NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 9, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | B |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | e, f, i, l, n, x |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 22 words |
| Total Points | 104 points |
| Genius Level | 73 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</th><th>10 | Σ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 14 |
| E | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| F | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| I | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| L | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| N | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | 22 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| B | BE×8 BI×4 BL×2 |
|---|---|
| E | EN×1 |
| F | FE×1 FL×1 |
| I | IB×1 IN×1 |
| L | LI×2 |
| N | NI×1 |
| X |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| B | BEE×3 BEF×1 BEL×4 BIB×1 BIF×1 BIL×2 BLI×2 |
|---|---|
| E | ENF×1 |
| F | FEE×1 FLE×1 |
| I | IBE×1 INF×1 |
| L | LIB×2 |
| N | NIB×1 |
| X |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| be.. | BE4 | The meat from a cow, bull, or other bovine. |
| be..... | BE7 | A very direct or quick path or trip. |
| be.. | BE4 | past participle of be. |
| be.... | BE6 | simple past tense of befall |
| be... | BE5 | To lie around; encompass. |
| be.... | BE6 | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| be.. | BE4 | A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck. |
| be... | BE5 | An attractive woman. |
| bi... | BI5 | Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”) |
| bi.. | BI4 | A sudden, sharp blow or punch. |
| bi.. | BI4 | A bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow secretion produced by the liver, stored in the gall bladder, and discharged into the duodenum where it aids the process of digestion. |
| bi.. | BI4 | Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff. |
| bl.. | BL4 | To cease (from); to stop; to desist, to let up. |
| bl... | BL5 | A small pancake, of Russian origin, made from buckwheat flour; traditionally served with melted butter, sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon. |
| en...... | EN8 | To make feeble. |
| fe.... | FE6 | Deficient in physical strength. |
| fl...... | FL8 | Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking; able to be turned or twisted without breaking. |
| ib.. | IB4 | A type of wild mountain goat of the genus Capra, such as the species Capra ibex. |
| in........ † | IN10 | Not flexible; not capable of bending or being bent. |
| li... | LI5 | A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation. |
| li..... | LI7 | The party against which a libel (hostile handbill) has been filed by a libelant. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A small, quick bite taken with the front teeth. |
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.
- beef (BE4)
- beeline (BE7)
- been (BE4)
- befell (BE6)
- belie (BE5)
- belief (BE6)
- bell (BE4)
- belle (BE5)
- bible (BI5)
- biff (BI4)
- bile (BI4)
- bill (BI4)
- blin (BL4)
- blini (BL5)
- enfeeble (EN8)
- feeble (FE6)
- flexible (FL8)
- ibex (IB4)
- inflexible† (IN10)
- libel (LI5)
- libelee (LI7)
- nibble (NI6)
Answer Definitions
- beef (noun): The meat from a cow, bull, or other bovine.
- beeline (noun): A very direct or quick path or trip.
- been (verb): past participle of be.
- befell (verb): simple past tense of befall
- belie (verb): To lie around; encompass.
- belief (noun): Mental acceptance of a claim as true.
- bell (noun): A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
- belle (noun): An attractive woman.
- bible (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”)
- biff (noun): A sudden, sharp blow or punch.
- bile (noun): A bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow secretion produced by the liver, stored in the gall bladder, and discharged into the duodenum where it aids the process of digestion.
- bill (noun): Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
- blin (verb): To cease (from); to stop; to desist, to let up.
- blini (noun): A small pancake, of Russian origin, made from buckwheat flour; traditionally served with melted butter, sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.
- enfeeble (verb): To make feeble.
- feeble (adjective): Deficient in physical strength.
- flexible (adjective): Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking; able to be turned or twisted without breaking.
- ibex (noun): A type of wild mountain goat of the genus Capra, such as the species Capra ibex.
- inflexible† (adjective): Not flexible; not capable of bending or being bent.
- libel (noun): A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
- libelee (noun): The party against which a libel (hostile handbill) has been filed by a libelant.
- nibble (noun): A small, quick bite taken with the front teeth.