NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 22, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | A |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | k, l, n, o, p, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 48 words |
| Total Points | 188 points |
| Genius Level | 132 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 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | 9 |
| K | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 |
| L | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| N | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| O | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| P | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| T | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 8 | Σ | 20 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 48 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AL×2 AN×2 AP×2 AT×3 |
|---|---|
| K | KA×3 KO×2 |
| L | LA×2 LL×1 LO×1 |
| N | NA×4 |
| O | OP×1 |
| P | PA×8 PL×6 PO×3 |
| T | TA×6 TO×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ALL×1 ALT×1 ANA×1 ANO×1 APO×1 APP×1 ATO×3 |
|---|---|
| K | KAP×2 KAT×1 KOA×1 KOL×1 |
| L | LAN×1 LAP×1 LLA×1 LOA×1 |
| N | NAA×1 NAN×1 NAT×2 |
| O | OPA×1 |
| P | PAL×4 PAN×2 PAP×2 PLA×6 POL×1 POP×1 POT×1 |
| T | TAL×3 TAN×1 TAP×1 TAT×1 TON×1 TOT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| al... | AL5 | To distribute or apportion by (or as if by) lot. |
| al.. | AL4 | A musical part or section higher than tenor and lower than soprano, formerly the part that performed a countermelody above the tenor or main melody. |
| an.. | AN4 | of, related to, intended for or involving the anus. |
| an.. | AN4 | Straight away; at once. |
| ap.... | AP6 | A very handsome young man. |
| ap.... | AP6 | To fill with horror; to dismay. |
| at... | AT5 | a type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform. Atolls have a unique geology, so not all islands with a reef and a lagoon are atolls |
| at.... | AT6 | Lacking a tonal center or key. |
| at.. | AT4 | On the top of. |
| ka... | KA5 | A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc. |
| ka... | KA5 | The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet. |
| ka.... | KA6 | A type of Japanese longsword or 日本刀 (nihontō), having a single edge and slight curvature, historically used by samurai and ninja. |
| ko... | KO5 | A tree-dwelling marsupial, Phascolarctos cinereus, that resembles a small bear with a broad head, large ears and sharp claws, mainly found in eastern Australia. |
| ko.. | KO4 | A tree, genus Cola, bearing large brown seeds ("nuts") that are the source of cola extract. |
| la.. | LA4 | Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean. |
| la.... | LA6 | A laptop computer. |
| ll... | LL5 | A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America. |
| lo.. | LO4 | An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use. |
| na.. | NA4 | A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine. |
| na.. | NA4 | A banana. |
| na... | NA5 | Of or relating to birth. |
| na.... | NA6 | floating or swimming (in water) |
| op.. | OP4 | A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO2·nH2O. A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch) |
| pa..... | PA7 | Pertaining to the palate. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Senses relating to cloth. Fine cloth, especially purple cloth used for robes. A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse. A piece of cardboard, covered with linen and embroidered on one side, used to cover the chalice during the Eucharist. A cloth used for various purposes on the altar in a church, such as a corporal (“cloth on which elements of the Eucharist are placed”) or frontal (“drapery covering the front of an altar”). |
| pa..... | PA7 | A stupid, oafish or clumsy person. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Synonym of pedipalp. |
| pa.. | PA4 | A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp: the panting of animals such as a dog with their tong hung out- as a form of thermoregulation. |
| pa....... | PA9 | An aging buffoon. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father. |
| pa... | PA5 | Having to do with the pope or the papacy. |
| pl.. | PL4 | A drawing showing technical details of a building, machine, etc., with unwanted details omitted, and often using symbols rather than detailed drawing to represent doors, valves, etc. |
| pl... | PL5 | A long, broad and thick piece of timber, as opposed to a board which is less thick. |
| pl...... † | PL8 | Organisms, especially small and microscopic ones, that drift in water. |
| pl... | PL5 | An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree. |
| pl.. | PL4 | A plot of land; a lot. |
| pl..... | PL7 | A unit of thirty to forty soldiers typically commanded by a lieutenant and forming part of a company. |
| po... | PO5 | A lively dance originating in Bohemia. |
| po... | PO5 | father, papa. |
| po.... | PO6 | The tuber of a plant, Solanum tuberosum, eaten as a starchy vegetable, particularly in the Americas and Europe; this plant. |
| ta.. | TA4 | To communicate, usually by means of speech. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall. |
| ta... | TA5 | A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other predatory animal. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A closed container for liquids or gases. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry. |
| ta.... | TA6 | An image made in the skin with ink and a needle. |
| to... | TO5 | Of or relating to tones or tonality. |
| to... | TO5 | An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts. |
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.
- allot (AL5)
- alto (AL4)
- anal (AN4)
- anon (AN4)
- apollo (AP6)
- appall (AP6)
- atoll (AT5)
- atonal (AT6)
- atop (AT4)
- kapok (KA5)
- kappa (KA5)
- katana (KA6)
- koala (KO5)
- kola (KO4)
- lank (LA4)
- laptop (LA6)
- llano (LL5)
- loan (LO4)
- naan (NA4)
- nana (NA4)
- natal (NA5)
- natant (NA6)
- opal (OP4)
- palatal (PA7)
- pall (PA4)
- palooka (PA7)
- palp (PA4)
- pant (PA4)
- pantaloon (PA9)
- papa (PA4)
- papal (PA5)
- plan (PL4)
- plank (PL5)
- plankton† (PL8)
- plant (PL5)
- plat (PL4)
- platoon (PL7)
- polka (PO5)
- poppa (PO5)
- potato (PO6)
- talk (TA4)
- tall (TA4)
- talon (TA5)
- tank (TA4)
- tapa (TA4)
- tattoo (TA6)
- tonal (TO5)
- total (TO5)
Answer Definitions
- allot (verb): To distribute or apportion by (or as if by) lot.
- alto (noun): A musical part or section higher than tenor and lower than soprano, formerly the part that performed a countermelody above the tenor or main melody.
- anal (adjective): of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
- anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
- apollo (noun): A very handsome young man.
- appall (verb): To fill with horror; to dismay.
- atoll (noun): a type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform. Atolls have a unique geology, so not all islands with a reef and a lagoon are atolls
- atonal (adjective): Lacking a tonal center or key.
- atop (preposition): On the top of.
- kapok (noun): A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc.
- kappa (noun): The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet.
- katana (noun): A type of Japanese longsword or 日本刀 (nihontō), having a single edge and slight curvature, historically used by samurai and ninja.
- koala (noun): A tree-dwelling marsupial, Phascolarctos cinereus, that resembles a small bear with a broad head, large ears and sharp claws, mainly found in eastern Australia.
- kola (noun): A tree, genus Cola, bearing large brown seeds ("nuts") that are the source of cola extract.
- lank (adjective): Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean.
- laptop (noun): A laptop computer.
- llano (noun): A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America.
- loan (noun): An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
- naan (noun): A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
- nana (noun): A banana.
- natal (adjective): Of or relating to birth.
- natant (adjective): floating or swimming (in water)
- opal (noun): A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO2·nH2O. A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
- palatal (adjective): Pertaining to the palate.
- pall (noun): Senses relating to cloth. Fine cloth, especially purple cloth used for robes. A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse. A piece of cardboard, covered with linen and embroidered on one side, used to cover the chalice during the Eucharist. A cloth used for various purposes on the altar in a church, such as a corporal (“cloth on which elements of the Eucharist are placed”) or frontal (“drapery covering the front of an altar”).
- palooka (noun): A stupid, oafish or clumsy person.
- palp (noun): Synonym of pedipalp.
- pant (noun): A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp: the panting of animals such as a dog with their tong hung out- as a form of thermoregulation.
- pantaloon (noun): An aging buffoon.
- papa (noun): Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father.
- papal (adjective): Having to do with the pope or the papacy.
- plan (noun): A drawing showing technical details of a building, machine, etc., with unwanted details omitted, and often using symbols rather than detailed drawing to represent doors, valves, etc.
- plank (noun): A long, broad and thick piece of timber, as opposed to a board which is less thick.
- plankton† (noun): Organisms, especially small and microscopic ones, that drift in water.
- plant (noun): An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree.
- plat (noun): A plot of land; a lot.
- platoon (noun): A unit of thirty to forty soldiers typically commanded by a lieutenant and forming part of a company.
- polka (noun): A lively dance originating in Bohemia.
- poppa (noun): father, papa.
- potato (noun): The tuber of a plant, Solanum tuberosum, eaten as a starchy vegetable, particularly in the Americas and Europe; this plant.
- talk (verb): To communicate, usually by means of speech.
- tall (adjective): Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.
- talon (noun): A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other predatory animal.
- tank (noun): A closed container for liquids or gases.
- tapa (noun): A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry.
- tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
- tonal (adjective): Of or relating to tones or tonality.
- total (noun): An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.