NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 15, 2020

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 15, 2020

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 15, 2020
Center LetterC
Outer Lettersh, i, k, o, r, y
# of Pangrams1 (Perfect: 1)
Total Words31 words
Total Points116 points
Genius Level81 points
Bingo?No

Table of Contents

As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!

  1. Spelling Bee Grid
  2. Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
  3. Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
  4. Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
  5. Today's Complete Solution
  6. Answer Definitions

If you're just here for a list of NYT Spelling Bee answers, Jump down to the answers ↓ (Spoiler Alert!).

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 15, 2020

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>7Σ
C6111119
H21-14
I1---1
K11--2
O-----
R311-5
Y-----
Σ13142231

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.

C
CH×7
CI×1
CO×6
CR×5
H
HI×2
HO×2
I
IC×1
K
KI×2
O
R
RI×2
RO×3
Y

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.

C
CHI×4
CHO×3
CIR×1
COC×3
COH×1
COO×1
COR×1
CRI×1
CRO×4
H
HIC×2
HOC×1
HOO×1
I
ICK×1
K
KIC×2
O
R
RIC×2
ROC×3
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 ().

Word2L RefDefinition (click to reveal)
ch..CH4Elegant, stylish.
ch....CH6Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
ch...CH5A young bird.
ch.....CH7Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family. The common chicory (Cichorium intybus), the source of Belgian endive, radicchio, and sugarloaf.
ch...CH5Any object used as a wedge or filler, especially when placed behind a wheel to prevent it from rolling.
ch...CH5A group of people who sing together; a company of people who are trained to sing together.
ch...CH5Alternative form of chokey
ci...CI5plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
co...CO5plural of coccus
co..CO4A male bird, especially: A rooster: a male gallinaceous bird, especially a male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). A cock pigeon.
co...CO5Overly confident; arrogant and boastful.
co..CO4An anadromus and semelparous salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, found in the coastal regions of the northern Pacific Ocean, used as a symbol by several Native American tribes.
co..CO4A person who prepares food.
co..CO4The bark of the cork oak, which is very light and porous and used for making bottle stoppers, flotation devices, and insulation material.
cr...CR5A painful muscular cramp or spasm of some part of the body, as of the neck or back, making it difficult to move the part affected. (Compare catch.)
cr..CR4A crocodile.
cr...CR5plural of crocus
cr...CR5A stoneware or earthenware jar or storage container.
cr...CR5A bend; turn; curve; curvature; a flexure.
hi..HI4An awkward, naive, clumsy and/or rude country person.
hi..... HI7Of or pertaining to the hickory tree or its wood.
ho..HO4A Rhenish wine, of a light yellow color, either sparkling or still, from the Hochheim region; often applied to all Rhenish wines.
ho...HO5Alcoholic liquor, especially inferior or illicit whisky.
ic..IC4Unpleasantly sticky; yucky; disgusting.
ki..KI4To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg.
ki...KI5Lively, exciting, thrilling.
ri..RI4Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
ri..RI4Straw, hay etc. stored in a stack for winter fodder, commonly protected with thatch.
ro..RO4A formation of minerals, specifically: The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust.
ro...RO5Abounding in, or full of, rocks; consisting of rocks.
ro....RO6A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.

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.

  • chic  (CH4)
  • chichi  (CH6)
  • chick  (CH5)
  • chicory  (CH7)
  • chock  (CH5)
  • choir  (CH5)
  • choky  (CH5)
  • cirri  (CI5)
  • cocci  (CO5)
  • cock  (CO4)
  • cocky  (CO5)
  • coho  (CO4)
  • cook  (CO4)
  • cork  (CO4)
  • crick  (CR5)
  • croc  (CR4)
  • croci  (CR5)
  • crock  (CR5)
  • crook  (CR5)
  • hick  (HI4)
  • hickory  (HI7)
  • hock  (HO4)
  • hooch  (HO5)
  • icky  (IC4)
  • kick  (KI4)
  • kicky  (KI5)
  • rich  (RI4)
  • rick  (RI4)
  • rock  (RO4)
  • rocky  (RO5)
  • rococo  (RO6)

Answer Definitions

  • chic (adjective): Elegant, stylish.
  • chichi (adjective): Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
  • chick (noun): A young bird.
  • chicory (noun): Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family. The common chicory (Cichorium intybus), the source of Belgian endive, radicchio, and sugarloaf.
  • chock (noun): Any object used as a wedge or filler, especially when placed behind a wheel to prevent it from rolling.
  • choir (noun): A group of people who sing together; a company of people who are trained to sing together.
  • choky (adjective): Alternative form of chokey
  • cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
  • cocci (noun): plural of coccus
  • cock (noun): A male bird, especially: A rooster: a male gallinaceous bird, especially a male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). A cock pigeon.
  • cocky (adjective): Overly confident; arrogant and boastful.
  • coho (noun): An anadromus and semelparous salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, found in the coastal regions of the northern Pacific Ocean, used as a symbol by several Native American tribes.
  • cook (noun): A person who prepares food.
  • cork (noun): The bark of the cork oak, which is very light and porous and used for making bottle stoppers, flotation devices, and insulation material.
  • crick (noun): A painful muscular cramp or spasm of some part of the body, as of the neck or back, making it difficult to move the part affected. (Compare catch.)
  • croc (noun): A crocodile.
  • croci (noun): plural of crocus
  • crock (noun): A stoneware or earthenware jar or storage container.
  • crook (noun): A bend; turn; curve; curvature; a flexure.
  • hick (noun): An awkward, naive, clumsy and/or rude country person.
  • hickory (adjective): Of or pertaining to the hickory tree or its wood.
  • hock (noun): A Rhenish wine, of a light yellow color, either sparkling or still, from the Hochheim region; often applied to all Rhenish wines.
  • hooch (noun): Alcoholic liquor, especially inferior or illicit whisky.
  • icky (adjective): Unpleasantly sticky; yucky; disgusting.
  • kick (verb): To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg.
  • kicky (adjective): Lively, exciting, thrilling.
  • rich (adjective): Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
  • rick (noun): Straw, hay etc. stored in a stack for winter fodder, commonly protected with thatch.
  • rock (noun): A formation of minerals, specifically: The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust.
  • rocky (adjective): Abounding in, or full of, rocks; consisting of rocks.
  • rococo (noun): A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.