NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 17, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | O |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, f, i, l, m, r |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 38 words |
| Total Points | 126 points |
| Genius Level | 88 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</th><th>5</th><th>6</th><th>7</th><th>8</th><th>9 | Σ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | 1 | 9 |
| F | 5 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 10 |
| I | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| L | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| M | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 7 |
| O | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| R | 4 | - | 2 | - | - | - | 6 | Σ | 22 | 8 | 5 | - | - | 3 | 38 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CO×7 CR×2 |
|---|---|
| F | FL×1 FO×7 FR×2 |
| I | |
| L | LI×1 LO×4 |
| M | MI×4 MO×3 |
| O | OL×1 |
| R | RO×6 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | COI×2 COL×3 COM×1 COO×1 CRO×2 |
|---|---|
| F | FLO×1 FOC×1 FOI×1 FOL×2 FOO×1 FOR×2 FRO×2 |
| I | |
| L | LIM×1 LOC×2 LOL×1 LOO×1 |
| M | MIC×3 MIR×1 MOI×1 MOL×1 MOO×1 |
| O | OLI×1 |
| R | ROC×1 ROI×1 ROL×1 ROM×1 ROO×2 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| co.. | CO4 | A hairdo. |
| co.. | CO4 | Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral. |
| co... | CO5 | Severe pains that grip the abdomen or the disease that causes such pains (due to intestinal or bowel-related problems). |
| co... | CO5 | The spectral composition of visible light. |
| co....... | CO9 | That produces coloured precipitates |
| co... | CO5 | Pertaining to comedy, as a literary genre. |
| co.. | CO4 | Having a slightly low temperature; mildly or pleasantly cold. |
| cr.. | CR4 | A crocodile. |
| cr... | CR5 | plural of crocus |
| fl... | FL5 | The interior bottom or surface of a house or building; the supporting surface of a room. |
| fo.. | FO4 | plural of focus |
| fo.. | FO4 | A very thin sheet of metal. |
| fo... | FO5 | Of or relating to foliage; pteroylglutamic, as in folic acid. |
| fo... | FO5 | a leaf of a book or manuscript |
| fo.. | FO4 | A person with poor judgment or little intelligence. |
| fo.. | FO4 | To do with shape. The shape or visible structure of a thing or person. A thing that gives shape to other things as in a mold. Regularity, beauty, or elegance. The inherent nature of an object; that which the mind itself contributes as the condition of knowing; that in which the essence of a thing consists. Characteristics not involving atomic components. (Can we add an example for this sense?) A long bench with no back. The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body. The combination of planes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid. |
| fo.... | FO6 | Of or pertaining to ants. |
| fr.... | FR6 | Merry, joyous, full of mirth; later especially, frolicsome, sportive, full of playful mischief. |
| fr.. | FR4 | Used to indicate source or provenance. |
| li.. | LI4 | Clipping of limousine. |
| lo.. | LO4 | plural of locus |
| lo.. | LO4 | A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower. |
| lo.. | LO4 | To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease. |
| lo.. | LO4 | A utensil; tool; a weapon; an article in general. |
| mi... | MI5 | Small, relatively small; used to contrast levels of the noun modified. |
| mi....... † | MI9 | a continuous roll of film containing photographs of documents at a greatly reduced size |
| mi....... | MI9 | Microfilm, microfiche or similar materials. |
| mi.... | MI6 | A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it. |
| mo.. | MO4 | To toil, to work hard. |
| mo.. | MO4 | A female companion of a gangster, especially a former or current prostitute. |
| mo.. | MO4 | An extensive waste covered with patches of heath, and having a poor, light soil, but sometimes marshy, and abounding in peat; a heath |
| ol.. | OL4 | A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables. |
| ro.... | RO6 | A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation. |
| ro.. | RO4 | To render turbid by stirring up the dregs or sediment of. |
| ro.. | RO4 | To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on an axis; to impel forward by causing to turn over and over on a supporting surface. |
| ro.... | RO6 | Clipping of romantic comedy. |
| ro.. | RO4 | The external covering at the top of a building. |
| ro.. | RO4 | Opportunity or scope (to do something). |
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.
- coif (CO4)
- coil (CO4)
- colic (CO5)
- color (CO5)
- colorific (CO9)
- comic (CO5)
- cool (CO4)
- croc (CR4)
- croci (CR5)
- floor (FL5)
- foci (FO4)
- foil (FO4)
- folic (FO5)
- folio (FO5)
- fool (FO4)
- form (FO4)
- formic (FO6)
- frolic (FR6)
- from (FR4)
- limo (LI4)
- loci (LO4)
- loco (LO4)
- loll (LO4)
- loom (LO4)
- micro (MI5)
- microfilm† (MI9)
- microform (MI9)
- mirror (MI6)
- moil (MO4)
- moll (MO4)
- moor (MO4)
- olio (OL4)
- rococo (RO6)
- roil (RO4)
- roll (RO4)
- romcom (RO6)
- roof (RO4)
- room (RO4)
Answer Definitions
- coif (noun): A hairdo.
- coil (noun): Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.
- colic (noun): Severe pains that grip the abdomen or the disease that causes such pains (due to intestinal or bowel-related problems).
- color (noun): The spectral composition of visible light.
- colorific (adjective): That produces coloured precipitates
- comic (adjective): Pertaining to comedy, as a literary genre.
- cool (adjective): Having a slightly low temperature; mildly or pleasantly cold.
- croc (noun): A crocodile.
- croci (noun): plural of crocus
- floor (noun): The interior bottom or surface of a house or building; the supporting surface of a room.
- foci (noun): plural of focus
- foil (noun): A very thin sheet of metal.
- folic (adjective): Of or relating to foliage; pteroylglutamic, as in folic acid.
- folio (noun): a leaf of a book or manuscript
- fool (noun): A person with poor judgment or little intelligence.
- form (noun): To do with shape. The shape or visible structure of a thing or person. A thing that gives shape to other things as in a mold. Regularity, beauty, or elegance. The inherent nature of an object; that which the mind itself contributes as the condition of knowing; that in which the essence of a thing consists. Characteristics not involving atomic components. (Can we add an example for this sense?) A long bench with no back. The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body. The combination of planes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid.
- formic (adjective): Of or pertaining to ants.
- frolic (adjective): Merry, joyous, full of mirth; later especially, frolicsome, sportive, full of playful mischief.
- from (preposition): Used to indicate source or provenance.
- limo (noun): Clipping of limousine.
- loci (noun): plural of locus
- loco (adverb): A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower.
- loll (verb): To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease.
- loom (noun): A utensil; tool; a weapon; an article in general.
- micro (adjective): Small, relatively small; used to contrast levels of the noun modified.
- microfilm† (noun): a continuous roll of film containing photographs of documents at a greatly reduced size
- microform (noun): Microfilm, microfiche or similar materials.
- mirror (noun): A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.
- moil (verb): To toil, to work hard.
- moll (noun): A female companion of a gangster, especially a former or current prostitute.
- moor (noun): An extensive waste covered with patches of heath, and having a poor, light soil, but sometimes marshy, and abounding in peat; a heath
- olio (noun): A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables.
- rococo (noun): A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.
- roil (verb): To render turbid by stirring up the dregs or sediment of.
- roll (verb): To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on an axis; to impel forward by causing to turn over and over on a supporting surface.
- romcom (noun): Clipping of romantic comedy.
- roof (noun): The external covering at the top of a building.
- room (noun): Opportunity or scope (to do something).