NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 21, 2019
Game Summary
| Center Letter | P |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, d, o, r, t, u |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 33 words |
| Total Points | 137 points |
| Genius Level | 96 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 | Σ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| D | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 3 |
| O | - | - | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| P | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| R | - | - | - | - | - |
| T | - | 1 | 1 | - | 2 |
| U | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 | Σ | 14 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 33 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CO×5 CR×2 CU×1 |
|---|---|
| D | DR×3 |
| O | OC×1 OU×3 |
| P | PO×5 PR×5 PU×4 |
| R | |
| T | TO×1 TR×1 |
| U | UP×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | COO×2 COP×1 COR×1 COU×1 CRO×2 CUT×1 |
|---|---|
| D | DRO×3 |
| O | OCT×1 OUT×3 |
| P | POO×2 POR×1 POU×2 PRO×5 PUR×2 PUT×2 |
| R | |
| T | TOR×1 TRO×1 |
| U | UPD×1 UPR×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) |
|---|---|---|
| co.. | CO4 | A basket, pen or enclosure for birds or small animals. |
| co... | CO5 | Alternative spelling of co-opt |
| co.... | CO6 | Alternative spelling of cop-out |
| co..... | CO7 | Willing to act dishonestly for personal gain; accepting bribes. |
| co.. | CO4 | A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act. |
| cr.. | CR4 | A plant, especially a cereal, grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or fuel or for any other economic purpose. |
| cr... | CR5 | The top of the rump of a horse or other quadruped. |
| cu... | CU5 | Someone who cuts up; someone who acts boisterously or clownishly, for example, by playing practical jokes. |
| dr... | DR5 | To hang downward; to sag. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid. |
| dr..... | DR7 | Someone who has left an educational institution without completing the course |
| oc..... | OC7 | Any animal with eight feet or foot-like parts. |
| ou..... | OU7 | A piece of land that stands out (usually into water) from the land surrounding. |
| ou..... | OU7 | The act of pouring out. |
| ou.... | OU6 | Production; quantity produced, created, or completed. |
| po.. | PO4 | To make a short blast on a horn. |
| po.. | PO4 | With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them. |
| po.. | PO4 | A place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. |
| po.. | PO4 | To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it. |
| po.. | PO4 | To push out one's lips. |
| pr..... | PR7 | A person who supervises students as they take an examination, in the United States at the college/university level; often the department secretary, or a fellow/graduate student; an invigilator. |
| pr.. | PR4 | To poke, to push, to touch. |
| pr..... † | PR7 | A commodity offered for sale. |
| pr.. | PR4 | An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports. |
| pr... | PR5 | Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified. |
| pu..... | PU7 | To convey, imply, or profess (often falsely or inaccurately). |
| pu.. | PU4 | Of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented. |
| pu.... | PU6 | A play in which a batter is retired |
| pu.. | PU4 | The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green. |
| to.... | TO6 | A state of being inactive or stuporous. |
| tr... | TR5 | A collection of people; a number; a multitude (in general). |
| up.. | UP4 | A woman's hairdo in which most hair is kept above the neck |
| up.... | UP6 | To tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots; to extirpate, to root up. |
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.
- coop (CO4)
- coopt (CO5)
- copout (CO6)
- corrupt (CO7)
- coup (CO4)
- crop (CR4)
- croup (CR5)
- cutup (CU5)
- droop (DR5)
- drop (DR4)
- dropout (DR7)
- octopod (OC7)
- outcrop (OU7)
- outpour (OU7)
- output (OU6)
- poop (PO4)
- poor (PO4)
- port (PO4)
- pour (PO4)
- pout (PO4)
- proctor (PR7)
- prod (PR4)
- product† (PR7)
- prop (PR4)
- proud (PR5)
- purport (PU7)
- purr (PU4)
- putout (PU6)
- putt (PU4)
- torpor (TO6)
- troop (TR5)
- updo (UP4)
- uproot (UP6)
Answer Definitions
- coop (noun): A basket, pen or enclosure for birds or small animals.
- coopt (verb): Alternative spelling of co-opt
- copout (noun): Alternative spelling of cop-out
- corrupt (adjective): Willing to act dishonestly for personal gain; accepting bribes.
- coup (noun): A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act.
- crop (noun): A plant, especially a cereal, grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or fuel or for any other economic purpose.
- croup (noun): The top of the rump of a horse or other quadruped.
- cutup (noun): Someone who cuts up; someone who acts boisterously or clownishly, for example, by playing practical jokes.
- droop (verb): To hang downward; to sag.
- drop (noun): A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
- dropout (noun): Someone who has left an educational institution without completing the course
- octopod (noun): Any animal with eight feet or foot-like parts.
- outcrop (noun): A piece of land that stands out (usually into water) from the land surrounding.
- outpour (noun): The act of pouring out.
- output (noun): Production; quantity produced, created, or completed.
- poop (verb): To make a short blast on a horn.
- poor (adjective): With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.
- port (noun): A place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.
- pour (verb): To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it.
- pout (verb): To push out one's lips.
- proctor (noun): A person who supervises students as they take an examination, in the United States at the college/university level; often the department secretary, or a fellow/graduate student; an invigilator.
- prod (verb): To poke, to push, to touch.
- product† (noun): A commodity offered for sale.
- prop (noun): An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports.
- proud (adjective): Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.
- purport (verb): To convey, imply, or profess (often falsely or inaccurately).
- purr (verb): Of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented.
- putout (noun): A play in which a batter is retired
- putt (noun): The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
- torpor (noun): A state of being inactive or stuporous.
- troop (noun): A collection of people; a number; a multitude (in general).
- updo (noun): A woman's hairdo in which most hair is kept above the neck
- uproot (verb): To tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots; to extirpate, to root up.