NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 22, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | B |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, d, h, l, o, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 40 words |
| Total Points | 134 points |
| Genius Level | 94 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 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| B | 21 | 3 | 6 | - | 1 | 1 | 32 |
| D | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| H | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| L | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| O | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| T | - | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | Σ | 23 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 40 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×1 AD×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×8 BL×9 BO×15 |
| D | |
| H | HO×1 |
| L | LO×1 |
| O | OD×1 |
| T | TA×2 TO×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABB×1 ADO×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×1 BAH×1 BAL×4 BAO×1 BAT×1 BLA×3 BLO×6 BOA×2 BOB×1 BOH×1 BOL×5 BOO×5 BOT×1 |
| D | |
| H | HOB×1 |
| L | LOB×1 |
| O | ODD×1 |
| T | TAB×2 TOL×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ab... | AB5 | The superior or head of an abbey or monastery. |
| ad... | AD5 | A Philippine dish in which pork or chicken is slowly cooked in a sauce including soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed garlic. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. |
| ba.. | BA4 | The official currency of Thailand, equal to 100 satang. |
| ba.. | BA4 | Having no hair, fur or feathers. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass. |
| ba.... | BA6 | A kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; especially, a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas. |
| ba.... | BA6 | Originally, a small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a vote. |
| ba.... | BA6 | A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub. |
| bl.. | BL4 | To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion. |
| bl.. | BL4 | Nonsense; drivel; idle, meaningless talk. |
| bl.. | BL4 | To cry, as a calf or sheep; bleat. |
| bl... | BL5 | To cause to become distended. |
| bl.. | BL4 | A shapeless or amorphous mass; a vague shape or amount, especially of a liquid or semisolid substance; a clump, group or collection that lacks definite shape. |
| bl... | BL5 | A vital liquid flowing in the bodies of many types of animals that usually conveys nutrients and oxygen. In vertebrates, it is colored red by hemoglobin, is conveyed by arteries and veins, is pumped by the heart and is usually generated in bone marrow. |
| bl....... † | BL9 | Indiscriminate killing or slaughter; a massacre. |
| bl.. | BL4 | A blemish, spot or stain made by a coloured substance. |
| bl.... | BL6 | (Very) drunk or intoxicated. |
| 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 | Cargo or passengers that fill a boat. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Synonym of tapioca pearl. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A bohemian. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of a cord. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A dwelling; habitation; building. |
| bo.. | BO4 | The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A long, heavy, single-edged machete. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on the other end; a heavy machine screw. |
| bo.. | BO4 | An idiot; a fool. |
| bo.... | BO6 | Alternative spelling of boo-boo |
| bo.... | BO6 | To cry, weep. |
| 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 small stall for the display and sale of goods. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items. |
| ho.. | HO4 | A wandering homeless person, especially one illegally travelling by rail or a penniless, unemployed bum. |
| lo.. | LO4 | A wolf. |
| od..... | OD7 | An eccentric or unusual person. |
| ta... | TA5 | A pair of tuned hand drums, used in various musical genres of the Indian subcontinent, that are similar to bongos. |
| ta... | TA5 | An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion. |
| to....... | TO9 | (In this sense usually spelt tolbooth) The traditional municipal building of a Scottish town or burgh, usually including a meeting-hall, court, prison and (eponymically) a place for the receipt of taxes, duties and fines. |
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)
- adobo (AD5)
- baba (BA4)
- baht (BA4)
- bald (BA4)
- ball (BA4)
- ballad (BA6)
- ballot (BA6)
- baobab (BA6)
- bath (BA4)
- blab (BL4)
- blah (BL4)
- blat (BL4)
- bloat (BL5)
- blob (BL4)
- blood (BL5)
- bloodbath† (BL9)
- blot (BL4)
- blotto (BL6)
- boat (BO4)
- boatload (BO8)
- boba (BO4)
- boho (BO4)
- bola (BO4)
- bold (BO4)
- boll (BO4)
- bolo (BO4)
- bolt (BO4)
- boob (BO4)
- booboo (BO6)
- boohoo (BO6)
- boot (BO4)
- booth (BO5)
- both (BO4)
- hobo (HO4)
- lobo (LO4)
- oddball (OD7)
- tabla (TA5)
- taboo (TA5)
- tollbooth (TO9)
Answer Definitions
- abbot (noun): The superior or head of an abbey or monastery.
- adobo (noun): A Philippine dish in which pork or chicken is slowly cooked in a sauce including soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed garlic.
- baba (noun): A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- baht (noun): The official currency of Thailand, equal to 100 satang.
- bald (adjective): Having no hair, fur or feathers.
- ball (noun): A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
- ballad (noun): A kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; especially, a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.
- ballot (noun): Originally, a small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a vote.
- baobab (noun): A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits.
- bath (noun): A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.
- blab (verb): To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
- blah (noun): Nonsense; drivel; idle, meaningless talk.
- blat (verb): To cry, as a calf or sheep; bleat.
- bloat (verb): To cause to become distended.
- blob (noun): A shapeless or amorphous mass; a vague shape or amount, especially of a liquid or semisolid substance; a clump, group or collection that lacks definite shape.
- blood (noun): A vital liquid flowing in the bodies of many types of animals that usually conveys nutrients and oxygen. In vertebrates, it is colored red by hemoglobin, is conveyed by arteries and veins, is pumped by the heart and is usually generated in bone marrow.
- bloodbath† (noun): Indiscriminate killing or slaughter; a massacre.
- blot (noun): A blemish, spot or stain made by a coloured substance.
- blotto (adjective): (Very) drunk or intoxicated.
- 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.
- boatload (noun): Cargo or passengers that fill a boat.
- boba (noun): Synonym of tapioca pearl.
- boho (noun): A bohemian.
- bola (noun): A throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of a cord.
- bold (noun): A dwelling; habitation; building.
- boll (noun): The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant.
- bolo (noun): A long, heavy, single-edged machete.
- bolt (noun): A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on the other end; a heavy machine screw.
- boob (noun): An idiot; a fool.
- booboo (noun): Alternative spelling of boo-boo
- boohoo (verb): To cry, weep.
- 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.
- booth (noun): A small stall for the display and sale of goods.
- both (determiner): Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.
- hobo (noun): A wandering homeless person, especially one illegally travelling by rail or a penniless, unemployed bum.
- lobo (noun): A wolf.
- oddball (noun): An eccentric or unusual person.
- tabla (noun): A pair of tuned hand drums, used in various musical genres of the Indian subcontinent, that are similar to bongos.
- taboo (noun): An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
- tollbooth (noun): (In this sense usually spelt tolbooth) The traditional municipal building of a Scottish town or burgh, usually including a meeting-hall, court, prison and (eponymically) a place for the receipt of taxes, duties and fines.