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.

• abbot  (AB5)
• allot  (AL5)
• aloe  (AL4)
• alto  (AL4)
• apollo  (AP6)
• atoll  (AT5)
• atop  (AT4)
• ballot  (BA6)
• baobab  (BA6)
• bebop  (BE5)
• bloat  (BL5)
• blob  (BL4)
• bloop  (BL5)
• blot  (BL4)
• blotto  (BL6)
• boat  (BO4)
• boatel  (BO6)
• boba  (BO4)
• bobble  (BO6)
• bola  (BO4)
• boll  (BO4)
• bolo  (BO4)
• bolt  (BO4)
• boob  (BO4)
• booboo  (BO6)
• boot  (BO4)
• bootee  (BO6)
• bottle  (BO6)
• elope  (EL5)
• laptop  (LA6)
• lobe  (LO4)
• lobo  (LO4)
• loll  (LO4)
• lollop  (LO6)
• loop  (LO4)
• loot  (LO4)
• lope  (LO4)
• lotto  (LO5)
• oblate  (OB6)
• oboe  (OB4)
• oleo  (OL4)
• opal  (OP4)
• people  (PE6)
• plop  (PL4)
• plot  (PL4)
• poet  (PO4)
• pole  (PO4)
• poll  (PO4)
• polo  (PO4)
• pool  (PO4)
• poop  (PO4)
• pope  (PO4)
• poppa  (PO5)
• poppet  (PO6)
• potable^†  (PO7)
• potato  (PO6)
• tabletop^†  (TA8)
• taboo  (TA5)
• tattoo  (TA6)
• teapot  (TE6)
• teetotal  (TE8)
• toll  (TO4)
• tool  (TO4)
• toot  (TO4)
• tootle  (TO6)
• tope  (TO4)
• topple  (TO6)
• total  (TO5)
• tote  (TO4)

Answer Definitions

• abbot (noun): The superior or head of an abbey or monastery.
• allot (verb): To distribute or apportion by (or as if by) lot.
• aloe (noun): The resins of the tree Aquilaria malaccensis (syn. Aquilaria agallocha), known for their fragrant aroma, produced after infection by the fungus Phialophora parasitica.
• alto (noun): A musical part or section higher than tenor and lower than soprano, formerly the part that performed a countermelody above the tenor or main melody.
• apollo (noun): A very handsome young man.
• atoll (noun): a type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform. Atolls have a unique geology, so not all islands with a reef and a lagoon are atolls
• atop (preposition): On the top of.
• 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.
• bebop (noun): An early form of modern jazz played by small groups and featuring driving rhythms and complex, often dissonant harmonies.
• 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.
• bloop (verb): To blow air bubbles or audibly slosh about in water.
• 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.
• boatel (noun): A ship, normally moored alongside a quay, used as a hotel
• boba (noun): Synonym of tapioca pearl.
• bobble (noun): A furry ball attached on top of a hat.
• bola (noun): A throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of a cord.
• 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
• 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.
• bootee (noun): A soft, woolen shoe, usually knitted, for a baby or small pet.
• bottle (noun): A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids.
• elope (verb): To run away from home with a paramour.
• laptop (noun): A laptop computer.
• lobe (noun): Any projection or division, especially one of a somewhat rounded form.
• lobo (noun): A wolf.
• loll (verb): To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease.
• lollop (verb): To walk or move with a bouncing or undulating motion and at an unhurried pace.
• loop (noun): A length of thread, line or rope that is doubled over to make an opening.
• loot (noun): A scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks.
• lope (verb): To travel an easy pace with long strides.
• lotto (noun): a game of chance similar to bingo
• oblate (noun): A person dedicated to a life of religion or monasticism, especially a member of an order without religious vows or a lay member of a religious community.
• 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.
• oleo (noun): A type of energy-absorbing landing gear strut in which sudden compression or extension of the strut causes a gas-filled chamber to push or pull a piston which forces oil through a small orifice, resulting in absorption of energy through viscous effects.
• opal (noun): A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO2·nH2O. A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
• people (noun): Used as plural of person; a body of human beings considered generally or collectively; a group of two or more persons.
• plop (noun): A sound or action like liquid hitting a hard surface, or an object falling into a body of water.
• plot (noun): The course of a story, comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.
• poet (noun): A person who writes poems.
• pole (noun): Originally, a stick; now specifically, a long and slender piece of metal or (especially) wood, used for various construction or support purposes.
• poll (noun): A survey of people, usually statistically analyzed to gauge wider public opinion.
• polo (noun): A ball game where two teams of players on horseback use long-handled mallets to propel the ball along the ground and into their opponent's goal.
• pool (noun): A small and rather deep area of (usually) fresh water, as one supplied by a spring, or occurring in the course of a stream or river; a reservoir for water.
• poop (verb): To make a short blast on a horn.
• pope (noun): An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state. Any similarly absolute and 'infallible' authority. Any similar head of a religion. A theocrat, a priest-king, including (at first especially) over the imaginary land of Prester John or (now) in figurative and alliterative uses. An effigy of the pope traditionally burnt in Britain on Guy Fawkes' Day and (occasionally) at other times. Pope Day, the present Guy Fawkes Day.
• poppa (noun): father, papa.
• poppet (noun): An endearingly sweet or beautiful child.
• potable^† (adjective): Good for drinking without fear of disease or poisoning.
• potato (noun): The tuber of a plant, Solanum tuberosum, eaten as a starchy vegetable, particularly in the Americas and Europe; this plant.
• tabletop^† (noun): The flat, horizontal upper surface of a table.
• taboo (noun): An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
• tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
• teapot (noun): A vessel for brewing and serving tea.
• teetotal (adjective): Abstinent from alcohol; never drinking alcohol.
• toll (noun): Loss or damage incurred through a disaster.
• tool (noun): A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.
• toot (noun): The noise of a horn or whistle.
• tootle (verb): To make a soft toot sound.
• tope (verb): To drink excessively; to get drunk.
• topple (verb): To push, throw over, overturn or overthrow something.
• total (noun): An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
• tote (noun): A tote bag.