NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 9, 2026
Game Summary
| Center Letter | T |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, e, g, h, i, m |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 53 words |
| Total Points | 205 points |
| Genius Level | 144 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 | - | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| E | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 4 |
| G | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 3 |
| H | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | - | 8 |
| I | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| M | 9 | 2 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 14 |
| T | 8 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 19 | Σ | 24 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 53 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AG×3 |
|---|---|
| E | EI×3 EM×1 |
| G | GA×3 |
| H | HA×4 HE×4 |
| I | IM×1 IT×1 |
| M | MA×4 ME×6 MI×4 |
| T | TA×3 TE×7 TH×6 TI×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AGA×1 AGI×2 |
|---|---|
| E | EIG×3 EMI×1 |
| G | GAI×1 GAM×1 GAT×1 |
| H | HAM×1 HAT×3 HEA×2 HEI×1 HEM×1 |
| I | IMI×1 ITE×1 |
| M | MAH×1 MAT×3 MEA×1 MEE×1 MEG×1 MET×3 MIG×1 MIT×3 |
| T | TAI×1 TAM×1 TAT×1 TEA×4 TEE×3 THA×1 THE×4 THI×1 TIG×1 TIM×1 TIT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| me..... † | ME7 | A large success or hit. |
| ag... | AG5 | A semitransparent, uncrystallized silicate mineral and semiprecious stone, presenting various tints in the same specimen, with colors delicately arranged and often curved in parallel alternating dark and light stripes or bands, or blended in clouds; various authorities call it a variety of chalcedony, a variety of quartz, or a combination of the two. |
| ag... | AG5 | dyspepsia |
| ag..... | AG7 | To disturb or excite; to perturb or stir up (a person). |
| ei... | EI5 | NATO & ICAO phonetic alphabet code for the numeral 8. |
| ei.... | EI6 | The ordinal form of the number eight. |
| ei....... | EI9 | The ordinal form of the number eighty. |
| em.. | EM4 | to send out or give off |
| ga.. | GA4 | Manner of walking or stepping; bearing or carriage while moving. |
| ga.... | GA6 | A reproductive cell (sperm in males or eggs in females), having only half of a complete set of chromosomes. |
| ga.. | GA4 | A doorlike structure outside a house. |
| ha.... | HA6 | Hooked at the end. |
| ha.. | HA4 | An object of hatred. |
| ha.. | HA4 | third-person singular simple present indicative form of have |
| ha... | HA5 | The fundamental form of yoga that focuses on asanas |
| he.. | HE4 | Thermal energy. |
| he... | HE5 | A tract of level uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation; heathland. |
| he.... | HE6 | The distance from the base of something to the top. |
| he...... | HE8 | An iron ore, mainly peroxide of iron, Fe2O3. |
| im..... | IM7 | To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of. |
| it.. | IT4 | A distinct physical object. |
| ma..... | MA7 | An epithet granted in India and Tibet to people thought to have great knowledge and love of humanity |
| ma.. | MA4 | A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate. |
| ma.. | MA4 | Clipping of mathematics. |
| ma... | MA5 | A decorative border around a picture used to inset and center the contents of a frame. |
| me.. | ME4 | The flesh (muscle tissue) of an animal used as food. |
| me.. | ME4 | To make contact (with) while in proximity. To come face to face with by accident; to encounter. |
| me.. | ME4 | Self-referential; structured analogously (structured by relationships), but at a higher level. |
| me.. | ME4 | To measure. |
| me.. | ME4 | Methamphetamine, especially in the form of the crystalline hydrochloride. |
| mi... | MI5 | Power, strength, force or influence held by a person or group. |
| mi.. | MI4 | Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acarina (aka Acari). |
| mi...... | MI8 | To reduce, lessen, or decrease; to make less severe or easier to bear. |
| mi.. | MI4 | A mitten |
| ta... | TA5 | A subarctic zone of evergreen coniferous forests situated south of the tundras and north of the steppes in the Northern Hemisphere. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Not or no longer wild; domesticated. |
| ta.... | TA6 | Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. |
| te.. | TE4 | A set of draught animals, such as two horses in front of a carriage. |
| te...... | TE8 | One who is on the same team. |
| te.. | TE4 | The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female mammals, milk is secreted. |
| te..... | TE7 | The traditional time, in the late afternoon, for serving tea (the meal). |
| te.. | TE4 | To be stocked to overflowing. |
| te... | TE5 | plural of tooth |
| te.... | TE6 | To grow teeth. |
| th.. | TH4 | Introducing a clause which is the subject or object of a verb (such as one involving reported speech), or which is a complement to a previous statement. |
| th.. | TH4 | Objective and reflexive case of thou. |
| th.. | TH4 | Those ones. Used as the direct object of a verb. |
| th... | TH5 | A subject, now especially of a talk or an artistic piece; a topic. |
| th... | TH5 | The eighth letter of the Modern Greek alphabet, ninth in Old Greek: Θ, θ. |
| th... | TH5 | The upper leg of a human, between the hip and the knee. |
| ti... | TI5 | Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open. |
| ti.. | TI4 | The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events. |
| ti... | TI5 | A tenth. |
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.
- megahit† (ME7)
- agate (AG5)
- agita (AG5)
- agitate (AG7)
- eight (EI5)
- eighth (EI6)
- eightieth (EI9)
- emit (EM4)
- gait (GA4)
- gamete (GA6)
- gate (GA4)
- hamate (HA6)
- hate (HA4)
- hath (HA4)
- hatha (HA5)
- heat (HE4)
- heath (HE5)
- height (HE6)
- hematite (HE8)
- imitate (IM7)
- item (IT4)
- mahatma (MA7)
- mate (MA4)
- math (MA4)
- matte (MA5)
- meat (ME4)
- meet (ME4)
- meta (ME4)
- mete (ME4)
- meth (ME4)
- might (MI5)
- mite (MI4)
- mitigate (MI8)
- mitt (MI4)
- taiga (TA5)
- tame (TA4)
- tatami (TA6)
- team (TE4)
- teammate (TE8)
- teat (TE4)
- teatime (TE7)
- teem (TE4)
- teeth (TE5)
- teethe (TE6)
- that (TH4)
- thee (TH4)
- them (TH4)
- theme (TH5)
- theta (TH5)
- thigh (TH5)
- tight (TI5)
- time (TI4)
- tithe (TI5)
Answer Definitions
- megahit† (noun): A large success or hit.
- agate (noun): A semitransparent, uncrystallized silicate mineral and semiprecious stone, presenting various tints in the same specimen, with colors delicately arranged and often curved in parallel alternating dark and light stripes or bands, or blended in clouds; various authorities call it a variety of chalcedony, a variety of quartz, or a combination of the two.
- agita (noun): dyspepsia
- agitate (verb): To disturb or excite; to perturb or stir up (a person).
- eight (numeral): NATO & ICAO phonetic alphabet code for the numeral 8.
- eighth (adjective): The ordinal form of the number eight.
- eightieth (adjective): The ordinal form of the number eighty.
- emit (verb): to send out or give off
- gait (noun): Manner of walking or stepping; bearing or carriage while moving.
- gamete (noun): A reproductive cell (sperm in males or eggs in females), having only half of a complete set of chromosomes.
- gate (noun): A doorlike structure outside a house.
- hamate (adjective): Hooked at the end.
- hate (noun): An object of hatred.
- hath (verb): third-person singular simple present indicative form of have
- hatha (noun): The fundamental form of yoga that focuses on asanas
- heat (noun): Thermal energy.
- heath (noun): A tract of level uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation; heathland.
- height (noun): The distance from the base of something to the top.
- hematite (noun): An iron ore, mainly peroxide of iron, Fe2O3.
- imitate (verb): To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of.
- item (noun): A distinct physical object.
- mahatma (noun): An epithet granted in India and Tibet to people thought to have great knowledge and love of humanity
- mate (noun): A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
- math (noun): Clipping of mathematics.
- matte (noun): A decorative border around a picture used to inset and center the contents of a frame.
- meat (noun): The flesh (muscle tissue) of an animal used as food.
- meet (verb): To make contact (with) while in proximity. To come face to face with by accident; to encounter.
- meta (adjective): Self-referential; structured analogously (structured by relationships), but at a higher level.
- mete (verb): To measure.
- meth (noun): Methamphetamine, especially in the form of the crystalline hydrochloride.
- might (noun): Power, strength, force or influence held by a person or group.
- mite (noun): Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acarina (aka Acari).
- mitigate (verb): To reduce, lessen, or decrease; to make less severe or easier to bear.
- mitt (noun): A mitten
- taiga (noun): A subarctic zone of evergreen coniferous forests situated south of the tundras and north of the steppes in the Northern Hemisphere.
- tame (adjective): Not or no longer wild; domesticated.
- tatami (noun): Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses.
- team (noun): A set of draught animals, such as two horses in front of a carriage.
- teammate (noun): One who is on the same team.
- teat (noun): The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female mammals, milk is secreted.
- teatime (noun): The traditional time, in the late afternoon, for serving tea (the meal).
- teem (verb): To be stocked to overflowing.
- teeth (noun): plural of tooth
- teethe (verb): To grow teeth.
- that (conjunction): Introducing a clause which is the subject or object of a verb (such as one involving reported speech), or which is a complement to a previous statement.
- thee (pronoun): Objective and reflexive case of thou.
- them (pronoun): Those ones. Used as the direct object of a verb.
- theme (noun): A subject, now especially of a talk or an artistic piece; a topic.
- theta (noun): The eighth letter of the Modern Greek alphabet, ninth in Old Greek: Θ, θ.
- thigh (noun): The upper leg of a human, between the hip and the knee.
- tight (adjective): Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
- time (noun): The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
- tithe (noun): A tenth.