NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 21, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | T |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, g, h, n, u, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 27 words |
| Total Points | 108 points |
| Genius Level | 76 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 | Σ | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | 3 |
| G | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| H | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 |
| N | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 5 |
| T | 7 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 11 |
| U | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| Y | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 27 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AU×3 |
|---|---|
| G | GA×1 GN×1 |
| H | HA×3 HU×1 |
| N | NA×4 NU×1 |
| T | TA×6 TH×3 TU×2 |
| U | UN×2 |
| Y |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AUG×1 AUN×2 |
|---|---|
| G | GAU×1 GNA×1 |
| H | HAT×1 HAU×2 HUN×1 |
| N | NAT×2 NAU×2 NUT×1 |
| T | TAN×2 TAT×1 TAU×3 THA×2 THU×1 TUN×1 TUT×1 |
| U | UNH×1 UNT×1 |
| Y |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| au... | AU5 | anything whatsoever, any part. |
| au.. | AU4 | The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent. |
| au... | AU5 | Alternative spelling of auntie |
| ga... | GA5 | Lean, angular, and bony. |
| gn.. | GN4 | Any small insect of the order Diptera, specifically within the suborder Nematocera. |
| ha.. | HA4 | third-person singular simple present indicative form of have |
| ha..... | HA7 | Conveying in demeanour the assumption of superiority; disdainful, supercilious. |
| ha... | HA5 | To inhabit, or visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts). |
| hu.. | HU4 | To find or search for an animal in the wild with the intention of killing the animal for its meat or for sport. |
| na.... | NA6 | floating or swimming (in water) |
| na... | NA5 | Smart and fashionable. |
| na.... | NA6 | Nothing. |
| na..... † | NA7 | Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child). |
| nu... | NU5 | Containing nuts. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A refreshingly sharp aroma or flavor. |
| ta... | TA5 | having a sharp, pungent flavor |
| ta... | TA5 | worn and shabby; in poor condition. |
| ta.... | TA6 | simple past tense and past participle of teach |
| ta... | TA5 | to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight. |
| th.. | TH4 | Used in comparisons, to introduce the basis of comparison. |
| th.. | TH4 | Introducing a clause which is the subject or object of a verb (such as one involving reported speech), or which is a complement to a previous statement. |
| th.. | TH4 | Someone with an intimidating and unseemly appearance and mannerisms, who treats others violently and roughly, often for hire. |
| tu.. | TU4 | Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae. |
| tu.. | TU4 | A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting. |
| un... | UN5 | To take off the hat of; to remove one's hat, especially as a mark of respect. |
| un...... | UN8 | Not taught; uneducated. |
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.
- aught (AU5)
- aunt (AU4)
- aunty (AU5)
- gaunt (GA5)
- gnat (GN4)
- hath (HA4)
- haughty (HA7)
- haunt (HA5)
- hunt (HU4)
- natant (NA6)
- natty (NA5)
- naught (NA6)
- naughty† (NA7)
- nutty (NU5)
- tang (TA4)
- tangy (TA5)
- tatty (TA5)
- taught (TA6)
- taunt (TA5)
- taut (TA4)
- than (TH4)
- that (TH4)
- thug (TH4)
- tuna (TU4)
- tutu (TU4)
- unhat (UN5)
- untaught (UN8)
Answer Definitions
- aught (pronoun): anything whatsoever, any part.
- aunt (noun): The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
- aunty (noun): Alternative spelling of auntie
- gaunt (adjective): Lean, angular, and bony.
- gnat (noun): Any small insect of the order Diptera, specifically within the suborder Nematocera.
- hath (verb): third-person singular simple present indicative form of have
- haughty (adjective): Conveying in demeanour the assumption of superiority; disdainful, supercilious.
- haunt (verb): To inhabit, or visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts).
- hunt (verb): To find or search for an animal in the wild with the intention of killing the animal for its meat or for sport.
- natant (adjective): floating or swimming (in water)
- natty (adjective): Smart and fashionable.
- naught (pronoun): Nothing.
- naughty† (adjective): Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child).
- nutty (adjective): Containing nuts.
- tang (noun): A refreshingly sharp aroma or flavor.
- tangy (adjective): having a sharp, pungent flavor
- tatty (noun): worn and shabby; in poor condition.
- taught (verb): simple past tense and past participle of teach
- taunt (verb): to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.
- taut (adjective): Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
- than (conjunction): Used in comparisons, to introduce the basis of comparison.
- that (conjunction): Introducing a clause which is the subject or object of a verb (such as one involving reported speech), or which is a complement to a previous statement.
- thug (noun): Someone with an intimidating and unseemly appearance and mannerisms, who treats others violently and roughly, often for hire.
- tuna (noun): Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae.
- tutu (noun): A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.
- unhat (verb): To take off the hat of; to remove one's hat, especially as a mark of respect.
- untaught (adjective): Not taught; uneducated.