Game Summary

Table of Contents

As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!

1. Spelling Bee Grid
2. Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
3. Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
4. Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
5. Today's Complete Solution
6. 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.

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.

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 (^†).

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.

• eely  (EE4)
• elope  (EL5)
• entente  (EN7)
• epee  (EP4)
• eyelet  (EY6)
• lent  (LE4)
• lento  (LE5)
• lone  (LO4)
• lonely  (LO6)
• lope  (LO4)
• nene  (NE4)
• neon  (NE4)
• nettle  (NE6)
• nettly  (NE6)
• netty  (NE5)
• noel  (NO4)
• none  (NO4)
• nonet  (NO5)
• nope  (NO4)
• note  (NO4)
• oleo  (OL4)
• open  (OP4)
• openly  (OP6)
• opponent  (OP8)
• peel  (PE4)
• peen  (PE4)
• peep  (PE4)
• pellet  (PE6)
• peloton  (PE7)
• pelt  (PE4)
• penne  (PE5)
• penny  (PE5)
• pent  (PE4)
• peon  (PE4)
• peony  (PE5)
• people  (PE6)
• peppy  (PE5)
• petty  (PE5)
• peyote  (PE6)
• plenty  (PL6)
• poet  (PO4)
• pole  (PO4)
• pollen  (PO6)
• pone  (PO4)
• pope  (PO4)
• potent  (PO6)
• potently^†  (PO8)
• teen  (TE4)
• teeny  (TE5)
• teepee  (TE6)
• teletype  (TE8)
• tell  (TE4)
• telnet  (TE6)
• tenet  (TE5)
• tenon  (TE5)
• tent  (TE4)
• tentpole  (TE8)
• tepee  (TE5)
• tone  (TO4)
• tonne  (TO5)
• tootle  (TO6)
• tope  (TO4)
• topple  (TO6)
• tote  (TO4)
• type  (TY4)
• yell  (YE4)
• yelp  (YE4)
• yente  (YE5)

Answer Definitions

• eely (adjective): Resembling an eel: long, thin and slippery.
• elope (verb): To run away from home with a paramour.
• entente (noun): An informal alliance or friendly understanding between two states.
• epee (noun): A sharp-pointed dueling sword with a bell-shaped guard, used (with the end blunted) in sport fencing.
• eyelet (noun): An object that consists of a rim and small hole or perforation to receive a cord or fastener, as in garments, sails, etc.
• lent (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Lent
• lento (adjective): Slow (45–60 bpm).
• lone (adjective): Solitary; having no companion.
• lonely (adjective): Unhappy because of feeling isolated from contact with other people.
• lope (verb): To travel an easy pace with long strides.
• nene (noun): The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957.
• neon (noun): The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10. The second of the noble gases, it is a colourless, odorless inert gas.
• nettle (noun): Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash. Especially, most species of herb genus Urtica, the stinging nettles: Most, but not all, subspecies of Urtica dioica (common nettle), Urtica incisa (Australian nettle); Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis); Bull nettles and spurge nettles of genus Cnidoscolus: Cnidoscolus stimulosus, bull nettle, spurge nettle, Cnidoscolus texanus, Texas bull nettle, Cnidoscolus urens, bull nettle, Nettle trees or tree nettles: Various species of the genus Dendrocnide: Urera baccifera (scratchbush), Urtica ferox (tree nettle); rock nettle (Eucnide); small-leaved nettle (Dendrocnide photinophylla).
• nettly (adjective): Of, resembling, or overgrown with nettles.
• netty (adjective): Neat, well-groomed, natty.
• noel (noun): A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol.
• none (pronoun): Not any of a given number or group.
• nonet (noun): A composition for nine instruments or nine voices.
• nope (particle): No.
• note (noun): A symbol or annotation. A mark or token by which a thing may be known; a visible sign; a character; a distinctive mark or feature; a characteristic quality. A mark, or sign, made to call attention, to point out something to notice, or the like; a sign, or token, proving or giving evidence. A brief remark; a marginal comment or explanation; hence, an annotation on a text or author; a comment; a critical, explanatory, or illustrative observation.
• oleo (noun): A type of energy-absorbing landing gear strut in which sudden compression or extension of the strut causes a gas-filled chamber to push or pull a piston which forces oil through a small orifice, resulting in absorption of energy through viscous effects.
• open (adjective): Not closed. Able to be accessed. Able to have something pass through or along it.
• openly (adverb): In an open manner, visibly, not covertly.
• opponent (noun): One who opposes another; one who works or takes a position against someone or something; one who attempts to stop the progress of someone or something.
• peel (verb): To remove the skin or outer covering of.
• peen (noun): The (often spherical) end of the head of a hammer opposite the main hammering end.
• peep (noun): A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
• pellet (noun): A small, compressed, hard chunk of matter.
• peloton (noun): A group of riders formed during a cycling road race; especially, the main group of riders; the pack.
• pelt (noun): The skin of a beast with the hair on; a raw or undressed hide; a skin preserved with the hairy or woolly covering on it.
• penne (noun): A type of short, diagonally cut pasta.
• penny (noun): In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a unit of currency worth ⁄240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d.
• pent (noun): Confinement; concealment.
• peon (noun): A lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work.
• peony (noun): A flowering plant of the genus Paeonia with large fragrant flowers.
• people (noun): Used as plural of person; a body of human beings considered generally or collectively; a group of two or more persons.
• peppy (adjective): Full of pep; energetic, cheerful, and vigorous; bouncy
• petty (adjective): Having little or no importance.
• peyote (noun): A small, spineless cactus (Lophophora williamsii) found from southwest United States to central Mexico that produces buttonlike tubercles that can be chewed for its psychedelic effect, primarily from the drug mescaline.
• plenty (noun): A more-than-adequate amount.
• poet (noun): A person who writes poems.
• pole (noun): Originally, a stick; now specifically, a long and slender piece of metal or (especially) wood, used for various construction or support purposes.
• pollen (noun): A fine granular substance produced in flowers. Technically a collective term for pollen grains (microspores) produced in the anthers of flowering plants. (This specific usage dating from mid 18th century.)
• pone (noun): A writ in law used by the superior courts to remove cases from inferior courts.
• pope (noun): An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state. Any similarly absolute and 'infallible' authority. Any similar head of a religion. A theocrat, a priest-king, including (at first especially) over the imaginary land of Prester John or (now) in figurative and alliterative uses. An effigy of the pope traditionally burnt in Britain on Guy Fawkes' Day and (occasionally) at other times. Pope Day, the present Guy Fawkes Day.
• potent (adjective): Possessing strength.
• potently^† (adverb): In a potent manner; powerfully.
• teen (noun): Synonym of teenager: a person between 13 and 19 years old.
• teeny (adjective): Very small; tiny.
• teepee (noun): A cone-shaped tent traditionally used by many native peoples of the Great Plains of North America.
• teletype (noun): A telegraph that automatically prints transmited messages in letters rather than Morse code or other symbols, typically resembling a typewriter in appearance.
• tell (verb): To count, reckon, or enumerate.
• telnet (noun): A network protocol that enables one computer to communicate with another via the Internet; the program that acts as the client in this situation
• tenet (noun): An opinion, belief, or principle that is held as absolute truth by someone or especially an organization.
• tenon (noun): A projecting member left by cutting away the wood around it, and made to insert into a mortise, and in this way secure together the parts of a frame.
• tent (noun): A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins, canvas, or some strong cloth, stretched and sustained by poles, used for sheltering people from the weather.
• tentpole (noun): One of the poles used to hold up a tent.
• tepee (noun): Alternative form of teepee
• tone (noun): A specific pitch.
• tonne (noun): A metric unit of mass equal to a thousand kilograms. Symbol: t
• tootle (verb): To make a soft toot sound.
• tope (verb): To drink excessively; to get drunk.
• topple (verb): To push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something.
• tote (noun): A tote bag.
• type (noun): A grouping based on shared characteristics; a class.
• yell (verb): shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice.
• yelp (noun): An abrupt, high-pitched noise or utterance.
• yente (noun): Alternative spelling of yenta