NYT Spelling Bee Answers for July 16, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | C |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, i, l, m, n, r |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 48 words |
| Total Points | 263 points |
| Genius Level | 184 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</th><th>5</th><th>6</th><th>7</th><th>8</th><th>9 | Σ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | 5 |
| C | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 23 |
| I | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| L | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 |
| M | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | 10 |
| N | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| R | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 | Σ | 9 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 48 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×3 AL×1 AR×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×10 CI×3 CL×6 CR×4 |
| I | IN×1 |
| L | LA×3 LI×1 |
| M | MA×6 MI×4 |
| N | NA×1 NI×1 |
| R | RA×2 RI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACA×2 ACC×1 ALM×1 ARC×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAI×2 CAL×4 CAM×1 CAN×2 CAR×1 CIL×1 CIR×2 CLA×3 CLI×3 CRA×3 CRI×1 |
| I | INI×1 |
| L | LAC×1 LAI×2 LIL×1 |
| M | MAL×1 MAN×4 MAR×1 MIC×1 MIM×1 MIN×2 |
| N | NAR×1 NIA×1 |
| R | RAC×1 RAI×1 RIC×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| ac..... | AC7 | To shout; to call out. |
| al..... | AL7 | A book or table listing nautical, astronomical, astrological or other events for the year; sometimes, but not essentially, containing historical and statistical information. |
| ar.... | AR6 | Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae. |
| ca... | CA5 | A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument. |
| ca...... | CA8 | squid as food, especially cooked in the form of calamari rings |
| ca.. | CA4 | A telephone conversation; a phone call. |
| ca... | CA5 | A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety. |
| ca....... | CA9 | A secret, usually sinister, group of conspiring advisors close to the leadership; a cabal. |
| ca... | CA5 | An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites. |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cilium |
| ci... | CI5 | Approximately, about, around |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers. |
| cl... | CL5 | A demand of ownership made for something. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known. |
| cl.... | CL6 | A medical facility, such as a hospital, especially one for the treatment and diagnosis of outpatients. |
| cl...... | CL8 | Dealing with the practical management of patients, in practice at the point of care; as contrasted with other health care venues (see clinical medicine for more explanation). |
| cl....... | CL9 | Any healthcare practitioner working at the point of care, in clinical practice (e.g., physicians in clinical medicine, nurses in nursing practice, or allied health providers in practice). |
| cr.. | CR4 | To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity. |
| cr.... | CR6 | plural of cranium |
| cr..... | CR7 | Of or relating to the cranium, or to the skull. |
| cr...... † | CR8 | Against the law; forbidden by law. |
| in...... | IN8 | Harmful in effect. |
| la...... | LA8 | Of or relating to tears or the tear-secreting organs. |
| la.. | LA4 | A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity). |
| li... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
| ma... | MA5 | Pertaining to apples. |
| ma..... | MA7 | Any of various board games, common throughout Africa and Asia, in which a move consists of emptying a pit and then its contents are sown one by one into ensuing pits. |
| ma.... | MA6 | An insane person, especially one who suffers from a mania. |
| ma...... | MA8 | Like a maniac; insane; frenzied. |
| ma... | MA5 | Of or pertaining to someone who exhibits mania or craziness; wicked. |
| ma.... | MA6 | A Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a hollow-gourd rattle containing pebbles or beans and often played in pairs, as a rhythm instrument. |
| 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... | MI5 | To imitate, especially in order to ridicule. |
| mi..... | MI7 | A small movie camera. |
| mi..... | MI7 | A very small car; specifically, a car that is smaller than a subcompact |
| na.. | NA4 | A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. |
| ra.... | RA6 | Of or relating to a race (or a people). |
| ra..... | RA7 | A self-propelled railway vehicle for passengers, similar to a bus. |
| ri... | RI5 | An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean. |
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.
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- acclaim (AC7)
- almanac (AL7)
- arcana (AR6)
- caiman (CA6)
- cairn (CA5)
- calamari (CA8)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- calm (CA4)
- camarilla (CA9)
- canal (CA5)
- cancan (CA6)
- carnal (CA6)
- cilia (CI5)
- circa (CI5)
- cirri (CI5)
- claim (CL5)
- clam (CL4)
- clan (CL4)
- clinic (CL6)
- clinical (CL8)
- clinician (CL9)
- cram (CR4)
- crania (CR6)
- cranial (CR7)
- criminal† (CR8)
- inimical (IN8)
- lacrimal (LA8)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- lilac (LI5)
- malic (MA5)
- mancala (MA7)
- maniac (MA6)
- maniacal (MA8)
- manic (MA5)
- maraca (MA6)
- mica (MI4)
- mimic (MI5)
- minicam (MI7)
- minicar (MI7)
- narc (NA4)
- niacin (NI6)
- racial (RA6)
- railcar (RA7)
- ricin (RI5)
Answer Definitions
- acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
- acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
- acclaim (verb): To shout; to call out.
- almanac (noun): A book or table listing nautical, astronomical, astrological or other events for the year; sometimes, but not essentially, containing historical and statistical information.
- arcana (noun): Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
- caiman (noun): Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae.
- cairn (noun): A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- calamari (noun): squid as food, especially cooked in the form of calamari rings
- call (noun): A telephone conversation; a phone call.
- calla (noun): A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
- calm (adjective): Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.
- camarilla (noun): A secret, usually sinister, group of conspiring advisors close to the leadership; a cabal.
- canal (noun): An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.
- cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
- carnal (adjective): Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites.
- cilia (noun): plural of cilium
- circa (preposition): Approximately, about, around
- cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
- claim (noun): A demand of ownership made for something.
- clam (noun): A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
- clan (noun): A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known.
- clinic (noun): A medical facility, such as a hospital, especially one for the treatment and diagnosis of outpatients.
- clinical (adjective): Dealing with the practical management of patients, in practice at the point of care; as contrasted with other health care venues (see clinical medicine for more explanation).
- clinician (noun): Any healthcare practitioner working at the point of care, in clinical practice (e.g., physicians in clinical medicine, nurses in nursing practice, or allied health providers in practice).
- cram (verb): To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.
- crania (noun): plural of cranium
- cranial (adjective): Of or relating to the cranium, or to the skull.
- criminal† (adjective): Against the law; forbidden by law.
- inimical (adjective): Harmful in effect.
- lacrimal (adjective): Of or relating to tears or the tear-secreting organs.
- laic (noun): A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
- laical (adjective): Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity).
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- malic (adjective): Pertaining to apples.
- mancala (noun): Any of various board games, common throughout Africa and Asia, in which a move consists of emptying a pit and then its contents are sown one by one into ensuing pits.
- maniac (noun): An insane person, especially one who suffers from a mania.
- maniacal (adjective): Like a maniac; insane; frenzied.
- manic (adjective): Of or pertaining to someone who exhibits mania or craziness; wicked.
- maraca (noun): A Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a hollow-gourd rattle containing pebbles or beans and often played in pairs, as a rhythm instrument.
- 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.
- mimic (verb): To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
- minicam (noun): A small movie camera.
- minicar (noun): A very small car; specifically, a car that is smaller than a subcompact
- narc (noun): A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
- niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
- racial (adjective): Of or relating to a race (or a people).
- railcar (noun): A self-propelled railway vehicle for passengers, similar to a bus.
- ricin (noun): An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.