NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 23, 2018
Game Summary
| Center Letter | A |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | b, c, i, k, l, m |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 62 words |
| Total Points | 251 points |
| Genius Level | 176 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 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 8 |
| B | 8 | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| C | 4 | 5 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 11 |
| I | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 |
| K | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 2 |
| L | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 9 |
| M | 7 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 11 | Σ | 26 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 62 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×2 AC×3 AL×3 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×9 BI×2 BL×5 |
| C | CA×7 CI×1 CL×3 |
| I | IA×3 IL×1 IM×1 |
| K | KI×2 |
| L | LA×7 LI×1 LL×1 |
| M | MA×10 MI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABA×2 ACA×2 ACC×1 ALA×1 ALI×1 ALK×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×2 BAC×2 BAI×1 BAL×4 BIB×1 BIL×1 BLA×5 |
| C | CAB×2 CAL×4 CAM×1 CIL×1 CLA×3 |
| I | IAM×3 ILI×1 IMA×1 |
| K | KIC×2 |
| L | LAB×2 LAC×1 LAI×2 LAM×2 LIL×1 LLA×1 |
| M | MAC×1 MAI×2 MAK×1 MAL×2 MAM×4 MIC×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ab... | AB5 | plural form of an ancient bead calculator. |
| ab... | AB5 | Toward the rear; Phrase: 'to be taken ____', meaning 'surprised'. |
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| ac..... | AC7 | To shout; to call out. |
| al... | AL5 | An expression of sorrow or mourning. |
| al... | AL5 | The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed. |
| al.... | AL6 | One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. |
| ba... | BA5 | A Central and Eastern European coffee cake flavored with orange rind, rum, almonds, and raisins. |
| ba..... | BA7 | plural of bacillus |
| ba.. | BA4 | At or near the rear. |
| ba.. | BA4 | Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial. |
| ba....... | BA9 | A plucked stringed instrument with a triangular body, short neck and three strings, of Russian origin. |
| ba.. | BA4 | An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass. |
| ba.. | BA4 | Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Of or relating to the Bible. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Articulated with both lips. |
| bl.. | BL4 | To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion. |
| bl... | BL5 | Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless. |
| bl....... | BL9 | A rejection; a vote against admitting someone. |
| bl....... † | BL9 | The extortion of money or favours by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure. |
| bl.. | BL4 | A sudden, explosive sound, such as is made by a gunshot |
| ca... | CA5 | A secret political clique or faction. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Alternative spelling of Kabballah |
| ca.. | CA4 | A telephone conversation; a phone call. |
| ca... | CA5 | A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe. |
| ca...... | CA8 | The return of a situation to a previous position or state. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A camisole. |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cilium |
| cl... | CL5 | An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk. |
| cl... | CL5 | A demand of ownership made for something. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve. |
| ia.. | IA4 | A metrical foot in verse consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. |
| ia... | IA5 | plural of iambus |
| ia.... | IA6 | Consisting of iambs (metrical feet with an unstressed-stressed pattern) or characterized by their predominance. |
| il... | IL5 | Relating to the ilium. |
| im.. | IM4 | One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque. |
| ki...... | KI8 | A backward kick, a retrograde movement of an extremity. |
| ki...... | KI8 | A sport similar to baseball, where a ball is kicked rather than hit. |
| la... | LA5 | The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of or pertaining to the lips or labia. |
| la.. | LA4 | A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want. |
| la.. | LA4 | A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity). |
| la.. | LA4 | A master of Tibetan Buddhism. |
| la.. | LA4 | A young sheep. |
| li... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
| ll... | LL5 | A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat. |
| ma.. | MA4 | An individual skilled in the art of seduction using verbal skills. |
| ma.. | MA4 | A bag or wallet. |
| ma.. | MA4 | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. |
| ma.. | MA4 | A ring-tailed lemur. |
| ma... | MA5 | Pertaining to apples. |
| ma.. | MA4 | A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct. |
| ma.. | MA4 | Mother, female parent. |
| ma... | MA5 | Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees. |
| ma... | MA5 | The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder. |
| ma.... | MA6 | An animal of the class Mammalia, characterized by being warm-blooded, having hair and producing milk with which to feed its young. |
| mi.. | MI4 | Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic. |
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.
- abaci (AB5)
- aback (AB5)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- acclaim (AC7)
- alack (AL5)
- alibi (AL5)
- alkali (AL6)
- baba (BA4)
- babka (BA5)
- bacilli (BA7)
- back (BA4)
- bail (BA4)
- balalaika (BA9)
- balk (BA4)
- ball (BA4)
- balm (BA4)
- biblical (BI8)
- bilabial (BI8)
- blab (BL4)
- black (BL5)
- blackball (BL9)
- blackmail† (BL9)
- blam (BL4)
- cabal (CA5)
- cabala (CA6)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- callback (CA8)
- calm (CA4)
- cami (CA4)
- cilia (CI5)
- clack (CL5)
- claim (CL5)
- clam (CL4)
- iamb (IA4)
- iambi (IA5)
- iambic (IA6)
- iliac (IL5)
- imam (IM4)
- kickback (KI8)
- kickball (KI8)
- labia (LA5)
- labial (LA6)
- lack (LA4)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- lama (LA4)
- lamb (LA4)
- lilac (LI5)
- llama (LL5)
- mack (MA4)
- mail (MA4)
- maim (MA4)
- maki (MA4)
- malic (MA5)
- mall (MA4)
- mama (MA4)
- mamba (MA5)
- mamma (MA5)
- mammal (MA6)
- mica (MI4)
Answer Definitions
- abaci (noun): plural form of an ancient bead calculator.
- aback (adverb): Toward the rear; Phrase: 'to be taken ____', meaning 'surprised'.
- acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
- acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
- acclaim (verb): To shout; to call out.
- alack (interjection): An expression of sorrow or mourning.
- alibi (noun): The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
- alkali (noun): One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.
- baba (noun): A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- babka (noun): A Central and Eastern European coffee cake flavored with orange rind, rum, almonds, and raisins.
- bacilli (noun): plural of bacillus
- back (adjective): At or near the rear.
- bail (noun): Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
- balalaika (noun): A plucked stringed instrument with a triangular body, short neck and three strings, of Russian origin.
- balk (noun): An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.
- ball (noun): A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
- balm (noun): Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
- biblical (adjective): Of or relating to the Bible.
- bilabial (adjective): Articulated with both lips.
- blab (verb): To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
- black (adjective): Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.
- blackball (noun): A rejection; a vote against admitting someone.
- blackmail† (noun): The extortion of money or favours by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.
- blam (noun): A sudden, explosive sound, such as is made by a gunshot
- cabal (noun): A secret political clique or faction.
- cabala (proper noun): Alternative spelling of Kabballah
- call (noun): A telephone conversation; a phone call.
- calla (noun): A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
- callback (noun): The return of a situation to a previous position or state.
- calm (adjective): Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.
- cami (noun): A camisole.
- cilia (noun): plural of cilium
- clack (noun): An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk.
- claim (noun): A demand of ownership made for something.
- clam (noun): A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
- iamb (noun): A metrical foot in verse consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
- iambi (noun): plural of iambus
- iambic (adjective): Consisting of iambs (metrical feet with an unstressed-stressed pattern) or characterized by their predominance.
- iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
- imam (noun): One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.
- kickback (noun): A backward kick, a retrograde movement of an extremity.
- kickball (noun): A sport similar to baseball, where a ball is kicked rather than hit.
- labia (noun): The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.
- labial (adjective): Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.
- lack (noun): A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want.
- laic (noun): A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
- laical (adjective): Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity).
- lama (noun): A master of Tibetan Buddhism.
- lamb (noun): A young sheep.
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- llama (noun): A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.
- mack (noun): An individual skilled in the art of seduction using verbal skills.
- mail (noun): A bag or wallet.
- maim (verb): To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.
- maki (noun): A ring-tailed lemur.
- malic (adjective): Pertaining to apples.
- mall (noun): A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.
- mama (noun): Mother, female parent.
- mamba (noun): Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees.
- mamma (noun): The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder.
- mammal (noun): An animal of the class Mammalia, characterized by being warm-blooded, having hair and producing milk with which to feed its young.
- mica (noun): Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic.