NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 8, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | O |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, b, g, n, r, z |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 44 words |
| Total Points | 172 points |
| Genius Level | 120 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 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 6 |
| B | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | - | 19 |
| G | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 1 | 8 |
| N | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 |
| O | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | - | 4 |
| R | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 3 |
| Z | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 18 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 44 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AG×2 AN×2 AR×2 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×4 BO×14 BR×1 |
| G | GA×1 GO×5 GR×2 |
| N | NA×1 NO×3 |
| O | OR×4 |
| R | RA×1 RO×2 |
| Z |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AGO×2 ANG×1 ANO×1 ARB×1 ARG×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×1 BAO×1 BAR×1 BAZ×1 BOA×1 BOB×1 BON×5 BOO×4 BOR×2 BOZ×1 BRO×1 |
| G | GAR×1 GON×3 GOO×1 GOR×1 GRO×2 |
| N | NAB×1 NON×1 NOO×2 |
| O | ORA×1 ORG×2 ORZ×1 |
| R | RAZ×1 ROA×2 |
| Z |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| ag.. | AG4 | In eager desire, eager, astir. |
| ag... | AG5 | A place for gathering. |
| an.... | AN6 | An angora cat. |
| an.. | AN4 | Straight away; at once. |
| ar... | AR5 | A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation. |
| ar... | AR5 | The chemical element (symbol Ar) with an atomic number of 18. The third most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere, it is a colourless, odourless, inert noble gas. |
| ba.... | BA6 | An Old World monkey of the genus Papio, having dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth, cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks. |
| ba.... | BA6 | A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits. |
| ba... | BA5 | The male ruler of a barony. |
| ba... | BA5 | A simple wind instrument, such as a kazoo or tin horn. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A wild boar (Sus scrofa), the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Synonym of tapioca pearl. |
| bo..... | BO7 | A rich mine or vein of silver or gold. |
| bo.... | BO6 | A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy. |
| bo.. | BO4 | The clang of a large bell. |
| bo... | BO5 | A striped bovine mammal found in Africa, Tragelaphus eurycerus. |
| bo.... | BO6 | The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river. |
| bo.. | BO4 | An idiot; a fool. |
| bo.... | BO6 | Alternative spelling of boo-boo |
| bo.. | BO4 | A prayer; petition. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A peasant. |
| bo.. | BO4 | past participle of bear; given birth to. |
| bo... | BO5 | The chemical element (symbol B) with an atomic number of 5, which is a metalloid found in its pure form as a dark amorphous powder. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A stupid, foolish, or ridiculous person, especially a man. |
| br.... | BR6 | A heavy working shoe; a brogue. |
| ga...... † | GA8 | An edible pulse, Cicer arietinum, of the family Leguminosae or Fabaceae and subfamilies Faboideae or Papilionoideae, with white or purple-blue flowers and small feathery leaves on both sides of the stem and pods containing two to three peas. |
| go.. | GO4 | A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a sonorous sound when struck with a soft hammer. |
| go... | GO5 | Contraction of going to when followed by an infinitive verb: used to express a future action. |
| go... | GO5 | Using an unconventional, exaggerated and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story. |
| go.. | GO4 | A thug; a usually muscular henchman with little intelligence (also known as a 'hired goon'). |
| go.... | GO6 | A vicious female monster from Greek mythology with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. One of the three sisters: Medusa, Stheno and Euryale |
| gr... | GR5 | A low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief. |
| gr.. | GR4 | An alcoholic beverage made with rum and water, especially that once issued to sailors of the Royal Navy. |
| na... | NA5 | An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire. |
| no..... | NO7 | A polygon with nine sides and nine angles; an enneagon. |
| no.. | NO4 | A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things. |
| no.. | NO4 | The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday. |
| or... | OR5 | An orangutan. |
| or... | OR5 | The larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions. |
| or..... | OR7 | A thin, stiff, sheer fabric that is made from silk or a synthetic yarn, which resembles organdy, and is used in dressmaking. |
| or.. | OR4 | A form of pasta the size and shape of grains of rice or barley; often used in soups. |
| ra... | RA5 | A keen-edged knife of peculiar shape, used in shaving the hair from the face or other parts of the body. |
| ro.. | RO4 | Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in |
| ro.. | RO4 | To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion. |
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.
- agog (AG4)
- agora (AG5)
- angora (AN6)
- anon (AN4)
- arbor (AR5)
- argon (AR5)
- baboon (BA6)
- baobab (BA6)
- baron (BA5)
- bazoo (BA5)
- boar (BO4)
- boba (BO4)
- bonanza (BO7)
- bonbon (BO6)
- bong (BO4)
- bongo (BO5)
- bonobo (BO6)
- boob (BO4)
- booboo (BO6)
- boon (BO4)
- boor (BO4)
- born (BO4)
- boron (BO5)
- bozo (BO4)
- brogan (BR6)
- garbanzo† (GA8)
- gong (GO4)
- gonna (GO5)
- gonzo (GO5)
- goon (GO4)
- gorgon (GO6)
- groan (GR5)
- grog (GR4)
- nabob (NA5)
- nonagon (NO7)
- noob (NO4)
- noon (NO4)
- orang (OR5)
- organ (OR5)
- organza (OR7)
- orzo (OR4)
- razor (RA5)
- roan (RO4)
- roar (RO4)
Answer Definitions
- agog (adjective): In eager desire, eager, astir.
- agora (noun): A place for gathering.
- angora (noun): An angora cat.
- anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
- arbor (noun): A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation.
- argon (noun): The chemical element (symbol Ar) with an atomic number of 18. The third most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere, it is a colourless, odourless, inert noble gas.
- baboon (noun): An Old World monkey of the genus Papio, having dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth, cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks.
- baobab (noun): A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits.
- baron (noun): The male ruler of a barony.
- bazoo (noun): A simple wind instrument, such as a kazoo or tin horn.
- boar (noun): A wild boar (Sus scrofa), the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig.
- boba (noun): Synonym of tapioca pearl.
- bonanza (noun): A rich mine or vein of silver or gold.
- bonbon (noun): A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.
- bong (noun): The clang of a large bell.
- bongo (noun): A striped bovine mammal found in Africa, Tragelaphus eurycerus.
- bonobo (noun): The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.
- boob (noun): An idiot; a fool.
- booboo (noun): Alternative spelling of boo-boo
- boon (noun): A prayer; petition.
- boor (noun): A peasant.
- born (verb): past participle of bear; given birth to.
- boron (noun): The chemical element (symbol B) with an atomic number of 5, which is a metalloid found in its pure form as a dark amorphous powder.
- bozo (noun): A stupid, foolish, or ridiculous person, especially a man.
- brogan (noun): A heavy working shoe; a brogue.
- garbanzo† (noun): An edible pulse, Cicer arietinum, of the family Leguminosae or Fabaceae and subfamilies Faboideae or Papilionoideae, with white or purple-blue flowers and small feathery leaves on both sides of the stem and pods containing two to three peas.
- gong (noun): A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a sonorous sound when struck with a soft hammer.
- gonna (contraction): Contraction of going to when followed by an infinitive verb: used to express a future action.
- gonzo (adjective): Using an unconventional, exaggerated and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story.
- goon (noun): A thug; a usually muscular henchman with little intelligence (also known as a 'hired goon').
- gorgon (noun): A vicious female monster from Greek mythology with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. One of the three sisters: Medusa, Stheno and Euryale
- groan (noun): A low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.
- grog (noun): An alcoholic beverage made with rum and water, especially that once issued to sailors of the Royal Navy.
- nabob (noun): An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire.
- nonagon (noun): A polygon with nine sides and nine angles; an enneagon.
- noob (noun): A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.
- noon (noun): The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
- orang (noun): An orangutan.
- organ (noun): The larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions.
- organza (noun): A thin, stiff, sheer fabric that is made from silk or a synthetic yarn, which resembles organdy, and is used in dressmaking.
- orzo (noun): A form of pasta the size and shape of grains of rice or barley; often used in soups.
- razor (noun): A keen-edged knife of peculiar shape, used in shaving the hair from the face or other parts of the body.
- roan (adjective): Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in
- roar (verb): To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.