NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 18, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | L |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, b, e, k, n, o |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 63 words |
| Total Points | 226 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 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | - | 1 | 12 |
| B | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | 21 |
| E | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| K | 3 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | 8 |
| L | 13 | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | 16 |
| N | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| O | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 31 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 63 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×2 AL×5 AN×5 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×9 BE×3 BL×5 BO×4 |
| E | EL×1 EN×2 |
| K | KA×1 KE×2 KN×3 KO×2 |
| L | LA×4 LE×3 LL×1 LO×8 |
| N | NO×2 |
| O | OL×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABA×1 ABL×1 ALK×2 ALL×1 ALO×2 ANA×1 ANK×2 ANN×2 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×2 BAL×5 BAN×2 BEA×1 BEL×2 BLA×2 BLE×1 BLO×2 BOB×1 BOL×3 |
| E | ELA×1 ENA×1 ENN×1 |
| K | KAL×1 KEE×1 KEN×1 KNE×2 KNO×1 KOA×1 KOL×1 |
| L | LAB×1 LAK×1 LAN×2 LEA×2 LEE×1 LLA×1 LOA×2 LOB×2 LOL×1 LON×1 LOO×2 |
| N | NOB×1 NOE×1 |
| O | OLE×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..... | AB7 | An edible univalve mollusc of the genus Haliotis, having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl. |
| ab.. | AB4 | Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task. |
| al.... | AL6 | Any acyclic saturated hydrocarbon (methane, ethane, etc.). |
| al.... | AL6 | An unsaturated, aliphatic hydrocarbon with one or more carbon–carbon double bonds. |
| al.... | AL6 | One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position, or locus, on a chromosome. |
| al.. | AL4 | The resins of the tree Aquilaria malaccensis (syn. Aquilaria agallocha), known for their fragrant aroma, produced after infection by the fungus Phialophora parasitica. |
| al... | AL5 | By oneself, solitary. |
| an.. | AN4 | of, related to, intended for or involving the anus. |
| an... | AN5 | The skeletal joint which connects the foot with the leg; the uppermost portion of the foot and lowermost portion of the leg, which contain this skeletal joint. |
| an....... † | AN9 | The bone of the ankle, forming the lower part of the ankle joint and joining with the tibia and fibula. |
| an... | AN5 | The record of a single event or item. |
| an.... | AN6 | To subject to great heat and then (often slow) cooling, and sometimes reheating and further cooling, for the purpose of rendering less brittle; to temper; to toughen. |
| ba.... | BA6 | To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds |
| ba... | BA5 | Alternative form of Babel |
| ba.. | BA4 | Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death. |
| ba.... | BA6 | The bony material that makes up the plates in the mouth of the baleen whale, Mysticeti, which it uses to trap its food; formerly used in corsetry. |
| ba.. | BA4 | An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass. |
| ba..... | BA7 | An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible. |
| ba... | BA5 | Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh. |
| ba...... | BA8 | Acceptable to a bank. |
| be...... | BE8 | A pitch deliberately thrown at the head of the batter. |
| be.. | BE4 | A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck. |
| be... | BE5 | An attractive woman. |
| bl.. | BL4 | To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion. |
| bl... | BL5 | White or pale; without colour. |
| bl... | BL5 | Without color; pale; pallid. |
| 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 | An exemplar of a certain masculine, independent male archetype. |
| bo.... | BO6 | A furry ball attached on top of a hat. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of a cord. |
| bo.. | BO4 | The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A long, heavy, single-edged machete. |
| el.. | EL4 | Uncommon spelling of élan. |
| en.... | EN6 | To make somebody able (to do, or to be, something); to give sufficient ability or power to do or to be; to give strength or ability to. |
| en..... | EN7 | To bestow with nobility, honour or grace. |
| ka.. | KA4 | An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) |
| ke.. | KE4 | A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern. |
| ke.... | KE6 | A house or shelter for a dog. |
| kn... | KN5 | To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position. |
| kn... | KN5 | To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll. |
| kn... | KN5 | A small mound or rounded hill. |
| ko... | KO5 | A tree-dwelling marsupial, Phascolarctos cinereus, that resembles a small bear with a broad head, large ears and sharp claws, mainly found in eastern Australia. |
| ko.. | KO4 | A tree, genus Cola, bearing large brown seeds ("nuts") that are the source of cola extract. |
| la... | LA5 | A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached. |
| la.. | LA4 | A large, landlocked stretch of water or similar liquid. |
| la.. | LA4 | A road, street, or similar thoroughfare. |
| la.. | LA4 | Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean. |
| le.. | LE4 | A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape. |
| le.. | LE4 | To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating. |
| le.. | LE4 | The vegetable Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum, having edible leaves and an onion-like bulb but with a milder flavour than the onion. |
| ll... | LL5 | A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America. |
| lo.. | LO4 | An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use. |
| lo...... | LO8 | That may be loaned |
| lo.. | LO4 | Any projection or division, especially one of a somewhat rounded form. |
| lo.. | LO4 | A wolf. |
| lo.. | LO4 | To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease. |
| lo.. | LO4 | Solitary; having no companion. |
| lo.. | LO4 | To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes. |
| lo.. | LO4 | An idler, a lout. |
| no... | NO5 | An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood. |
| no.. | NO4 | A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol. |
| ol.. | OL4 | 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. |
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.
- abalone (AB7)
- able (AB4)
- alkane (AL6)
- alkene (AL6)
- allele (AL6)
- aloe (AL4)
- alone (AL5)
- anal (AN4)
- ankle (AN5)
- anklebone† (AN9)
- annal (AN5)
- anneal (AN6)
- babble (BA6)
- babel (BA5)
- bale (BA4)
- baleen (BA6)
- balk (BA4)
- ball (BA4)
- balloon (BA7)
- banal (BA5)
- bankable (BA8)
- beanball (BE8)
- bell (BE4)
- belle (BE5)
- blab (BL4)
- blank (BL5)
- bleak (BL5)
- blob (BL4)
- bloke (BL5)
- bobble (BO6)
- bola (BO4)
- boll (BO4)
- bolo (BO4)
- elan (EL4)
- enable (EN6)
- ennoble (EN7)
- kale (KA4)
- keel (KE4)
- kennel (KE6)
- kneel (KN5)
- knell (KN5)
- knoll (KN5)
- koala (KO5)
- kola (KO4)
- label (LA5)
- lake (LA4)
- lane (LA4)
- lank (LA4)
- leak (LE4)
- lean (LE4)
- leek (LE4)
- llano (LL5)
- loan (LO4)
- loanable (LO8)
- lobe (LO4)
- lobo (LO4)
- loll (LO4)
- lone (LO4)
- look (LO4)
- loon (LO4)
- noble (NO5)
- noel (NO4)
- oleo (OL4)
Answer Definitions
- abalone (noun): An edible univalve mollusc of the genus Haliotis, having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl.
- able (adjective): Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.
- alkane (noun): Any acyclic saturated hydrocarbon (methane, ethane, etc.).
- alkene (noun): An unsaturated, aliphatic hydrocarbon with one or more carbon–carbon double bonds.
- allele (noun): One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position, or locus, on a chromosome.
- 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.
- alone (adjective): By oneself, solitary.
- anal (adjective): of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
- ankle (noun): The skeletal joint which connects the foot with the leg; the uppermost portion of the foot and lowermost portion of the leg, which contain this skeletal joint.
- anklebone† (noun): The bone of the ankle, forming the lower part of the ankle joint and joining with the tibia and fibula.
- annal (noun): The record of a single event or item.
- anneal (verb): To subject to great heat and then (often slow) cooling, and sometimes reheating and further cooling, for the purpose of rendering less brittle; to temper; to toughen.
- babble (verb): To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds
- babel (noun): Alternative form of Babel
- bale (noun): Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
- baleen (noun): The bony material that makes up the plates in the mouth of the baleen whale, Mysticeti, which it uses to trap its food; formerly used in corsetry.
- balk (noun): An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.
- ball (noun): A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
- balloon (noun): An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.
- banal (adjective): Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.
- bankable (adjective): Acceptable to a bank.
- beanball (noun): A pitch deliberately thrown at the head of the batter.
- bell (noun): A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
- belle (noun): An attractive woman.
- blab (verb): To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
- blank (adjective): White or pale; without colour.
- bleak (adjective): Without color; pale; pallid.
- 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.
- bloke (noun): An exemplar of a certain masculine, independent male archetype.
- 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.
- elan (noun): Uncommon spelling of élan.
- enable (verb): To make somebody able (to do, or to be, something); to give sufficient ability or power to do or to be; to give strength or ability to.
- ennoble (verb): To bestow with nobility, honour or grace.
- kale (noun): An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)
- keel (noun): A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.
- kennel (noun): A house or shelter for a dog.
- kneel (verb): To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
- knell (verb): To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
- knoll (noun): A small mound or rounded hill.
- koala (noun): A tree-dwelling marsupial, Phascolarctos cinereus, that resembles a small bear with a broad head, large ears and sharp claws, mainly found in eastern Australia.
- kola (noun): A tree, genus Cola, bearing large brown seeds ("nuts") that are the source of cola extract.
- label (noun): A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
- lake (noun): A large, landlocked stretch of water or similar liquid.
- lane (noun): A road, street, or similar thoroughfare.
- lank (adjective): Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean.
- leak (noun): A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape.
- lean (verb): To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
- leek (noun): The vegetable Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum, having edible leaves and an onion-like bulb but with a milder flavour than the onion.
- llano (noun): A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America.
- loan (noun): An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
- loanable (adjective): That may be loaned
- 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.
- lone (adjective): Solitary; having no companion.
- look (verb): To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.
- loon (noun): An idler, a lout.
- noble (noun): An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood.
- noel (noun): A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol.
- 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.