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape.
co......CO8An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
co........CO10A person or company that builds or improves buildings.
co..CO4Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
co..CO4Any cereal plant grown for its grain, or the grain thereof.
co....CO6A large, round, pendent chandelier, with spikes around its upper rim to hold candles or lamps, usually hung from the roof of a church.
co....CO6Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber.
co...CO5To recite numbers in sequence.
co...CO5An enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different buildings; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.
cr..CR4A crocodile.
cr...CR5To hum or sing softly or in a sentimental manner.
cr.....CR7A small, often seasoned, piece of dry or fried bread.
cu.....CU7Alternative spelling of curaçao
cu.....CU7A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection, either independently or employed by a museum, library, archive or zoo.
cu.....CU7A small dried grape, usually the Black Corinth grape, rarely more than 4 mm in diameter when dried.
cu..CU4Brief or terse, especially to the point of being rude.
cu....CU6Alternative form of cut-out
na..NA4A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
na...NA5Narcotics.
oc...OC5To happen or take place.
oc....OC6The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.
or..OR4A sea mammal (Orcinus orca) related to dolphins and porpoises, commonly called the killer whale.
ra.....RA7A nocturnal omnivore native to North America, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail; Procyon lotor.
ra....RA6A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
ro....RO6A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.
ta..TA4A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft or hard shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables and salsa.
ta..TA4The sense of touch; feeling.
to.....TO7A piece of music (usually for a keyboard instrument) designed to emphasise the dexterity of the performer.
to....TO6Any of various neotropical frugivorous birds from the family Ramphastidae, with a large colorful beak.
tr...TR5An area or expanse.
tr.....TR7A vehicle used in farms e.g. for pulling farm equipment and preparing the fields.
un...UN5Not cut.

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.

  • turncoat  (TU8)
  • account  (AC7)
  • accountant  (AC10)
  • acorn  (AC5)
  • actor  (AC5)
  • actuator  (AC8)
  • arcana  (AR6)
  • arco  (AR4)
  • attract  (AT7)
  • attractant  (AT10)
  • attractor  (AT9)
  • autocrat  (AU8)
  • cacao  (CA5)
  • cancan  (CA6)
  • canna  (CA5)
  • cannon  (CA6)
  • cannot  (CA6)
  • canon  (CA5)
  • cant  (CA4)
  • cantata  (CA7)
  • canton  (CA6)
  • cantor  (CA6)
  • carat  (CA5)
  • carrot  (CA6)
  • cart  (CA4)
  • carton  (CA6)
  • cartoon  (CA7)
  • cataract  (CA8)
  • coat  (CO4)
  • coca  (CO4)
  • cocoa  (CO5)
  • coconut  (CO7)
  • cocoon  (CO6)
  • concoct  (CO7)
  • concur  (CO6)
  • contact  (CO7)
  • contort  (CO7)
  • contour  (CO7)
  • contract  (CO8)
  • contractor  (CO10)
  • coot  (CO4)
  • corn  (CO4)
  • corona  (CO6)
  • cotton  (CO6)
  • count  (CO5)
  • court  (CO5)
  • croc  (CR4)
  • croon  (CR5)
  • crouton  (CR7)
  • curacao  (CU7)
  • curator  (CU7)
  • currant  (CU7)
  • curt  (CU4)
  • cutout  (CU6)
  • narc  (NA4)
  • narco  (NA5)
  • occur  (OC5)
  • octant  (OC6)
  • orca  (OR4)
  • raccoon  (RA7)
  • rancor  (RA6)
  • rococo  (RO6)
  • taco  (TA4)
  • tact  (TA4)
  • toccata  (TO7)
  • toucan  (TO6)
  • tract  (TR5)
  • tractor  (TR7)
  • uncut  (UN5)

Answer Definitions

  • turncoat (noun): A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.
  • account (noun): A registry of pecuniary transactions; a written or printed statement of business dealings or debts and credits, and also of other things subjected to a reckoning or review.
  • accountant (noun): One who renders account; one accountable.
  • acorn (noun): The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule.
  • actor (noun): Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant.
  • actuator (noun): Something that actuates something else.
  • arcana (noun): Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
  • arco (adverb): A note in string instrument musical notation indicating that the bow is to be used in the usual way, usually following a passage that is played pizzicato.
  • attract (verb): To pull toward without touching.
  • attractant (noun): Anything that attracts, but especially a substance (such as a pheromone) that attracts insects or other animals
  • attractor (noun): Something which attracts.
  • autocrat (noun): An absolute ruler with infinite power.
  • cacao (noun): A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.
  • cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
  • canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
  • cannon (noun): A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.
  • cannot (verb): Can not (be unable to).
  • canon (noun): A generally accepted principle; a rule.
  • cant (noun): An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
  • cantata (noun): A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music.
  • canton (noun): A division of a political unit. One of the states comprising the Swiss Confederation. A subdivision of an arrondissement of France. A division of Luxembourg, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc. A subdivision of a county, of Quebec, Canada; equivalent to a township.
  • cantor (noun): singer, especially someone who takes a special role of singing or song leading at a ceremony
  • carat (noun): A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 200 milligrams.
  • carrot (noun): A vegetable with a nutritious, juicy, sweet root that is often orange in colour, Daucus carota, especially the subspecies sativus in the family Apiaceae.
  • cart (noun): A small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, more often used for transporting goods than passengers.
  • carton (noun): An inexpensive, disposable box-like container fashioned from either paper, paper with wax-covering (wax paper), or other lightweight material.
  • cartoon (noun): A humorous drawing, often with a caption, or a strip of such drawings.
  • cataract (noun): A waterspout.
  • coat (noun): An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
  • coca (noun): Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.
  • cocoa (noun): The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.
  • coconut (noun): A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
  • cocoon (noun): The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.
  • concoct (verb): To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking.
  • concur (verb): To agree (in action or opinion); to have a common opinion; to coincide; to correspond.
  • contact (noun): The act of touching physically; being in close association.
  • contort (verb): To twist in a violent manner.
  • contour (noun): An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape.
  • contract (noun): An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
  • contractor (noun): A person or company that builds or improves buildings.
  • coot (noun): Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
  • corn (noun): Any cereal plant grown for its grain, or the grain thereof.
  • corona (noun): A large, round, pendent chandelier, with spikes around its upper rim to hold candles or lamps, usually hung from the roof of a church.
  • cotton (noun): Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber.
  • count (verb): To recite numbers in sequence.
  • court (noun): An enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different buildings; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.
  • croc (noun): A crocodile.
  • croon (verb): To hum or sing softly or in a sentimental manner.
  • crouton (noun): A small, often seasoned, piece of dry or fried bread.
  • curacao (noun): Alternative spelling of curaçao
  • curator (noun): A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection, either independently or employed by a museum, library, archive or zoo.
  • currant (noun): A small dried grape, usually the Black Corinth grape, rarely more than 4 mm in diameter when dried.
  • curt (adjective): Brief or terse, especially to the point of being rude.
  • cutout (noun): Alternative form of cut-out
  • narc (noun): A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
  • narco (noun): Narcotics.
  • occur (verb): To happen or take place.
  • octant (noun): The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.
  • orca (noun): A sea mammal (Orcinus orca) related to dolphins and porpoises, commonly called the killer whale.
  • raccoon (noun): A nocturnal omnivore native to North America, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail; Procyon lotor.
  • rancor (noun): A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
  • rococo (noun): A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.
  • taco (noun): A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft or hard shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables and salsa.
  • tact (noun): The sense of touch; feeling.
  • toccata (noun): A piece of music (usually for a keyboard instrument) designed to emphasise the dexterity of the performer.
  • toucan (noun): Any of various neotropical frugivorous birds from the family Ramphastidae, with a large colorful beak.
  • tract (noun): An area or expanse.
  • tractor (noun): A vehicle used in farms e.g. for pulling farm equipment and preparing the fields.
  • uncut (adjective): Not cut.