NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 18, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | B |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, e, h, k, n, o |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 26 words |
| Total Points | 98 points |
| Genius Level | 69 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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 9 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | 17 |
| C | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| E | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| H | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| K | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| N | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| O | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 14 | 3 | 6 | - | 1 | 2 | 26 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| B | BE×5 BO×12 |
|---|---|
| C | CH×2 CO×1 |
| E | EB×1 |
| H | HO×2 |
| K | KN×1 |
| N | NO×1 |
| O | OB×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| B | BEC×2 BEE×2 BEN×1 BOC×2 BOH×1 BON×4 BOO×5 |
|---|---|
| C | CHE×2 COO×1 |
| E | EBO×1 |
| H | HOB×2 |
| K | KNO×1 |
| N | NOO×1 |
| O | OBO×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) |
|---|---|---|
| be.. | BE4 | A stream or small river. |
| be.... | BE6 | To wave or nod to somebody with the intention to make the person come closer. |
| be... | BE5 | A tree of the genus Fagus having a smooth, light grey trunk, oval, pointed leaves and many branches. |
| be.. | BE4 | past participle of be. |
| be... | BE5 | A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools. |
| bo... | BO5 | A game, similar to bowls or pétanque, played on a long, narrow, dirt-covered court |
| bo.. | BO4 | A strong dark beer brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for spring consumption. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A bohemian. |
| bo.... | BO6 | A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| bo.. | BO4 | To strike or collide with something. |
| bo.... | BO6 | The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river. |
| bo.. | BO4 | An idiot; a fool. |
| bo.... | BO6 | Alternative spelling of boo-boo |
| bo.... | BO6 | To cry, weep. |
| 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. |
| ch....... | CH9 | Alternative form of chequebook |
| ch....... † | CH9 | The small prominent bone of the cheek. |
| co...... | CO8 | A book or an encyclopedia of recipes and cookery tips. |
| eb.. | EB4 | (now poetic) Ebony; an ebony tree. |
| ho.... | HO6 | A toast made while touching glasses together. |
| ho.. | HO4 | A wandering homeless person, especially one illegally travelling by rail or a penniless, unemployed bum. |
| kn.. | KN4 | A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle. |
| 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. |
| ob.. | OB4 | A soprano and melody wind instrument in the modern orchestra and wind ensemble. It is a smaller instrument and generally made of grenadilla wood. It is a member of the double reed family. |
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.
- beck (BE4)
- beckon (BE6)
- beech (BE5)
- been (BE4)
- bench (BE5)
- bocce (BO5)
- bock (BO4)
- boho (BO4)
- bonbon (BO6)
- bone (BO4)
- bonk (BO4)
- bonobo (BO6)
- boob (BO4)
- booboo (BO6)
- boohoo (BO6)
- book (BO4)
- boon (BO4)
- checkbook (CH9)
- cheekbone† (CH9)
- cookbook (CO8)
- ebon (EB4)
- hobnob (HO6)
- hobo (HO4)
- knob (KN4)
- noob (NO4)
- oboe (OB4)
Answer Definitions
- beck (noun): A stream or small river.
- beckon (verb): To wave or nod to somebody with the intention to make the person come closer.
- beech (noun): A tree of the genus Fagus having a smooth, light grey trunk, oval, pointed leaves and many branches.
- been (verb): past participle of be.
- bench (noun): A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools.
- bocce (noun): A game, similar to bowls or pétanque, played on a long, narrow, dirt-covered court
- bock (noun): A strong dark beer brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for spring consumption.
- boho (noun): A bohemian.
- bonbon (noun): A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.
- bone (noun): A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.
- bonk (verb): To strike or collide with something.
- bonobo (noun): The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.
- boob (noun): An idiot; a fool.
- booboo (noun): Alternative spelling of boo-boo
- boohoo (verb): To cry, weep.
- 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.
- checkbook (noun): Alternative form of chequebook
- cheekbone† (noun): The small prominent bone of the cheek.
- cookbook (noun): A book or an encyclopedia of recipes and cookery tips.
- ebon (noun): (now poetic) Ebony; an ebony tree.
- hobnob (noun): A toast made while touching glasses together.
- hobo (noun): A wandering homeless person, especially one illegally travelling by rail or a penniless, unemployed bum.
- knob (noun): A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle.
- 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.
- oboe (noun): A soprano and melody wind instrument in the modern orchestra and wind ensemble. It is a smaller instrument and generally made of grenadilla wood. It is a member of the double reed family.