NYT Spelling Bee Answers for September 20, 2019
Game Summary
| Center Letter | L |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, f, i, r, t, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 60 words |
| Total Points | 237 points |
| Genius Level | 166 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 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | 10 |
| F | 6 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
| I | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| L | 6 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 8 |
| R | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 7 |
| T | 5 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 10 |
| Y | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 24 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 60 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AI×2 AL×5 AR×1 AT×2 |
|---|---|
| F | FA×7 FI×5 FL×8 FR×4 |
| I | IL×1 |
| L | LA×3 LI×5 |
| R | RA×4 RI×3 |
| T | TA×5 TI×2 TR×3 |
| Y |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AIR×2 ALF×1 ALI×1 ALL×2 ALT×1 ARI×1 ATI×1 ATR×1 |
|---|---|
| F | FAI×2 FAL×1 FAT×4 FIL×4 FIT×1 FLA×5 FLI×3 FRA×2 FRI×2 |
| I | ILL×1 |
| L | LAI×2 LAR×1 LIA×1 LIF×1 LIL×2 LIR×1 |
| R | RAI×1 RAL×1 RAT×2 RIA×1 RIL×1 RIY×1 |
| T | TAI×1 TAL×3 TAR×1 TIL×2 TRA×1 TRI×2 |
| Y |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| ai.... | AI6 | In an airy manner. |
| ai..... | AI7 | The transportation of troops, civilians or supplies by air, especially in an emergency. |
| al..... | AL7 | A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop. |
| al.. | AL4 | simple past tense and past participle of alight |
| al... | AL5 | To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm. |
| al.. | AL4 | To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty. |
| al... | AL5 | A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites. |
| ar.. | AR4 | A tissue surrounding the seed in certain fruits such as pomegranates. |
| at... | AT5 | At an angle from the vertical or horizontal. |
| at.... | AT6 | Of or pertaining to an atrium, especially the atrium of the heart. |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be unsuccessful. |
| fa.... | FA6 | In a fair manner; fair; not biased or skewed or favouring a certain party |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity. |
| fa... | FA5 | Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny. |
| fa...... | FA8 | The state proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control. |
| fa..... | FA7 | In a fatal manner; lethally. |
| fa... | FA5 | In a fat way; in the manner of a fat person. |
| fi.... | FI6 | Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter. |
| fi...... | FI8 | In a filial manner. |
| fi.. | FI4 | To occupy fully, to take up all of. |
| fi... | FI5 | A young female horse. |
| fi... | FI5 | In a fit manner |
| fl... | FL5 | A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material. |
| fl... | FL5 | A natural or innate talent or aptitude. |
| fl.. | FL4 | Having no variations in height. |
| fl.... | FL6 | In a physically flat or level manner. |
| fl.. | FL4 | To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening). |
| fl... | FL5 | A sudden jerk; a quick throw or cast; a darting motion |
| fl.... | FL6 | Flirting, or seeming to flirt. |
| fl.. | FL4 | A fluttering or darting movement. |
| fr... | FR5 | Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish. |
| fr..... † | FR7 | The condition quality of being frail, physically, mentally, or morally; weakness of resolution; liability to be deceived. |
| fr... | FR5 | A strip of pleated fabric or paper used as decoration or trim. |
| fr.... | FR6 | Having frills; frilled. |
| il.. | IL4 | Badly; poorly. |
| la.. | LA4 | A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground. |
| la... | LA5 | People of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics. |
| la.... | LA6 | A lasso. |
| li.. | LI4 | One who frequently tells lies. |
| li.. | LI4 | To raise or rise. |
| li.. | LI4 | To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music. |
| li.. | LI4 | Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species. |
| li.. | LI4 | The basic unit of currency in Turkey. |
| ra.. | RA4 | A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing. |
| ra... | RA5 | A public gathering or mass meeting that is not mainly a protest and is organized to inspire enthusiasm for a cause. |
| ra..... | RA7 | Any of the large dark-colored deep-sea fish of the Macrouridae family of ray-finned fish. |
| ra.... | RA6 | That rattles. |
| ri.. | RI4 | The official currencies of Iran, Oman, and Yemen. |
| ri.. | RI4 | A very small brook; a streamlet; a creek, rivulet. |
| ri... | RI5 | The official currency of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. |
| ta.. | TA4 | The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus. |
| ta.. | TA4 | plural of talus |
| 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 | Target sighted. |
| ta.... | TA6 | In a tart manner; sourly or bitterly. |
| ti.. | TI4 | Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). |
| ti.. | TI4 | To slope or incline (something); to slant. |
| tr... | TR5 | To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something). |
| tr... | TR5 | An opportunity to test something out; a test. |
| tr... | TR5 | A rapid alternation between an indicated note and the one above it, in musical notation usually indicated with the letters tr written above the staff. |
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.
- airily (AI6)
- airlift (AI7)
- alfalfa (AL7)
- alit (AL4)
- allay (AL5)
- ally (AL4)
- altar (AL5)
- aril (AR4)
- atilt (AT5)
- atrial (AT6)
- fail (FA4)
- fairly (FA6)
- fall (FA4)
- fatal (FA5)
- fatality (FA8)
- fatally (FA7)
- fatly (FA5)
- filial (FI6)
- filially (FI8)
- fill (FI4)
- filly (FI5)
- fitly (FI5)
- flail (FL5)
- flair (FL5)
- flat (FL4)
- flatly (FL6)
- flay (FL4)
- flirt (FL5)
- flirty (FL6)
- flit (FL4)
- frail (FR5)
- frailty† (FR7)
- frill (FR5)
- frilly (FR6)
- illy (IL4)
- lair (LA4)
- laity (LA5)
- lariat (LA6)
- liar (LI4)
- lift (LI4)
- lilt (LI4)
- lily (LI4)
- lira (LI4)
- rail (RA4)
- rally (RA5)
- rattail (RA7)
- rattly (RA6)
- rial (RI4)
- rill (RI4)
- riyal (RI5)
- tail (TA4)
- tali (TA4)
- tall (TA4)
- tally (TA5)
- tartly (TA6)
- till (TI4)
- tilt (TI4)
- trail (TR5)
- trial (TR5)
- trill (TR5)
Answer Definitions
- airily (adverb): In an airy manner.
- airlift (noun): The transportation of troops, civilians or supplies by air, especially in an emergency.
- alfalfa (noun): A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
- alit (verb): simple past tense and past participle of alight
- allay (verb): To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.
- ally (verb): To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty.
- altar (noun): A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites.
- aril (noun): A tissue surrounding the seed in certain fruits such as pomegranates.
- atilt (adjective): At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.
- atrial (adjective): Of or pertaining to an atrium, especially the atrium of the heart.
- fail (verb): To be unsuccessful.
- fairly (adverb): In a fair manner; fair; not biased or skewed or favouring a certain party
- fall (verb): To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
- fatal (adjective): Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny.
- fatality (noun): The state proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control.
- fatally (adverb): In a fatal manner; lethally.
- fatly (adverb): In a fat way; in the manner of a fat person.
- filial (adjective): Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
- filially (adverb): In a filial manner.
- fill (verb): To occupy fully, to take up all of.
- filly (noun): A young female horse.
- fitly (adverb): In a fit manner
- flail (noun): A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
- flair (noun): A natural or innate talent or aptitude.
- flat (adjective): Having no variations in height.
- flatly (adverb): In a physically flat or level manner.
- flay (verb): To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening).
- flirt (noun): A sudden jerk; a quick throw or cast; a darting motion
- flirty (adjective): Flirting, or seeming to flirt.
- flit (noun): A fluttering or darting movement.
- frail (adjective): Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.
- frailty† (noun): The condition quality of being frail, physically, mentally, or morally; weakness of resolution; liability to be deceived.
- frill (noun): A strip of pleated fabric or paper used as decoration or trim.
- frilly (adjective): Having frills; frilled.
- illy (adverb): Badly; poorly.
- lair (noun): A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground.
- laity (noun): People of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics.
- lariat (noun): A lasso.
- liar (noun): One who frequently tells lies.
- lift (verb): To raise or rise.
- lilt (verb): To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
- lily (noun): Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.
- lira (noun): The basic unit of currency in Turkey.
- rail (noun): A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing.
- rally (noun): A public gathering or mass meeting that is not mainly a protest and is organized to inspire enthusiasm for a cause.
- rattail (noun): Any of the large dark-colored deep-sea fish of the Macrouridae family of ray-finned fish.
- rattly (adjective): That rattles.
- rial (noun): The official currencies of Iran, Oman, and Yemen.
- rill (noun): A very small brook; a streamlet; a creek, rivulet.
- riyal (noun): The official currency of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
- tail (noun): The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.
- tali (noun): plural of talus
- 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.
- tally (interjection): Target sighted.
- tartly (adverb): In a tart manner; sourly or bitterly.
- till (preposition): Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
- tilt (verb): To slope or incline (something); to slant.
- trail (verb): To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something).
- trial (noun): An opportunity to test something out; a test.
- trill (noun): A rapid alternation between an indicated note and the one above it, in musical notation usually indicated with the letters tr written above the staff.