NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 22, 2026
Game Summary
| Center Letter | O |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, h, i, l, n, t |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 55 words |
| Total Points | 262 points |
| Genius Level | 183 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 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 12 |
| H | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| I | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | 5 |
| L | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| N | 1 | - | 2 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 8 |
| O | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| T | 5 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 11 | Σ | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 55 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AI×1 AL×3 AN×6 AT×2 |
|---|---|
| H | HA×1 HO×2 |
| I | IN×4 IO×1 |
| L | LA×1 LI×2 LL×1 LO×8 |
| N | NA×2 NO×6 |
| O | OA×1 OL×1 ON×2 |
| T | TA×2 TI×1 TO×8 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AIO×1 ALL×1 ALO×1 ALT×1 ANI×1 ANN×3 ANO×2 ATO×2 |
|---|---|
| H | HAL×1 HOL×1 HOO×1 |
| I | INH×1 INI×1 INT×2 IOT×1 |
| L | LAN×1 LIO×1 LIT×1 LLA×1 LOA×2 LOI×1 LOL×1 LOO×2 LOT×2 |
| N | NAT×2 NON×1 NOO×1 NOT×4 |
| O | OAT×1 OLI×1 ONI×1 ONT×1 |
| T | TAL×1 TAT×1 TIT×1 TOI×1 TOL×1 TON×1 TOO×4 TOT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| an.......... † | AN12 | The act of destroying or otherwise turning into nothing, or nonexistence. |
| in........ † | IN10 | The act of inhaling; inbreathing. |
| ai... | AI5 | A type of sauce, similar to mayonnaise, made from garlic, egg, lemon juice and olive oil. |
| al... | AL5 | To distribute or apportion by (or as if by) lot. |
| al... | AL5 | Good wishes, love. |
| al.. | AL4 | A musical part or section higher than tenor and lower than soprano, formerly the part that performed a countermelody above the tenor or main melody. |
| an... | AN5 | A negatively charged ion. |
| an..... | AN7 | A tropical American evergreen shrub, Bixa orellana; the lipstick tree; the fruit of the tree. |
| an........ | AN10 | A critical or explanatory commentary or analysis. |
| an.... | AN6 | To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil. |
| an.. | AN4 | Straight away; at once. |
| at... | AT5 | a type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform. Atolls have a unique geology, so not all islands with a reef and a lagoon are atolls |
| at.... | AT6 | Lacking a tonal center or key. |
| ha.. | HA4 | A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere. |
| ho.. | HO4 | A small piece of woodland or a woody hill; a copse. |
| ho.. | HO4 | A derisive cry or shout. |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced |
| in.. | IN4 | To or towards the inside of. |
| in........ | IN10 | The rise and fall of the voice in speaking. |
| io.. | IO4 | The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. |
| la..... | LA7 | A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments. |
| li.. | LI4 | A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. |
| li... | LI5 | Clipping of lithographic. |
| ll... | LL5 | A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America. |
| lo.. | LO4 | An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use. |
| lo... | LO5 | Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling. |
| lo.. | LO4 | The part of the body (of humans and quadrupeds) at each side of the backbone, between the ribs and hips |
| lo.. | LO4 | To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease. |
| lo.. | LO4 | An idler, a lout. |
| lo.. | LO4 | A scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks. |
| lo.... | LO6 | A low- to medium-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin. |
| lo... | LO5 | a game of chance similar to bingo |
| na.... | NA6 | A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture. |
| na...... | NA8 | Pertaining to a nation or country, especially as a whole; affecting, shared by, or existing throughout all of a nation. |
| no....... | NO9 | 10. |
| no.. | NO4 | The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday. |
| no...... | NO8 | The act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters. |
| no........ | NO10 | Of or pertaining to notation. |
| no.... | NO6 | Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept. |
| no...... | NO8 | Of, containing, or being a notion; mental or imaginary. |
| oa.. | OA4 | A solemn pledge or promise that invokes a deity, a ruler, or another entity (not necessarily present) to attest the truth of a statement or sincerity of one's desire to fulfill a contract or promise. |
| ol.. | OL4 | A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables. |
| on... | ON5 | A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice. |
| on.. | ON4 | Upon; on top of. |
| ta... | TA5 | A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other predatory animal. |
| ta.... | TA6 | An image made in the skin with ink and a needle. |
| ti......... | TI11 | A pleasurable or sexually exciting sensation. |
| to.. | TO4 | Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature. |
| to.. | TO4 | Loss or damage incurred through a disaster. |
| to... | TO5 | Of or relating to tones or tonality. |
| to.. | TO4 | A mechanical device intended to make a task easier. |
| to.. | TO4 | A cartoon, especially an animated television show. |
| to.. | TO4 | The noise of a horn or whistle. |
| to... | TO5 | A hard, calcareous structure present in the mouth of many vertebrate animals, generally used for eating. |
| to... | TO5 | An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts. |
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.
- annihilation† (AN12)
- inhalation† (IN10)
- aioli (AI5)
- allot (AL5)
- aloha (AL5)
- alto (AL4)
- anion (AN5)
- annatto (AN7)
- annotation (AN10)
- anoint (AN6)
- anon (AN4)
- atoll (AT5)
- atonal (AT6)
- halo (HA4)
- holt (HO4)
- hoot (HO4)
- initiation (IN10)
- into (IN4)
- intonation (IN10)
- iota (IO4)
- lanolin (LA7)
- lion (LI4)
- litho (LI5)
- llano (LL5)
- loan (LO4)
- loath (LO5)
- loin (LO4)
- loll (LO4)
- loon (LO4)
- loot (LO4)
- lotion (LO6)
- lotto (LO5)
- nation (NA6)
- national (NA8)
- nonillion (NO9)
- noon (NO4)
- notation (NO8)
- notational (NO10)
- notion (NO6)
- notional (NO8)
- oath (OA4)
- olio (OL4)
- onion (ON5)
- onto (ON4)
- talon (TA5)
- tattoo (TA6)
- titillation (TI11)
- toil (TO4)
- toll (TO4)
- tonal (TO5)
- tool (TO4)
- toon (TO4)
- toot (TO4)
- tooth (TO5)
- total (TO5)
Answer Definitions
- annihilation† (noun): The act of destroying or otherwise turning into nothing, or nonexistence.
- inhalation† (noun): The act of inhaling; inbreathing.
- aioli (noun): A type of sauce, similar to mayonnaise, made from garlic, egg, lemon juice and olive oil.
- allot (verb): To distribute or apportion by (or as if by) lot.
- aloha (noun): Good wishes, love.
- alto (noun): A musical part or section higher than tenor and lower than soprano, formerly the part that performed a countermelody above the tenor or main melody.
- anion (noun): A negatively charged ion.
- annatto (noun): A tropical American evergreen shrub, Bixa orellana; the lipstick tree; the fruit of the tree.
- annotation (noun): A critical or explanatory commentary or analysis.
- anoint (verb): To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil.
- anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
- atoll (noun): a type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform. Atolls have a unique geology, so not all islands with a reef and a lagoon are atolls
- atonal (adjective): Lacking a tonal center or key.
- halo (noun): A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
- holt (noun): A small piece of woodland or a woody hill; a copse.
- hoot (noun): A derisive cry or shout.
- initiation (noun): The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced
- into (preposition): To or towards the inside of.
- intonation (noun): The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
- iota (noun): The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet.
- lanolin (noun): A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments.
- lion (noun): A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe.
- litho (adjective): Clipping of lithographic.
- llano (noun): A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America.
- loan (noun): An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
- loath (adjective): Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling.
- loin (noun): The part of the body (of humans and quadrupeds) at each side of the backbone, between the ribs and hips
- loll (verb): To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease.
- loon (noun): An idler, a lout.
- loot (noun): A scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks.
- lotion (noun): A low- to medium-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin.
- lotto (noun): a game of chance similar to bingo
- nation (noun): A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.
- national (adjective): Pertaining to a nation or country, especially as a whole; affecting, shared by, or existing throughout all of a nation.
- nonillion (numeral): 10.
- noon (noun): The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
- notation (noun): The act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters.
- notational (adjective): Of or pertaining to notation.
- notion (noun): Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept.
- notional (adjective): Of, containing, or being a notion; mental or imaginary.
- oath (noun): A solemn pledge or promise that invokes a deity, a ruler, or another entity (not necessarily present) to attest the truth of a statement or sincerity of one's desire to fulfill a contract or promise.
- olio (noun): A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables.
- onion (noun): A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
- onto (preposition): Upon; on top of.
- talon (noun): A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other predatory animal.
- tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
- titillation (noun): A pleasurable or sexually exciting sensation.
- toil (noun): Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
- toll (noun): Loss or damage incurred through a disaster.
- tonal (adjective): Of or relating to tones or tonality.
- tool (noun): A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.
- toon (noun): A cartoon, especially an animated television show.
- toot (noun): The noise of a horn or whistle.
- tooth (noun): A hard, calcareous structure present in the mouth of many vertebrate animals, generally used for eating.
- total (noun): An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.