NYT Spelling Bee Answers for September 5, 2026
Today's NYT Spelling Bee uses center letter M with outer letters A, C, G, I, K, N. The puzzle contains 47 words worth 253 points, including 1 pangram. The longest word is 10 letters. To reach Genius you need 177 points; Queen Bee requires all 253 points. Today is not a bingo — at least one letter starts no words. Compared with the eight-year average of about 183 points per puzzle, this is a larger-than-average day.
Game Summary
| Center Letter | M |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, g, i, k, n |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 47 words |
| Total Points | 253 points |
| Genius Level | 177 points |
| Bingo? | No |
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 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| C | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| G | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 5 |
| I | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| K | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | - | 33 |
| N | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | Σ | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 47 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AI×1 AN×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×2 |
| G | GA×3 GI×2 |
| I | IM×3 |
| K | |
| M | MA×21 MI×12 |
| N | NA×1 NI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AIM×1 ANI×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAI×1 CAM×1 |
| G | GAM×3 GIM×2 |
| I | IMA×3 |
| K | |
| M | MAC×1 MAG×4 MAI×3 MAK×2 MAM×2 MAN×9 MIC×1 MIK×1 MIM×3 MIN×7 |
| N | NAM×1 NIC×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ni........ † | NI10 | present participle of nickname |
| ai.... | AI6 | present participle of aim |
| an... | AN5 | The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A camisole. |
| ga... | GA5 | A homeless boy; a male street urchin; also , a cheeky, street-smart boy. |
| ga.... | GA6 | present participle of game |
| ga... | GA5 | The third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ), preceded by beta (Β, β) and followed by delta, (Δ, δ). |
| gi..... | GI7 | A trick or device used to attain some end. |
| gi........ | GI10 | No definition found; request failed |
| im..... | IM7 | present participle of image |
| im....... | IM9 | Something imagined; a figment of the imagination. |
| im.. | IM4 | One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque. |
| ma.... | MA6 | present participle of mace |
| ma.. | MA4 | plural of mage |
| ma... | MA5 | The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them |
| ma...... | MA8 | A person who plays with or practices allegedly supernatural magic. |
| ma... | MA5 | The molten matter within the earth, the source of the material of lava flows, dikes of eruptive rocks, etc. |
| ma.. | MA4 | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. |
| ma..... | MA7 | present participle of maim |
| ma.. | MA4 | Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal. |
| ma.. | MA4 | A ring-tailed lemur. |
| ma.... | MA6 | The act of forming, causing, or constituting; workmanship; construction. |
| ma.. | MA4 | Mother, female parent. |
| ma... | MA5 | The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder. |
| ma...... | MA8 | present participle of manage |
| ma..... | MA7 | No definition found; request failed |
| ma... | MA5 | A comic originating in Japan. |
| ma... | MA5 | Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity. |
| ma.... | MA6 | An insane person, especially one who suffers from a mania. |
| ma... | MA5 | Of or pertaining to someone who exhibits mania or craziness; wicked. |
| ma..... | MA7 | No definition found; request failed |
| ma... | MA5 | Food miraculously produced for the Israelites in the desert in the book of Exodus. |
| ma..... | MA7 | present participle of man |
| mi.. | MI4 | Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic. |
| mi.... | MI6 | present participle of mike |
| mi... | MI5 | To imitate, especially in order to ridicule. |
| mi....... | MI9 | gerund of mimic: mimicry; an instance of this. |
| mi.... | MI6 | present participle of mime |
| mi..... | MI7 | present participle of mince |
| mi.. | MI4 | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| mi..... | MI7 | A small movie camera. |
| mi... | MI5 | A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem. |
| mi.... | MI6 | plural of minimum |
| mi.... | MI6 | The activity of removing solid valuables from the earth. |
| mi.. | MI4 | (plural mink or minks) Any of various semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals in the Mustelinae subfamily, similar to weasels, with dark fur, native to Europe and America, of which two species in different genera are extant: the American mink (Neovison vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola). |
| na.... | NA6 | The process of giving names to things. |
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.
- nicknaming† (NI10)
- aiming (AI6)
- anima (AN5)
- caiman (CA6)
- cami (CA4)
- gamin (GA5)
- gaming (GA6)
- gamma (GA5)
- gimmick (GI7)
- gimmicking (GI10)
- imaging (IM7)
- imagining (IM9)
- imam (IM4)
- macing (MA6)
- magi (MA4)
- magic (MA5)
- magician (MA8)
- magma (MA5)
- maim (MA4)
- maiming (MA7)
- main (MA4)
- maki (MA4)
- making (MA6)
- mama (MA4)
- mamma (MA5)
- managing (MA8)
- manakin (MA7)
- manga (MA5)
- mania (MA5)
- maniac (MA6)
- manic (MA5)
- manikin (MA7)
- manna (MA5)
- manning (MA7)
- mica (MI4)
- miking (MI6)
- mimic (MI5)
- mimicking (MI9)
- miming (MI6)
- mincing (MI7)
- mini (MI4)
- minicam (MI7)
- minim (MI5)
- minima (MI6)
- mining (MI6)
- mink (MI4)
- naming (NA6)
Answer Definitions
- nicknaming† (verb): present participle of nickname
- aiming (verb): present participle of aim
- anima (noun): The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.
- caiman (noun): Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae.
- cami (noun): A camisole.
- gamin (noun): A homeless boy; a male street urchin; also , a cheeky, street-smart boy.
- gaming (verb): present participle of game
- gamma (noun): The third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ), preceded by beta (Β, β) and followed by delta, (Δ, δ).
- gimmick (noun): A trick or device used to attain some end.
- gimmicking (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- imaging (verb): present participle of image
- imagining (noun): Something imagined; a figment of the imagination.
- imam (noun): One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.
- macing (verb): present participle of mace
- magi (noun): plural of mage
- magic (noun): The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them
- magician (noun): A person who plays with or practices allegedly supernatural magic.
- magma (noun): The molten matter within the earth, the source of the material of lava flows, dikes of eruptive rocks, etc.
- maim (verb): To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.
- maiming (verb): present participle of maim
- main (adjective): Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
- maki (noun): A ring-tailed lemur.
- making (noun): The act of forming, causing, or constituting; workmanship; construction.
- mama (noun): Mother, female parent.
- mamma (noun): The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder.
- managing (verb): present participle of manage
- manakin (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- manga (noun): A comic originating in Japan.
- mania (noun): Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity.
- maniac (noun): An insane person, especially one who suffers from a mania.
- manic (adjective): Of or pertaining to someone who exhibits mania or craziness; wicked.
- manikin (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- manna (noun): Food miraculously produced for the Israelites in the desert in the book of Exodus.
- manning (verb): present participle of man
- mica (noun): Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic.
- miking (verb): present participle of mike
- mimic (verb): To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
- mimicking (noun): gerund of mimic: mimicry; an instance of this.
- miming (verb): present participle of mime
- mincing (verb): present participle of mince
- mini (adjective): Miniature, tiny, small.
- minicam (noun): A small movie camera.
- minim (noun): A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem.
- minima (noun): plural of minimum
- mining (noun): The activity of removing solid valuables from the earth.
- mink (noun): (plural mink or minks) Any of various semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals in the Mustelinae subfamily, similar to weasels, with dark fur, native to Europe and America, of which two species in different genera are extant: the American mink (Neovison vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola).
- naming (noun): The process of giving names to things.