NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 12, 2019
Game Summary
| Center Letter | A |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, l, q, r, t, u |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 30 words |
| Total Points | 138 points |
| Genius Level | 97 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</th><th>10</th><th>11</th><th>12 | Σ | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 9 |
| C | 3 | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| L | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Q | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| R | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| T | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| U | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 11 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | 30 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×2 AL×1 AQ×2 AT×2 AU×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×7 CU×1 |
| L | LU×1 |
| Q | QU×1 |
| R | RA×1 RU×1 |
| T | TA×7 TR×1 |
| U | UL×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACC×1 ACT×1 ALT×1 AQU×2 ATT×2 AUR×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CAL×2 CAR×2 CAT×2 CAU×1 CUL×1 |
| L | LUA×1 |
| Q | QUA×1 |
| R | RAT×1 RUR×1 |
| T | TAC×2 TAL×2 TAR×2 TAU×1 TRA×1 |
| U | ULT×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..... | AC7 | An increase; something that accumulates, especially an amount of money that periodically accumulates for a specific purpose |
| ac.... | AC6 | relating to a person's acts or deeds; active, practical |
| al... | AL5 | A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites. |
| aq.. | AQ4 | The compound water. |
| aq.......... † | AQ12 | Of or pertaining to aquaculture. |
| at... | AT5 | An essential oil extracted from flowers. |
| at..... | AT7 | To pull toward without touching. |
| au.. | AU4 | Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something. |
| au... | AU5 | Of or pertaining to the ear. |
| 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... | CA5 | A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 200 milligrams. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, more often used for transporting goods than passengers. |
| ca...... | CA8 | A waterspout. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from a crowd or audience; a jeer, a boo. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen. |
| cu...... | CU8 | Pertaining to culture. |
| lu.. | LU4 | An elaborate Hawaiian feast featuring traditional foods and entertainment. |
| qu... | QU5 | A unit of liquid capacity equal to two pints; one-fourth (quarter) of a gallon. Equivalent to 1.136 liters in the UK and 0.946 liter (liquid quart) or 1.101 liters (dry quart) in the U.S. |
| ra..... | RA7 | A swiftly repeated knocking sound. |
| ru... | RU5 | Relating to the countryside or to agriculture. |
| ta.. | TA4 | The sense of touch; feeling. |
| ta..... | TA7 | Of, or relating to the sense of touch. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Originally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern times (see below). Also an item made of such a mineral and depending for its function on the special nature of the mineral (see next). Mediaeval writers adopted the term from the Arabic. |
| 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.. | TA4 | Sharp to the taste; acid; sour. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight. |
| tr... | TR5 | An area or expanse. |
| ul... | UL5 | Extreme; far beyond the norm; fanatical; uncompromising. |
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.
- accrual (AC7)
- actual (AC6)
- altar (AL5)
- aqua (AQ4)
- aquacultural† (AQ12)
- attar (AT5)
- attract (AT7)
- aura (AU4)
- aural (AU5)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- carat (CA5)
- cart (CA4)
- cataract (CA8)
- catcall (CA7)
- caul (CA4)
- cultural (CU8)
- luau (LU4)
- quart (QU5)
- ratatat (RA7)
- rural (RU5)
- tact (TA4)
- tactual (TA7)
- talc (TA4)
- tall (TA4)
- tart (TA4)
- tartar (TA6)
- taut (TA4)
- tract (TR5)
- ultra (UL5)
Answer Definitions
- accrual (noun): An increase; something that accumulates, especially an amount of money that periodically accumulates for a specific purpose
- actual (adjective): relating to a person's acts or deeds; active, practical
- altar (noun): A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites.
- aqua (noun): The compound water.
- aquacultural† (adjective): Of or pertaining to aquaculture.
- attar (noun): An essential oil extracted from flowers.
- attract (verb): To pull toward without touching.
- aura (noun): Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something.
- aural (adjective): Of or pertaining to the ear.
- 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.
- carat (noun): A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 200 milligrams.
- cart (noun): A small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, more often used for transporting goods than passengers.
- cataract (noun): A waterspout.
- catcall (noun): A shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from a crowd or audience; a jeer, a boo.
- caul (noun): A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen.
- cultural (adjective): Pertaining to culture.
- luau (noun): An elaborate Hawaiian feast featuring traditional foods and entertainment.
- quart (noun): A unit of liquid capacity equal to two pints; one-fourth (quarter) of a gallon. Equivalent to 1.136 liters in the UK and 0.946 liter (liquid quart) or 1.101 liters (dry quart) in the U.S.
- ratatat (noun): A swiftly repeated knocking sound.
- rural (adjective): Relating to the countryside or to agriculture.
- tact (noun): The sense of touch; feeling.
- tactual (adjective): Of, or relating to the sense of touch.
- talc (noun): Originally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern times (see below). Also an item made of such a mineral and depending for its function on the special nature of the mineral (see next). Mediaeval writers adopted the term from the Arabic.
- 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.
- tart (adjective): Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
- tartar (noun): A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar.
- taut (adjective): Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
- tract (noun): An area or expanse.
- ultra (adjective): Extreme; far beyond the norm; fanatical; uncompromising.