NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 22, 2026
Today's NYT Spelling Bee uses center letter I with outer letters A, C, N, R, T, U. The puzzle contains 56 words worth 304 points, including 2 pangrams. The longest word is 9 letters. To reach Genius you need 213 points; Queen Bee requires all 304 points. Today is a bingo — every letter starts at least one word. Compared with the eight-year average of about 183 points per puzzle, this is a larger-than-average day.
Game Summary
| Center Letter | I |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, n, r, t, u |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 56 words |
| Total Points | 304 points |
| Genius Level | 213 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 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| C | - | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | - | 10 |
| I | - | 2 | 3 | - | 1 | - | 6 |
| N | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | 2 |
| R | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| T | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| U | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | Σ | 9 | 21 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 56 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×2 AN×3 AR×4 AT×3 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×3 CI×4 CR×2 CU×1 |
| I | IN×5 IR×1 |
| N | NI×2 |
| R | RA×3 RI×1 RU×2 |
| T | TA×8 TI×5 TR×2 TU×2 |
| U | UN×2 UR×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACA×2 ANT×3 ARA×1 ARC×1 ARI×1 ARN×1 ATR×1 ATT×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CAC×1 CAI×1 CAN×1 CIR×3 CIT×1 CRA×1 CRI×1 CUR×1 |
| I | INC×2 INT×2 INU×1 IRR×1 |
| N | NIA×1 NIT×1 |
| R | RAI×2 RAN×1 RIC×1 RUI×1 RUN×1 |
| T | TAC×4 TAI×1 TAN×3 TIA×1 TIN×2 TIT×2 TRA×2 TUN×1 TUT×1 |
| U | UNI×2 URI×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) |
|---|---|---|
| cu..... † | CU7 | A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to offer privacy and keep out light. |
| ta...... † | TA8 | Silent; temperamentally untalkative; disinclined to speak. |
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| an....... | AN9 | Alternative spelling of Antarctic |
| an.. | AN4 | Opposed to something. |
| an... | AN5 | Playful, funny, absurd. |
| ar...... | AR8 | plural of arancino |
| ar.... | AR6 | Alternative letter-case form of Arctic |
| ar.. | AR4 | A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata. |
| ar.... | AR6 | Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana. |
| at... | AT5 | plural of atrium |
| at.... | AT6 | To gain (an object or desired result). |
| at... | AT5 | The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation. |
| ca... | CA5 | plural of cactus |
| ca... | CA5 | A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A drinking establishment, often specifically of the type found in Latin America. |
| ci... | CI5 | Approximately, about, around |
| ci..... | CI7 | The act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle or orbit; a revolution |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers. |
| ci.... | CI6 | Of, pertaining to, or derived from, citrus fruit. |
| cr.... | CR6 | plural of cranium |
| cr.... | CR6 | A person who appraises the works of others. |
| in.... | IN6 | To state solemnly, to chant. |
| in... | IN5 | to bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to |
| in.... | IN6 | Left complete or whole; not touched, defiled, sullied or otherwise damaged. |
| in.... | IN6 | To know intuitively or by immediate perception. |
| in... | IN5 | To place (the remains of a person who has died) in an urn or other container. |
| ir...... | IR8 | Causing irritation or inflammation. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. |
| ni.... | NI6 | Of, pertaining to, or containing, nitrogen. |
| ra.. | RA4 | Condensed water falling from a cloud. |
| ra... | RA5 | A condiment used as a dip or sauce in the cuisine of southern Asia, made from seasoned yogurt. |
| ra.. | RA4 | The wife of a rajah. |
| ri... | RI5 | An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean. |
| ru.. | RU4 | The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle. |
| ru... | RU5 | Of, pertaining to, or written using runes. |
| ta... | TA5 | Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end. |
| ta....... | TA9 | A person skilled in the planning and execution of tactics. |
| ta... | TA5 | A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food. |
| ta.... | TA6 | Pertaining to, containing, or obtained from tannin. |
| ta.... | TA6 | Tannic acid or any of its derivatives. |
| ta..... | TA7 | Related to Vajrayana Buddhism. |
| ti... | TI5 | The papal crown. |
| ti... | TI5 | A tint or colour. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A slight coloring. |
| ti... | TI5 | Something or someone of very large stature, greatness, or godliness. |
| ti..... | TI7 | Alternative letter-case form of Titanic Of or relating to the Titans, a race of giant gods in Greek mythology. Having great size, or great force, power, or strength. Of a conflict or contest: involving equally powerful participants. |
| tr... | TR5 | Elongated or trailing portion. The elongated back portion of a dress or skirt (or an ornamental piece of material added to similar effect), which drags along the ground. |
| tr... | TR5 | An identifying characteristic, habit or trend. |
| tu... | TU5 | A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles. |
| tu... | TU5 | All together. Indicates that the remainder of a group should join in playing after a solo or other passage with a reduced number of voices. |
| un.. | UN4 | Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one. |
| un....... | UN9 | Espousing a unitary view of something |
| ur.. | UR4 | Pertaining to, contained in, or obtained from urine. |
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.
- curtain† (CU7)
- taciturn† (TA8)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- antarctic (AN9)
- anti (AN4)
- antic (AN5)
- arancini (AR8)
- arctic (AR6)
- aria (AR4)
- arnica (AR6)
- atria (AT5)
- attain (AT6)
- attic (AT5)
- cacti (CA5)
- cairn (CA5)
- cantina (CA7)
- circa (CI5)
- circuit (CI7)
- cirri (CI5)
- citric (CI6)
- crania (CR6)
- critic (CR6)
- incant (IN6)
- incur (IN5)
- intact (IN6)
- intuit (IN6)
- inurn (IN5)
- irritant (IR8)
- niacin (NI6)
- nitric (NI6)
- rain (RA4)
- raita (RA5)
- rani (RA4)
- ricin (RI5)
- ruin (RU4)
- runic (RU5)
- tacit (TA5)
- tactic (TA6)
- tactician (TA9)
- taint (TA5)
- tannic (TA6)
- tannin (TA6)
- tantric (TA7)
- tiara (TI5)
- tinct (TI5)
- tint (TI4)
- titan (TI5)
- titanic (TI7)
- train (TR5)
- trait (TR5)
- tunic (TU5)
- tutti (TU5)
- unit (UN4)
- unitarian (UN9)
- uric (UR4)
Answer Definitions
- curtain† (noun): A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to offer privacy and keep out light.
- taciturn† (adjective): Silent; temperamentally untalkative; disinclined to speak.
- acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
- acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
- antarctic (adjective): Alternative spelling of Antarctic
- anti (adjective): Opposed to something.
- antic (adjective): Playful, funny, absurd.
- arancini (noun): plural of arancino
- arctic (adjective): Alternative letter-case form of Arctic
- aria (noun): A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata.
- arnica (noun): Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana.
- atria (noun): plural of atrium
- attain (verb): To gain (an object or desired result).
- attic (noun): The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
- cacti (noun): plural of cactus
- cairn (noun): A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- cantina (noun): A drinking establishment, often specifically of the type found in Latin America.
- circa (preposition): Approximately, about, around
- circuit (noun): The act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle or orbit; a revolution
- cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
- citric (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or derived from, citrus fruit.
- crania (noun): plural of cranium
- critic (noun): A person who appraises the works of others.
- incant (verb): To state solemnly, to chant.
- incur (verb): to bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to
- intact (adjective): Left complete or whole; not touched, defiled, sullied or otherwise damaged.
- intuit (verb): To know intuitively or by immediate perception.
- inurn (verb): To place (the remains of a person who has died) in an urn or other container.
- irritant (adjective): Causing irritation or inflammation.
- niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
- nitric (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or containing, nitrogen.
- rain (noun): Condensed water falling from a cloud.
- raita (noun): A condiment used as a dip or sauce in the cuisine of southern Asia, made from seasoned yogurt.
- rani (noun): The wife of a rajah.
- ricin (noun): An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.
- ruin (noun): The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
- runic (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or written using runes.
- tacit (adjective): Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence.
- tactic (noun): A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.
- tactician (noun): A person skilled in the planning and execution of tactics.
- taint (noun): A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food.
- tannic (adjective): Pertaining to, containing, or obtained from tannin.
- tannin (noun): Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.
- tantric (adjective): Related to Vajrayana Buddhism.
- tiara (noun): The papal crown.
- tinct (noun): A tint or colour.
- tint (noun): A slight coloring.
- titan (noun): Something or someone of very large stature, greatness, or godliness.
- titanic (adjective): Alternative letter-case form of Titanic Of or relating to the Titans, a race of giant gods in Greek mythology. Having great size, or great force, power, or strength. Of a conflict or contest: involving equally powerful participants.
- train (noun): Elongated or trailing portion. The elongated back portion of a dress or skirt (or an ornamental piece of material added to similar effect), which drags along the ground.
- trait (noun): An identifying characteristic, habit or trend.
- tunic (noun): A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles.
- tutti (adverb): All together. Indicates that the remainder of a group should join in playing after a solo or other passage with a reduced number of voices.
- unit (noun): Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one.
- unitarian (adjective): Espousing a unitary view of something
- uric (adjective): Pertaining to, contained in, or obtained from urine.