How to Play the NYT Spelling Bee
The New York Times Spelling Bee is a daily word game with a deceptively simple premise and a surprisingly deep scoring system. Here's everything you need to know to get started — and to understand the hints, answer lists, and statistics on this site.
The basic rules
Every day the game presents seven letters arranged in a honeycomb: one letter sits in the center, and the other six sit around it. Your job is to find as many words as possible that obey these rules:
- Every word must contain the center letter.
- Every letter can be used more than once. There's no limit on repetitions.
- Words must be at least four letters long.
- Only valid dictionary words count. No proper nouns, hyphenated words, or offensive words.
- Letters can only be the seven given letters — nothing else.
Words are spelled by tapping letters on the honeycomb. You earn points based on word length, with an extra bonus for finding pangrams.
What is a pangram?
A pangram is a word that uses all seven letters at least once. Pangrams are the most exciting finds in the game:
- A pangram earns the word's normal points plus a 7-point bonus.
- A perfect pangram uses all seven letters exactly once — these are rarer and worth the most bragging rights.
Because finding a pangram is so valuable, each day's puzzle is designed so that a pangram is always possible (usually more than one).
Scoring: how points work
| Word length | Points |
|---|---|
| 4 letters | 1 point |
| 5 letters | 5 points |
| 6 letters | 6 points |
| 7+ letters | 1 point per letter |
| Pangram | Word points + 7 bonus |
So a 7-letter word is worth 7 points, and if it's also a pangram it jumps to 14.
Rank thresholds
Your progress is measured against a series of ranks, each requiring a percentage of the day's total possible points:
| Rank | Points needed |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 0% |
| Good Start | 2% |
| Moving Up | 5% |
| Good | 8% |
| Solid | 15% |
| Nice | 25% |
| Great | 40% |
| Amazing | 50% |
| Genius | 70% |
| Queen Bee | 100% (all words found) |
Reaching Genius (70% of the total) is most players' daily goal — it's considered "beating" the puzzle. Queen Bee means finding every single word, which is a genuine achievement.
On each of this site's daily pages, we show the exact Genius threshold for that day's puzzle, so you know exactly how many points you need.
Good strategies for beginners
- Start with the center letter and the most common outer letters to generate four-letter words quickly.
- Look for prefixes and suffixes (re-, un-, -ed, -ing, -ly) — these multiply your word count fast.
- Hunt for the pangram early. Pangrams are worth bonus points and often reveal the puzzle's "theme" letters.
- Use the two-letter hints. Many solvers find that scanning two-letter combinations is the fastest way to systematically find words.
Once you're comfortable with the basics, see our strategy and tips guide and explore the all-time pangram list to see what's possible.
Ready for today? Open today's Spelling Bee hints and answers.