NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 16, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | A |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, f, i, l, n, u |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 52 words |
| Total Points | 225 points |
| Genius Level | 158 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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 8 |
| C | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| F | 4 | 3 | 5 | - | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| I | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| L | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | 9 |
| N | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 5 |
| U | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 19 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 52 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×2 AL×1 AN×5 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×10 CI×1 CL×3 |
| F | FA×8 FI×4 FL×2 |
| I | IL×1 |
| L | LA×5 LI×1 LU×3 |
| N | NA×4 NI×1 |
| U | UL×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACA×2 ALF×1 ANA×1 ANN×4 |
|---|---|
| C | CAL×4 CAN×5 CAU×1 CIL×1 CLA×1 CLI×2 |
| F | FAC×1 FAI×1 FAL×1 FAN×2 FAU×3 FIL×1 FIN×3 FLA×2 |
| I | ILI×1 |
| L | LAC×1 LAI×3 LAN×1 LIL×1 LUA×1 LUN×2 |
| N | NAA×1 NAI×2 NAN×1 NIA×1 |
| U | ULN×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| al..... | AL7 | A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop. |
| an.. | AN4 | of, related to, intended for or involving the anus. |
| an... | AN5 | The record of a single event or item. |
| an.... | AN6 | Happening once every year. |
| an... | AN5 | To formally revoke the validity of. |
| an.... | AN6 | plural of annulus |
| ca..... | CA7 | plural of calculus |
| ca.. | CA4 | A young cow or bull. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A telephone conversation; a phone call. |
| ca... | CA5 | A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe. |
| ca... | CA5 | An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France. |
| ca.... | CA6 | As much as a can will hold. |
| ca... | CA5 | Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A tube inserted in the body to drain or inject fluid. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen. |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cilium |
| cl.. | CL4 | A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known. |
| cl...... | CL8 | Dealing with the practical management of patients, in practice at the point of care; as contrasted with other health care venues (see clinical medicine for more explanation). |
| cl....... | CL9 | Any healthcare practitioner working at the point of care, in clinical practice (e.g., physicians in clinical medicine, nurses in nursing practice, or allied health providers in practice). |
| fa.... | FA6 | Of or affecting the face. |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be unsuccessful. |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity. |
| fa...... † | FA8 | Imaginative or fantastic. |
| fa.... | FA6 | fan fiction |
| fa.. | FA4 | A woodland creature with pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry. |
| fa... | FA5 | Animals considered as a group; especially those of a particular country, region, time. |
| fa.... | FA6 | Pertaining to animals. |
| fi.... | FI6 | Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter. |
| fi... | FI5 | A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class. |
| fi....... | FI9 | Related to finances. |
| fi.... | FI6 | The knot or bunch of foliage, or foliated ornament, that forms the upper extremity of a pinnacle in Gothic architecture. |
| fl... | FL5 | A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material. |
| fl.. | FL4 | Baked tart with sweet or savoury filling in an open-topped pastry case. |
| il... | IL5 | Relating to the ilium. |
| la.... | LA6 | A small opening; a small pit or depression, especially in bone. A space visible between cells, allowing free passage of light. |
| la.. | LA4 | A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity). |
| la.. | LA4 | past participle of lie (“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”) |
| la... | LA5 | A Hawaiian-style roofed patio. |
| li... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
| lu.. | LU4 | An elaborate Hawaiian feast featuring traditional foods and entertainment. |
| lu.. | LU4 | A luna moth: a member of species Actias luna. |
| lu.... | LU6 | Something shaped like a crescent or half-moon; especially the pale area at the base of the fingernail. |
| na.. | NA4 | A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine. |
| na.. | NA4 | Alternative spelling of naïf. |
| na.. | NA4 | The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals. |
| na.. | NA4 | A banana. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. |
| ul.. | UL4 | The bone of the forearm that extends from the elbow to the wrist on the side opposite to the thumb, corresponding to the fibula of the hind limb. Also, the corresponding bone in the forelimb of any vertebrate. |
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.
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- alfalfa (AL7)
- anal (AN4)
- annal (AN5)
- annual (AN6)
- annul (AN5)
- annuli (AN6)
- calculi (CA7)
- calf (CA4)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- canal (CA5)
- cancan (CA6)
- canful (CA6)
- canna (CA5)
- cannula (CA7)
- caul (CA4)
- cilia (CI5)
- clan (CL4)
- clinical (CL8)
- clinician (CL9)
- facial (FA6)
- fail (FA4)
- fall (FA4)
- fanciful† (FA8)
- fanfic (FA6)
- faun (FA4)
- fauna (FA5)
- faunal (FA6)
- filial (FI6)
- final (FI5)
- financial (FI9)
- finial (FI6)
- flail (FL5)
- flan (FL4)
- iliac (IL5)
- lacuna (LA6)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- lain (LA4)
- lanai (LA5)
- lilac (LI5)
- luau (LU4)
- luna (LU4)
- lunula (LU6)
- naan (NA4)
- naif (NA4)
- nail (NA4)
- nana (NA4)
- niacin (NI6)
- ulna (UL4)
Answer Definitions
- acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
- acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
- alfalfa (noun): A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
- anal (adjective): of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
- annal (noun): The record of a single event or item.
- annual (adjective): Happening once every year.
- annul (verb): To formally revoke the validity of.
- annuli (noun): plural of annulus
- calculi (noun): plural of calculus
- calf (noun): A young cow or bull.
- call (noun): A telephone conversation; a phone call.
- calla (noun): A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
- canal (noun): An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.
- cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
- canful (noun): As much as a can will hold.
- canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
- cannula (noun): A tube inserted in the body to drain or inject fluid.
- caul (noun): A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen.
- cilia (noun): plural of cilium
- clan (noun): A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known.
- clinical (adjective): Dealing with the practical management of patients, in practice at the point of care; as contrasted with other health care venues (see clinical medicine for more explanation).
- clinician (noun): Any healthcare practitioner working at the point of care, in clinical practice (e.g., physicians in clinical medicine, nurses in nursing practice, or allied health providers in practice).
- facial (adjective): Of or affecting the face.
- fail (verb): To be unsuccessful.
- fall (verb): To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
- fanciful† (adjective): Imaginative or fantastic.
- fanfic (noun): fan fiction
- faun (noun): A woodland creature with pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry.
- fauna (noun): Animals considered as a group; especially those of a particular country, region, time.
- faunal (adjective): Pertaining to animals.
- filial (adjective): Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
- final (noun): A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class.
- financial (adjective): Related to finances.
- finial (noun): The knot or bunch of foliage, or foliated ornament, that forms the upper extremity of a pinnacle in Gothic architecture.
- flail (noun): A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
- flan (noun): Baked tart with sweet or savoury filling in an open-topped pastry case.
- iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
- lacuna (noun): A small opening; a small pit or depression, especially in bone. A space visible between cells, allowing free passage of light.
- laic (noun): A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
- laical (adjective): Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity).
- lain (verb): past participle of lie (“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”)
- lanai (noun): A Hawaiian-style roofed patio.
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- luau (noun): An elaborate Hawaiian feast featuring traditional foods and entertainment.
- luna (noun): A luna moth: a member of species Actias luna.
- lunula (noun): Something shaped like a crescent or half-moon; especially the pale area at the base of the fingernail.
- naan (noun): A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
- naif (adjective): Alternative spelling of naïf.
- nail (noun): The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
- 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.
- ulna (noun): The bone of the forearm that extends from the elbow to the wrist on the side opposite to the thumb, corresponding to the fibula of the hind limb. Also, the corresponding bone in the forelimb of any vertebrate.