NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 31, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | L |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, b, c, i, k, t |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 57 words |
| Total Points | 257 points |
| Genius Level | 180 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 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 |
| B | 7 | 1 | - | 2 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| C | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 10 |
| I | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| K | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| L | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | 10 |
| T | 7 | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | - | 11 | Σ | 22 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 57 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AL×4 AT×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×7 BI×4 BL×4 |
| C | CA×7 CI×1 CL×2 |
| I | IL×2 IT×1 |
| K | KI×3 |
| L | LA×6 LI×4 |
| T | TA×8 TI×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ALA×1 ALI×2 ALK×1 ATI×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAC×3 BAI×1 BAL×3 BIB×1 BIL×3 BLA×4 |
| C | CAB×2 CAL×3 CAT×2 CIL×1 CLA×1 CLI×1 |
| I | ILI×1 ILL×1 ITA×1 |
| K | KIC×1 KIL×2 |
| L | LAB×2 LAC×2 LAI×2 LIC×2 LIL×2 |
| T | TAB×1 TAC×1 TAI×2 TAL×4 TIB×1 TIL×2 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| 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.. | AL4 | simple past tense and past participle of alight |
| 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. |
| at... | AT5 | At an angle from the vertical or horizontal. |
| ba..... | BA7 | plural of bacillus |
| ba..... † | BA7 | simple past tense and past participle of backlight |
| ba...... | BA8 | Verbal impudence or argumentative discourse, given in response. |
| 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. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Of or relating to the Bible. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Articulated with both lips. |
| bi.. | BI4 | The spoiling of someone's score in the crib. |
| bi.. | BI4 | Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff. |
| 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.. | BL4 | To cry, as a calf or sheep; bleat. |
| 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..... | CA7 | A shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from a crowd or audience; a jeer, a boo. |
| ca..... | CA7 | Any of several perennial herbs, of the genus Typha, that have long flat leaves, and grow in marshy places. |
| 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 brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively high-pitched sound produced by the impact of something small and hard against something hard, such as by the operation of a switch, a lock, or a latch. |
| il... | IL5 | Relating to the ilium. |
| il..... | IL7 | Not approved by law, but not invalid. |
| it.... | IT6 | Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century. |
| ki...... | KI8 | A sport similar to baseball, where a ball is kicked rather than hit. |
| ki.. | KI4 | To put to death; to extinguish the life of. |
| ki.. | KI4 | To gather up (skirts) around the body. |
| 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.... | LA6 | Of, relating to, or derived from milk. |
| 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). |
| li... | LI5 | Not forbidden by formal or informal rules. |
| li.. | LI4 | To stroke with the tongue. |
| li... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
| li.. | LI4 | To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music. |
| ta... | TA5 | A pair of tuned hand drums, used in various musical genres of the Indian subcontinent, that are similar to bongos. |
| ta...... | TA8 | of or relating to tactics |
| ta.. | TA4 | The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus. |
| ta...... † | TA8 | A line of motor vehicles causing or the result of traffic congestion or a traffic jam. |
| 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 | plural of talus |
| ta.. | TA4 | To communicate, usually by means of speech. |
| 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. |
| ti.... | TI6 | Of or pertaining to a tibia or a structure associated with a tibia. |
| ti.. | TI4 | Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). |
| ti.. | TI4 | To slope or incline (something); to slant. |
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.
- alack (AL5)
- alibi (AL5)
- alit (AL4)
- alkali (AL6)
- atilt (AT5)
- bacilli (BA7)
- backlit† (BA7)
- backtalk (BA8)
- bail (BA4)
- balalaika (BA9)
- balk (BA4)
- ball (BA4)
- biblical (BI8)
- bilabial (BI8)
- bilk (BI4)
- bill (BI4)
- blab (BL4)
- black (BL5)
- blackball (BL9)
- blat (BL4)
- cabal (CA5)
- cabala (CA6)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- callback (CA8)
- catcall (CA7)
- cattail (CA7)
- cilia (CI5)
- clack (CL5)
- click (CL5)
- iliac (IL5)
- illicit (IL7)
- italic (IT6)
- kickball (KI8)
- kill (KI4)
- kilt (KI4)
- labia (LA5)
- labial (LA6)
- lack (LA4)
- lactic (LA6)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- licit (LI5)
- lick (LI4)
- lilac (LI5)
- lilt (LI4)
- tabla (TA5)
- tactical (TA8)
- tail (TA4)
- tailback† (TA8)
- talc (TA4)
- tali (TA4)
- talk (TA4)
- tall (TA4)
- tibial (TI6)
- till (TI4)
- tilt (TI4)
Answer Definitions
- 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.
- alit (verb): simple past tense and past participle of alight
- 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.
- atilt (adjective): At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.
- bacilli (noun): plural of bacillus
- backlit† (verb): simple past tense and past participle of backlight
- backtalk (noun): Verbal impudence or argumentative discourse, given in response.
- 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.
- biblical (adjective): Of or relating to the Bible.
- bilabial (adjective): Articulated with both lips.
- bilk (noun): The spoiling of someone's score in the crib.
- bill (noun): Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
- 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.
- blat (verb): To cry, as a calf or sheep; bleat.
- 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.
- catcall (noun): A shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from a crowd or audience; a jeer, a boo.
- cattail (noun): Any of several perennial herbs, of the genus Typha, that have long flat leaves, and grow in marshy places.
- 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.
- click (noun): A brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively high-pitched sound produced by the impact of something small and hard against something hard, such as by the operation of a switch, a lock, or a latch.
- iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
- illicit (adjective): Not approved by law, but not invalid.
- italic (adjective): Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.
- kickball (noun): A sport similar to baseball, where a ball is kicked rather than hit.
- kill (verb): To put to death; to extinguish the life of.
- kilt (verb): To gather up (skirts) around the body.
- 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.
- lactic (adjective): Of, relating to, or derived from milk.
- 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).
- licit (adjective): Not forbidden by formal or informal rules.
- lick (verb): To stroke with the tongue.
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- lilt (verb): To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
- tabla (noun): A pair of tuned hand drums, used in various musical genres of the Indian subcontinent, that are similar to bongos.
- tactical (adjective): of or relating to tactics
- tail (noun): The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.
- tailback† (noun): A line of motor vehicles causing or the result of traffic congestion or a traffic jam.
- 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.
- tali (noun): plural of talus
- talk (verb): To communicate, usually by means of speech.
- 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.
- tibial (adjective): Of or pertaining to a tibia or a structure associated with a tibia.
- till (preposition): Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
- tilt (verb): To slope or incline (something); to slant.