NYT Spelling Bee Answers for October 6, 2026
Today's NYT Spelling Bee uses center letter C with outer letters D, E, H, N, O, T. The puzzle contains 62 words worth 340 points, including 1 pangram. The longest word is 9 letters. To reach Genius you need 238 points; Queen Bee requires all 340 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 | C |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | d, e, h, n, o, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 62 words |
| Total Points | 340 points |
| Genius Level | 238 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 8 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 34 |
| D | 1 | - | 5 | 1 | 3 | - | 10 |
| E | 2 | - | 3 | 1 | - | - | 6 |
| H | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 3 |
| N | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| O | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| T | 1 | - | 2 | - | - | - | 3 | Σ | 13 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 62 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CE×3 CO×31 |
|---|---|
| D | DE×9 DO×1 |
| E | EC×2 EN×2 ET×2 |
| H | HE×1 HO×2 |
| N | NE×1 NO×3 |
| O | OC×1 ON×1 |
| T | TE×2 TH×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | CED×2 CEN×1 COC×2 COD×3 COE×1 COH×1 CON×19 COO×2 COT×3 |
|---|---|
| D | DEC×7 DET×2 DOC×1 |
| E | ECH×2 ENC×2 ETC×2 |
| H | HEN×1 HON×1 HOO×1 |
| N | NEO×1 NON×1 NOT×2 |
| O | OCT×1 ONC×1 |
| T | TEC×2 THE×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) |
|---|---|---|
| no..... † | NO7 | simple past and past participle of notch |
| ce.. | CE4 | To give up; yield to another. |
| ce... | CE5 | simple past tense and past participle of cede |
| ce.. | CE4 | A subunit of currency equal to one-hundredth of the main unit of currency in many countries. Symbol: ¢. |
| co.... | CO6 | The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa. |
| co...... | CO8 | simple past tense and past participle of cocoon |
| co.. | CO4 | A short symbol, often with little relation to the item it represents. |
| co... | CO5 | Encoded; written in code or cipher. |
| co... | CO5 | A handbell used for summoning monks. |
| co.. | CO4 | Alternative form of co-ed |
| co.. | CO4 | An anadromus and semelparous salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, found in the coastal regions of the northern Pacific Ocean, used as a symbol by several Native American tribes. |
| co..... | CO7 | To yield or suffer; to surrender; to grant |
| co...... | CO8 | simple past tense and past participle of concede |
| co... | CO5 | A marine gastropod of the family Strombidae which lives in its own spiral shell. |
| co..... | CO7 | To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking. |
| co....... | CO9 | simple past tense and past participle of concoct |
| co... | CO5 | Clipping of condominium. |
| co..... | CO7 | To forgive, excuse or overlook (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked). |
| co...... | CO8 | simple past tense and past participle of condone |
| co.. | CO4 | A surface of revolution formed by rotating a segment of a line around another line that intersects the first line. |
| co... | CO5 | segregated or delineated by traffic cones |
| co..... | CO7 | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| co....... | CO9 | (usually with "well-"): Having favorable rapport with a powerful entity. |
| co.... | CO6 | simple past tense and past participle of con |
| co..... | CO7 | To signify beyond its literal or principal meaning. |
| co...... | CO8 | simple past tense and past participle of connote |
| co..... | CO7 | To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight. |
| co....... | CO9 | simple past tense and past participle of contend |
| co..... | CO7 | Satisfied, pleased, contented. |
| co....... | CO9 | simple past tense and past participle of content |
| co... | CO5 | simple past tense and past participle of coo |
| co.. | CO4 | Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead. |
| co.. | CO4 | A cottage or hut. |
| co.... | CO6 | Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber. |
| co...... | CO8 | simple past tense and past participle of cotton |
| de...... | DE8 | A dead person. |
| de.... | DE6 | Appropriate; suitable for the circumstances. |
| de.. | DE4 | Decompression. |
| de.... | DE6 | To make an infusion. |
| de...... | DE8 | simple past tense and past participle of decoct |
| de.... | DE6 | To convert from an encrypted form to plain text. |
| de..... | DE7 | simple past tense and past participle of decode |
| de.... | DE6 | to discover or find by careful search, examination, or probing |
| de...... | DE8 | Having been noticed. |
| do.... | DO6 | Instructive; that teaches. |
| ec.. | EC4 | A reflected sound that is heard again by its initial observer. |
| ec.... | EC6 | simple past and past participle of echo |
| en.... | EN6 | To convert (plain text) into code. |
| en..... | EN7 | simple past tense and past participle of encode |
| et.. | ET4 | To cut into a surface with an acid or other corrosive substance in order to make a pattern. Best known as a technique for creating printing plates, but also used for decoration on metal, and, in modern industry, to make circuit boards. |
| et.... | ET6 | Cut or dug into the surface as by etching. |
| he... | HE5 | from here, from this place, away |
| ho.... | HO6 | boss, leader |
| ho... | HO5 | Alcoholic liquor, especially inferior or illicit whisky. |
| ne.... | NE6 | A neoconservative. |
| no... | NO5 | The one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose (now only in for the nonce). |
| no... | NO5 | A V-shaped cut. Such a cut, used for keeping a record. |
| oc... | OC5 | A group or set of eight of something. |
| on.. | ON4 | One and only one time. |
| te.. | TE4 | Technology. |
| te.... | TE6 | A repetitive style of music originally produced for use in a continuous DJ set. The central rhythmic component is most often in common time (4/4), where time is marked with a bass drum on each quarter note pulse, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and fourth pulses of the bar, and an open hi-hat sounding every second eighth note. |
| th.... | TH6 | From there, from that place or from that time. |
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.
- notched† (NO7)
- cede (CE4)
- ceded (CE5)
- cent (CE4)
- cocoon (CO6)
- cocooned (CO8)
- code (CO4)
- coded (CO5)
- codon (CO5)
- coed (CO4)
- coho (CO4)
- concede (CO7)
- conceded (CO8)
- conch (CO5)
- concoct (CO7)
- concocted (CO9)
- condo (CO5)
- condone (CO7)
- condoned (CO8)
- cone (CO4)
- coned (CO5)
- connect (CO7)
- connected (CO9)
- conned (CO6)
- connote (CO7)
- connoted (CO8)
- contend (CO7)
- contended (CO9)
- content (CO7)
- contented (CO9)
- cooed (CO5)
- coot (CO4)
- cote (CO4)
- cotton (CO6)
- cottoned (CO8)
- decedent (DE8)
- decent (DE6)
- deco (DE4)
- decoct (DE6)
- decocted (DE8)
- decode (DE6)
- decoded (DE7)
- detect (DE6)
- detected (DE8)
- docent (DO6)
- echo (EC4)
- echoed (EC6)
- encode (EN6)
- encoded (EN7)
- etch (ET4)
- etched (ET6)
- hence (HE5)
- honcho (HO6)
- hooch (HO5)
- neocon (NE6)
- nonce (NO5)
- notch (NO5)
- octet (OC5)
- once (ON4)
- tech (TE4)
- techno (TE6)
- thence (TH6)
Answer Definitions
- notched† (verb): simple past and past participle of notch
- cede (verb): To give up; yield to another.
- ceded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of cede
- cent (noun): A subunit of currency equal to one-hundredth of the main unit of currency in many countries. Symbol: ¢.
- cocoon (noun): The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.
- cocooned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of cocoon
- code (noun): A short symbol, often with little relation to the item it represents.
- coded (adjective): Encoded; written in code or cipher.
- codon (noun): A handbell used for summoning monks.
- coed (adjective): Alternative form of co-ed
- coho (noun): An anadromus and semelparous salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, found in the coastal regions of the northern Pacific Ocean, used as a symbol by several Native American tribes.
- concede (verb): To yield or suffer; to surrender; to grant
- conceded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of concede
- conch (noun): A marine gastropod of the family Strombidae which lives in its own spiral shell.
- concoct (verb): To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking.
- concocted (verb): simple past tense and past participle of concoct
- condo (noun): Clipping of condominium.
- condone (verb): To forgive, excuse or overlook (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked).
- condoned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of condone
- cone (noun): A surface of revolution formed by rotating a segment of a line around another line that intersects the first line.
- coned (adjective): segregated or delineated by traffic cones
- connect (verb): To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
- connected (adjective): (usually with "well-"): Having favorable rapport with a powerful entity.
- conned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of con
- connote (verb): To signify beyond its literal or principal meaning.
- connoted (verb): simple past tense and past participle of connote
- contend (verb): To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
- contended (verb): simple past tense and past participle of contend
- content (adjective): Satisfied, pleased, contented.
- contented (verb): simple past tense and past participle of content
- cooed (verb): simple past tense and past participle of coo
- coot (noun): Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
- cote (noun): A cottage or hut.
- cotton (noun): Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber.
- cottoned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of cotton
- decedent (noun): A dead person.
- decent (adjective): Appropriate; suitable for the circumstances.
- deco (noun): Decompression.
- decoct (verb): To make an infusion.
- decocted (verb): simple past tense and past participle of decoct
- decode (verb): To convert from an encrypted form to plain text.
- decoded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of decode
- detect (verb): to discover or find by careful search, examination, or probing
- detected (adjective): Having been noticed.
- docent (adjective): Instructive; that teaches.
- echo (noun): A reflected sound that is heard again by its initial observer.
- echoed (verb): simple past and past participle of echo
- encode (verb): To convert (plain text) into code.
- encoded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of encode
- etch (verb): To cut into a surface with an acid or other corrosive substance in order to make a pattern. Best known as a technique for creating printing plates, but also used for decoration on metal, and, in modern industry, to make circuit boards.
- etched (adjective): Cut or dug into the surface as by etching.
- hence (adverb): from here, from this place, away
- honcho (noun): boss, leader
- hooch (noun): Alcoholic liquor, especially inferior or illicit whisky.
- neocon (noun): A neoconservative.
- nonce (noun): The one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose (now only in for the nonce).
- notch (noun): A V-shaped cut. Such a cut, used for keeping a record.
- octet (noun): A group or set of eight of something.
- once (adverb): One and only one time.
- tech (noun): Technology.
- techno (noun): A repetitive style of music originally produced for use in a continuous DJ set. The central rhythmic component is most often in common time (4/4), where time is marked with a bass drum on each quarter note pulse, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and fourth pulses of the bar, and an open hi-hat sounding every second eighth note.
- thence (adverb): From there, from that place or from that time.