NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 3, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | D |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, i, m, r, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 37 words |
| Total Points | 177 points |
| Genius Level | 124 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 9 |
| C | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 3 |
| D | 5 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 12 |
| I | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 6 |
| R | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| T | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | Σ | 12 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 37 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×3 AD×2 AM×1 AR×3 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×2 CI×1 |
| D | DA×3 DI×5 DR×4 |
| I | |
| M | MA×4 MI×2 |
| R | RA×4 |
| T | TA×1 TI×1 TR×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACI×2 ACR×1 ADD×1 ADM×1 AMI×1 ARC×1 ARI×1 ARM×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAR×2 CIC×1 |
| D | DAM×1 DAR×1 DAT×1 DIA×1 DIC×1 DID×2 DIR×1 DRA×4 |
| I | |
| M | MAC×2 MAD×1 MAI×1 MID×2 |
| R | RAD×2 RAI×1 RAM×1 |
| T | TAR×1 TIM×1 TRI×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.. | AC4 | Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar. |
| ac.... | AC6 | Having a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red. |
| ac... | AC5 | Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not to the taste. |
| ad.... | AD6 | A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug |
| ad... | AD5 | To allow to enter; to grant entrance (to), whether into a place, into the mind, or into consideration |
| am.. | AM4 | In the middle of; in the center of; surrounded by. |
| ar..... | AR7 | Alternative letter-case form of Arcadia |
| ar.. | AR4 | Very dry. |
| ar.... | AR6 | A fleet of warships, especially with reference to the Spanish Armada. |
| ca.. | CA4 | cardinality |
| ca..... | CA7 | Pertaining to the heart. |
| ci.... | CI6 | Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings. The periodical cicada. |
| da.... | DA6 | Expressing anger, irritation, contempt, or disappointment. |
| da.. | DA4 | A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin. |
| da.. | DA4 | plural of datum |
| di....... | DI9 | distinguishing |
| di... | DI5 | plural of dictum |
| di.... | DI6 | a didactic person |
| di...... | DI8 | Instructive or intended to teach or demonstrate, especially with regard to morality. |
| di.. | DI4 | Soil or earth. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A small unit of weight, variously: One sixteenth of an ounce avoirdupois (approximately 1.77 g). Alternative form of drachm (“⁄8 ounce apothecary (3.89 g) (symbol: ℨ)”). Synonym of dirhem: a former Turkish unit of weight (variously 1.5–3.5 g). Synonym of drachma: a former Greek unit of weight (about 4.3 g). |
| dr... | DR5 | A composition, normally in prose, telling a story and intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue |
| dr...... † | DR8 | Of or relating to the drama. |
| dr.. | DR4 | To damn or curse. |
| ma..... | MA7 | The surface of a road consisting of layers of crushed stone (usually tar-coated for modern traffic). |
| ma....... | MA9 | An evergreen tree, of the genus Macadamia, native to Australia and cultivated in Hawaii. |
| ma... | MA5 | A polite form of address for a woman or lady. |
| ma.. | MA4 | A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden. |
| mi.... | MI6 | In the act of flight; airborne. |
| mi.. | MI4 | Having a hemline at mid-calf length. |
| ra... | RA5 | A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces |
| ra... | RA5 | plural of radius |
| ra.. | RA4 | A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle. |
| ra.... | RA6 | A simple arbour or open porch, typically roofed with branches. |
| ta........ | TA10 | A mixture of tar and small stones used in paving. |
| ti... | TI5 | Lacking in courage or confidence. |
| tr... | TR5 | A grouping of three. |
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.
- acid (AC4)
- acidic (AC6)
- acrid (AC5)
- addict (AD6)
- admit (AD5)
- amid (AM4)
- arcadia (AR7)
- arid (AR4)
- armada (AR6)
- card (CA4)
- cardiac (CA7)
- cicada (CI6)
- dammit (DA6)
- dart (DA4)
- data (DA4)
- diacritic (DI9)
- dicta (DI5)
- didact (DI6)
- didactic (DI8)
- dirt (DI4)
- dram (DR4)
- drama (DR5)
- dramatic† (DR8)
- drat (DR4)
- macadam (MA7)
- macadamia (MA9)
- madam (MA5)
- maid (MA4)
- midair (MI6)
- midi (MI4)
- radar (RA5)
- radii (RA5)
- raid (RA4)
- ramada (RA6)
- tarmacadam (TA10)
- timid (TI5)
- triad (TR5)
Answer Definitions
- acid (adjective): Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar.
- acidic (adjective): Having a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red.
- acrid (adjective): Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not to the taste.
- addict (noun): A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug
- admit (verb): To allow to enter; to grant entrance (to), whether into a place, into the mind, or into consideration
- amid (preposition): In the middle of; in the center of; surrounded by.
- arcadia (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Arcadia
- arid (adjective): Very dry.
- armada (noun): A fleet of warships, especially with reference to the Spanish Armada.
- card (symbol): cardinality
- cardiac (adjective): Pertaining to the heart.
- cicada (noun): Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings. The periodical cicada.
- dammit (interjection): Expressing anger, irritation, contempt, or disappointment.
- dart (noun): A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
- data (noun): plural of datum
- diacritic (adjective): distinguishing
- dicta (noun): plural of dictum
- didact (noun): a didactic person
- didactic (adjective): Instructive or intended to teach or demonstrate, especially with regard to morality.
- dirt (noun): Soil or earth.
- dram (noun): A small unit of weight, variously: One sixteenth of an ounce avoirdupois (approximately 1.77 g). Alternative form of drachm (“⁄8 ounce apothecary (3.89 g) (symbol: ℨ)”). Synonym of dirhem: a former Turkish unit of weight (variously 1.5–3.5 g). Synonym of drachma: a former Greek unit of weight (about 4.3 g).
- drama (noun): A composition, normally in prose, telling a story and intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue
- dramatic† (adjective): Of or relating to the drama.
- drat (verb): To damn or curse.
- macadam (noun): The surface of a road consisting of layers of crushed stone (usually tar-coated for modern traffic).
- macadamia (noun): An evergreen tree, of the genus Macadamia, native to Australia and cultivated in Hawaii.
- madam (noun): A polite form of address for a woman or lady.
- maid (noun): A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden.
- midair (adjective): In the act of flight; airborne.
- midi (adjective): Having a hemline at mid-calf length.
- radar (noun): A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces
- radii (noun): plural of radius
- raid (noun): A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle.
- ramada (noun): A simple arbour or open porch, typically roofed with branches.
- tarmacadam (noun): A mixture of tar and small stones used in paving.
- timid (adjective): Lacking in courage or confidence.
- triad (noun): A grouping of three.