NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 25, 2020

calendar May 25, 2020 · 6 min read · spelling bee  ·
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Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 25, 2020
Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 25, 2020

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 25, 2020
Center LetterN
Outer Lettersa, c, d, h, i, p
# of Pangrams1 (Perfect: none)
Total Words25 words
Total Points110 points
Genius Level77 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 25, 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>7</th><th>8Σ
A-1---1
C152--8
D------
H2---13
I1--1-2
N311--5
P132--6
Σ81051125

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A
AP×1
C
CA×4
CH×3
CI×1
D
H
HA×2
HI×1
I
IN×2
N
NA×4
NI×1
P
PA×4
PI×2

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A
API×1
C
CAN×4
CHA×1
CHI×2
CIN×1
D
H
HAN×2
HIN×1
I
INC×1
IND×1
N
NAA×1
NAD×1
NAI×1
NAN×1
NIA×1
P
PAI×1
PAN×3
PIC×1
PIN×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 (†).

Word2L RefDefinition (click to reveal)
ap...AP5Relating to bees.
ca....CA6A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
ca....CA6Impartial and free from prejudice.
ca...CA5Any member of the family Canidae, including dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals.
ca...CA5Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
ch...CH5A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
ch..CH4The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
ch...CH5Synonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
ci...CI5A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
ha..HA4The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
ha...... †HA8Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.
hi..HI4Located at the rear (most often said of animals' body parts).
in..IN4A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
in.....IN7plural of indicium
na..NA4A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
na..NA4Nothing.
na...NA5A female deity (nymph) associated with water, especially a spring, stream, or other fresh water.
na..NA4A banana.
ni....NI6A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
pa..PA4An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
pa...PA5The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), a small raccoon-like animal of northeast Asia with reddish fur and a long, ringed tail.
pa...PA5Alternative letter-case form of Panic (“pertaining to the Greek god Pan”)
pa....PA6A type of grilled sandwich made of a small loaf of bread, cut horizontally, filled with meat such as salami or ham, cheese or other food.
pi....PI6An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink.
pi...PI5To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.

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.

  • apian  (AP5)
  • cancan  (CA6)
  • candid  (CA6)
  • canid  (CA5)
  • canna  (CA5)
  • chain  (CH5)
  • chin  (CH4)
  • china  (CH5)
  • cinch  (CI5)
  • hand  (HA4)
  • handicap†  (HA8)
  • hind  (HI4)
  • inch  (IN4)
  • indicia  (IN7)
  • naan  (NA4)
  • nada  (NA4)
  • naiad  (NA5)
  • nana  (NA4)
  • niacin  (NI6)
  • pain  (PA4)
  • panda  (PA5)
  • panic  (PA5)
  • panini  (PA6)
  • picnic  (PI6)
  • pinch  (PI5)

Answer Definitions

  • apian (adjective): Relating to bees.
  • cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
  • candid (adjective): Impartial and free from prejudice.
  • canid (noun): Any member of the family Canidae, including dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals.
  • canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
  • chain (noun): A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
  • chin (noun): The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
  • china (noun): Synonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
  • cinch (noun): A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
  • hand (noun): The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
  • handicap† (noun): Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.
  • hind (adjective): Located at the rear (most often said of animals' body parts).
  • inch (noun): A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
  • indicia (noun): plural of indicium
  • naan (noun): A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
  • nada (pronoun): Nothing.
  • naiad (noun): A female deity (nymph) associated with water, especially a spring, stream, or other fresh water.
  • nana (noun): A banana.
  • niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
  • pain (noun): An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
  • panda (noun): The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), a small raccoon-like animal of northeast Asia with reddish fur and a long, ringed tail.
  • panic (adjective): Alternative letter-case form of Panic (“pertaining to the Greek god Pan”)
  • panini (noun): A type of grilled sandwich made of a small loaf of bread, cut horizontally, filled with meat such as salami or ham, cheese or other food.
  • picnic (noun): An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink.
  • pinch (verb): To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.