NYT Spelling Bee Answers for February 12, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | T |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, b, d, o, r, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 55 words |
| Total Points | 222 points |
| Genius Level | 155 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</th><th>9 | Σ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| B | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | - | 8 |
| D | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 6 |
| O | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| R | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 9 |
| T | 11 | 10 | 3 | - | - | - | 24 |
| Y | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 21 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 55 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×2 AO×1 AR×1 AT×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×2 BO×4 BR×2 |
| D | DA×3 DO×2 DR×1 |
| O | OA×1 OR×2 |
| R | RA×2 RO×7 |
| T | TA×12 TO×7 TR×4 TY×1 |
| Y |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABB×1 ABO×1 AOR×1 ART×1 ATT×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAT×2 BOA×2 BOO×2 BRA×2 |
| D | DAR×2 DAT×1 DOT×2 DRA×1 |
| O | OAT×1 ORA×2 |
| R | RAT×2 ROB×1 ROO×1 ROT×5 |
| T | TAB×4 TAR×6 TAT×2 TOA×2 TOD×2 TOO×1 TOR×2 TRA×1 TRO×3 TYR×1 |
| 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) |
|---|---|---|
| ab... | AB5 | The superior or head of an abbey or monastery. |
| ab... | AB5 | An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making such a mission. |
| ao... | AO5 | The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system. |
| ar.. | AR4 | Inclined toward paintings, music, etc. |
| at... | AT5 | An essential oil extracted from flowers. |
| ba.... | BA6 | A boy employed to watch over the bats, and assist the players in retrieving them during play. |
| ba... | BA5 | Mad, crazy, silly. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A craft used for transportation of goods, fishing, racing, recreational cruising, or military use on or in the water, propelled by oars or outboard motor or inboard motor or by wind. |
| bo...... † | BO8 | A place where boats are built and repaired. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg. A kind of sports shoe worn by players of certain games such as cricket and football. |
| bo... | BO5 | A form of prize which, when a ship was captured at sea, could be distributed at once. |
| br.. | BR4 | A human child. A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish. |
| br.... | BR6 | Characteristic of a brat; unruly and impolite. |
| da.. | DA4 | A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin. |
| da....... | DA9 | A board used as a target for throwing darts. |
| da.. | DA4 | plural of datum |
| do.... | DO6 | An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage. |
| do... | DO5 | Mildly insane or eccentric; often, senile. |
| dr.. | DR4 | To damn or curse. |
| oa.. | OA4 | Containing oats. |
| or.... | OR6 | Someone who orates or delivers an oration. |
| or..... | OR7 | A private chapel or prayer room. |
| ra..... | RA7 | A swiftly repeated knocking sound. |
| ra... | RA5 | Resembling or characteristic of a certain rodent. |
| ro... | RO5 | A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour. |
| ro.. | RO4 | The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction. |
| ro.... | RO6 | Capable of rotation. |
| ro..... | RO7 | One who or that which rotates. |
| ro...... | RO8 | of, pertaining to, or causing rotation; rotational |
| ro.. | RO4 | Clipping of rotogravure. |
| ro... | RO5 | A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A silk banner attached to a bugle or trumpet. |
| ta... | TA5 | A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering. |
| ta... | TA5 | An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion. |
| ta... | TA5 | A small drum. In traditional music, a small drum played with a single stick, leaving the player's other hand free to play a melody on a three-holed pipe. |
| ta... | TA5 | Late; overdue or delayed. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato. |
| ta... | TA5 | A card game played in various different variations. |
| ta... | TA5 | To delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything. |
| 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.... | TA6 | An image made in the skin with ink and a needle. |
| ta... | TA5 | worn and shabby; in poor condition. |
| to.. | TO4 | An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae. |
| to... | TO5 | A sycophant who flatters others to gain personal advantage, or an obsequious, servile lackey or minion. |
| to... | TO5 | On the current day or date. |
| to... | TO5 | Clipping of hot toddy. |
| to.. | TO4 | The noise of a horn or whistle. |
| to.. | TO4 | A traditional Japanese lantern. |
| to.. | TO4 | An injury or wrong. |
| tr.. | TR4 | A small, typically rectangular or round, flat, and rigid object upon which things are carried. |
| tr.. | TR4 | simple past tense of tread |
| tr.. | TR4 | An ugly old woman, a hag. |
| tr.. | TR4 | Of, or relating to, troy weight. |
| ty.. | TY4 | A beginner; a novice. |
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.
- abbot (AB5)
- abort (AB5)
- aorta (AO5)
- arty (AR4)
- attar (AT5)
- batboy (BA6)
- batty (BA5)
- boat (BO4)
- boatyard† (BO8)
- boot (BO4)
- booty (BO5)
- brat (BR4)
- bratty (BR6)
- dart (DA4)
- dartboard (DA9)
- data (DA4)
- dotard (DO6)
- dotty (DO5)
- drat (DR4)
- oaty (OA4)
- orator (OR6)
- oratory (OR7)
- ratatat (RA7)
- ratty (RA5)
- robot (RO5)
- root (RO4)
- rotary (RO6)
- rotator (RO7)
- rotatory (RO8)
- roto (RO4)
- rotor (RO5)
- tabard (TA6)
- tabby (TA5)
- taboo (TA5)
- tabor (TA5)
- tardy (TA5)
- taro (TA4)
- tarot (TA5)
- tarry (TA5)
- tart (TA4)
- tartar (TA6)
- tattoo (TA6)
- tatty (TA5)
- toad (TO4)
- toady (TO5)
- today (TO5)
- toddy (TO5)
- toot (TO4)
- toro (TO4)
- tort (TO4)
- tray (TR4)
- trod (TR4)
- trot (TR4)
- troy (TR4)
- tyro (TY4)
Answer Definitions
- abbot (noun): The superior or head of an abbey or monastery.
- abort (noun): An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making such a mission.
- aorta (noun): The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
- arty (adjective): Inclined toward paintings, music, etc.
- attar (noun): An essential oil extracted from flowers.
- batboy (noun): A boy employed to watch over the bats, and assist the players in retrieving them during play.
- batty (adjective): Mad, crazy, silly.
- boat (noun): A craft used for transportation of goods, fishing, racing, recreational cruising, or military use on or in the water, propelled by oars or outboard motor or inboard motor or by wind.
- boatyard† (noun): A place where boats are built and repaired.
- boot (noun): A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg. A kind of sports shoe worn by players of certain games such as cricket and football.
- booty (noun): A form of prize which, when a ship was captured at sea, could be distributed at once.
- brat (noun): A human child. A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish.
- bratty (adjective): Characteristic of a brat; unruly and impolite.
- dart (noun): A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
- dartboard (noun): A board used as a target for throwing darts.
- data (noun): plural of datum
- dotard (noun): An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage.
- dotty (adjective): Mildly insane or eccentric; often, senile.
- drat (verb): To damn or curse.
- oaty (adjective): Containing oats.
- orator (noun): Someone who orates or delivers an oration.
- oratory (noun): A private chapel or prayer room.
- ratatat (noun): A swiftly repeated knocking sound.
- ratty (adjective): Resembling or characteristic of a certain rodent.
- robot (noun): A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour.
- root (noun): The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction.
- rotary (adjective): Capable of rotation.
- rotator (noun): One who or that which rotates.
- rotatory (adjective): of, pertaining to, or causing rotation; rotational
- roto (noun): Clipping of rotogravure.
- rotor (noun): A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.
- tabard (noun): A silk banner attached to a bugle or trumpet.
- tabby (noun): A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
- taboo (noun): An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
- tabor (noun): A small drum. In traditional music, a small drum played with a single stick, leaving the player's other hand free to play a melody on a three-holed pipe.
- tardy (adjective): Late; overdue or delayed.
- taro (noun): Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
- tarot (noun): A card game played in various different variations.
- tarry (verb): To delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything.
- 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.
- tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
- tatty (noun): worn and shabby; in poor condition.
- toad (noun): An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
- toady (noun): A sycophant who flatters others to gain personal advantage, or an obsequious, servile lackey or minion.
- today (adverb): On the current day or date.
- toddy (noun): Clipping of hot toddy.
- toot (noun): The noise of a horn or whistle.
- toro (noun): A traditional Japanese lantern.
- tort (noun): An injury or wrong.
- tray (noun): A small, typically rectangular or round, flat, and rigid object upon which things are carried.
- trod (verb): simple past tense of tread
- trot (noun): An ugly old woman, a hag.
- troy (adjective): Of, or relating to, troy weight.
- tyro (noun): A beginner; a novice.