Game Summary

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 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.

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

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 (^†).

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.

• alibi  (AL5)
• anal  (AN4)
• annal  (AN5)
• bail  (BA4)
• bald  (BA4)
• ball  (BA4)
• ballad  (BA6)
• banal  (BA5)
• bilabial  (BI8)
• bill  (BI4)
• blab  (BL4)
• blah  (BL4)
• bland  (BL5)
• blin  (BL4)
• blind  (BL5)
• blini  (BL5)
• dahlia  (DA6)
• dial  (DI4)
• dill  (DI4)
• hail  (HA4)
• halal  (HA5)
• hall  (HA4)
• handball  (HA8)
• handbill^†  (HA8)
• hill  (HI4)
• iliad  (IL5)
• inlaid  (IN6)
• inland  (IN6)
• labia  (LA5)
• labial  (LA6)
• laid  (LA4)
• lain  (LA4)
• lanai  (LA5)
• land  (LA4)
• libidinal  (LI9)
• nail  (NA4)

Answer Definitions

• alibi (noun): The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
• anal (adjective): of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
• annal (noun): The record of a single event or item.
• bail (noun): Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
• 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.
• banal (adjective): Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.
• bilabial (adjective): Articulated with both lips.
• bill (noun): Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
• blab (verb): To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
• blah (noun): Nonsense; drivel; idle, meaningless talk.
• bland (adjective): Having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating.
• blin (verb): To cease (from); to stop; to desist, to let up.
• blind (adjective): Unable to see, due to physiological or neurological factors.
• blini (noun): A small pancake, of Russian origin, made from buckwheat flour; traditionally served with melted butter, sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.
• dahlia (noun): Any plant of the genus Dahlia, tuberous perennial flowering plants native to Mexico.
• dial (noun): A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
• dill (noun): Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed.
• hail (noun): Balls or pieces of ice falling as precipitation, often in connection with a thunderstorm.
• halal (adjective): Permissible, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do.
• hall (noun): A corridor; a hallway.
• handball (noun): A team sport where two teams of seven players each (six players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team.
• handbill^† (noun): A pruning hook.
• hill (noun): An elevated landmass smaller than a mountain.
• iliad (noun): a series of exploits regarded as suitable for an epic
• inlaid (verb): simple past tense and past participle of inlay
• inland (adjective): Within the land; relatively remote from the ocean or from open water; interior.
• labia (noun): The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.
• labial (adjective): Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.
• laid (verb): simple past tense and past participle of lay
• lain (verb): past participle of lie (“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”)
• lanai (noun): A Hawaiian-style roofed patio.
• land (noun): The part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water.
• libidinal (adjective): Relating or pertaining to the libido.
• nail (noun): The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.