NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 21, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | O |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | b, d, k, n, r, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 40 words |
| Total Points | 134 points |
| Genius Level | 94 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 | Σ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 9 | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 18 |
| D | 4 | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 8 |
| K | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| N | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| O | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| R | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| Y | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 22 | 9 | 7 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 40 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| B | BO×15 BR×3 |
|---|---|
| D | DO×8 |
| K | KN×2 KO×2 KR×1 |
| N | NO×4 |
| O | OD×1 |
| R | RO×3 |
| Y | YO×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| B | BOD×1 BON×6 BOO×6 BOR×2 BRO×3 |
|---|---|
| D | DOD×1 DON×2 DOO×2 DOR×3 |
| K | KNO×2 KOO×2 KRO×1 |
| N | NOB×1 NOO×3 |
| O | ODO×1 |
| R | RON×1 ROO×2 |
| Y | YON×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) |
|---|---|---|
| bo.. | BO4 | Physical frame. The physical structure of a human or animal seen as one single organism. |
| bo.... | BO6 | A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Evidence of a long-term debt, by which the bond issuer (the borrower) is obliged to pay interest when due, and repay the principal at maturity, as specified on the face of the bond certificate. The rights of the holder are specified in the bond indenture, which contains the legal terms and conditions under which the bond was issued. Bonds are available in two forms: registered bonds, and bearer bonds. |
| bo.. | BO4 | To strike or collide with something. |
| bo... | BO5 | Alternative spelling of bonnie |
| bo.... | BO6 | The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river. |
| bo.. | BO4 | resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone; osseous. |
| bo.. | BO4 | An idiot; a fool. |
| bo.... | BO6 | Alternative spelling of boo-boo |
| bo... | BO5 | A stupid person. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A collection of sheets of paper bound together to hinge at one edge, containing printed or written material, pictures, etc. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A prayer; petition. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A peasant. |
| bo.. | BO4 | past participle of bear; given birth to. |
| bo... | BO5 | The chemical element (symbol B) with an atomic number of 5, which is a metalloid found in its pure form as a dark amorphous powder. |
| br... | BR5 | The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother. |
| br.... | BR6 | A female bird in the condition to incubate eggs; a broody hen, duck, etc. |
| br... | BR5 | To bear; endure; support; put up with; tolerate (usually used in the negative, with an abstract noun as object). |
| do.. | DO4 | A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius. |
| do........ † | DO10 | A brawl or fracas; a scene of chaos. |
| do... | DO5 | One who makes a donation. |
| do.. | DO4 | A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key. |
| do...... | DO8 | A circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of the door. |
| do.. | DO4 | A quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends. Often confused with nerd and geek, but does not imply the same level of intelligence. |
| do... | DO5 | Like a dork. |
| do.. | DO4 | A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers. |
| kn.. | KN4 | A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle. |
| kn.... | KN6 | Resembling a knob. |
| ko.. | KO4 | An eccentric, strange or crazy person. |
| ko... | KO5 | Eccentric, strange, or foolish; crazy or insane; kookish. |
| kr.... | KR6 | plural of krona |
| no.... | NO6 | Not any person; the logical negation of somebody. |
| no.. | NO4 | A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things. |
| no.. | NO4 | A small corner formed by two walls; an alcove. |
| no.. | NO4 | The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday. |
| od.. | OD4 | Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive. |
| ro... | RO5 | A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains. |
| ro.. | RO4 | A crucifix, cross, especially in a church. |
| ro.. | RO4 | A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family. |
| yo.. | YO4 | further; more distant |
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.
- body (BO4)
- bonbon (BO6)
- bond (BO4)
- bonk (BO4)
- bonny (BO5)
- bonobo (BO6)
- bony (BO4)
- boob (BO4)
- booboo (BO6)
- booby (BO5)
- book (BO4)
- boon (BO4)
- boor (BO4)
- born (BO4)
- boron (BO5)
- brood (BR5)
- broody (BR6)
- brook (BR5)
- dodo (DO4)
- donnybrook† (DO10)
- donor (DO5)
- door (DO4)
- doorknob (DO8)
- dork (DO4)
- dorky (DO5)
- dory (DO4)
- knob (KN4)
- knobby (KN6)
- kook (KO4)
- kooky (KO5)
- kronor (KR6)
- nobody (NO6)
- noob (NO4)
- nook (NO4)
- noon (NO4)
- odor (OD4)
- rondo (RO5)
- rood (RO4)
- rook (RO4)
- yond (YO4)
Answer Definitions
- body (noun): Physical frame. The physical structure of a human or animal seen as one single organism.
- bonbon (noun): A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.
- bond (noun): Evidence of a long-term debt, by which the bond issuer (the borrower) is obliged to pay interest when due, and repay the principal at maturity, as specified on the face of the bond certificate. The rights of the holder are specified in the bond indenture, which contains the legal terms and conditions under which the bond was issued. Bonds are available in two forms: registered bonds, and bearer bonds.
- bonk (verb): To strike or collide with something.
- bonny (adjective): Alternative spelling of bonnie
- bonobo (noun): The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.
- bony (adjective): resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone; osseous.
- boob (noun): An idiot; a fool.
- booboo (noun): Alternative spelling of boo-boo
- booby (noun): A stupid person.
- book (noun): A collection of sheets of paper bound together to hinge at one edge, containing printed or written material, pictures, etc.
- boon (noun): A prayer; petition.
- boor (noun): A peasant.
- born (verb): past participle of bear; given birth to.
- boron (noun): The chemical element (symbol B) with an atomic number of 5, which is a metalloid found in its pure form as a dark amorphous powder.
- brood (noun): The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother.
- broody (noun): A female bird in the condition to incubate eggs; a broody hen, duck, etc.
- brook (verb): To bear; endure; support; put up with; tolerate (usually used in the negative, with an abstract noun as object).
- dodo (noun): A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius.
- donnybrook† (noun): A brawl or fracas; a scene of chaos.
- donor (noun): One who makes a donation.
- door (noun): A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key.
- doorknob (noun): A circular device attached to a door, the rotation of which permits the unlatching of the door.
- dork (noun): A quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends. Often confused with nerd and geek, but does not imply the same level of intelligence.
- dorky (adjective): Like a dork.
- dory (noun): A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.
- knob (noun): A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle.
- knobby (adjective): Resembling a knob.
- kook (noun): An eccentric, strange or crazy person.
- kooky (adjective): Eccentric, strange, or foolish; crazy or insane; kookish.
- kronor (noun): plural of krona
- nobody (pronoun): Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.
- noob (noun): A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.
- nook (noun): A small corner formed by two walls; an alcove.
- noon (noun): The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
- odor (noun): Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.
- rondo (noun): A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains.
- rood (noun): A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.
- rook (noun): A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family.
- yond (adjective): further; more distant