NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 23, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | I |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, d, f, r, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 50 words |
| Total Points | 255 points |
| Genius Level | 179 points |
| Bingo? | No |
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 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | - | 17 |
| C | - | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 7 |
| D | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| F | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 4 |
| I | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 7 |
| T | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 8 | Σ | 11 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 50 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×5 AD×2 AF×2 AI×1 AR×5 AT×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×2 CI×4 CR×1 |
| D | DI×6 DR×1 |
| F | FA×1 FI×1 FR×2 |
| I | |
| R | RA×4 RI×3 |
| T | TA×3 TI×2 TR×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACA×2 ACI×2 ACR×1 ADD×1 ADR×1 AFF×1 AFR×1 AIR×1 ARC×2 ARI×2 ART×1 ATR×1 ATT×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAC×1 CAR×1 CIC×1 CIR×2 CIT×1 CRI×1 |
| D | DIA×1 DIC×1 DID×2 DIF×1 DIR×1 DRI×1 |
| F | FAI×1 FIA×1 FRI×2 |
| I | |
| R | RAD×1 RAF×1 RAI×2 RIF×3 |
| T | TAC×2 TAR×1 TIA×1 TIF×1 TRA×2 TRI×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. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar. |
| ac.... | AC6 | Having a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red. |
| ac... | AC5 | Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not to the taste. |
| ad.... | AD6 | A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug |
| ad.... | AD6 | Floating at random. |
| af.... | AF6 | Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public. |
| af.... | AF6 | Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear. |
| ai...... | AI8 | A vehicle capable of atmospheric flight due to interaction with the air, such as buoyancy or lift |
| ar..... | AR7 | Alternative letter-case form of Arcadia |
| ar.... | AR6 | Alternative letter-case form of Arctic |
| ar.. | AR4 | A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata. |
| ar.. | AR4 | Very dry. |
| ar...... | AR8 | An object made or shaped by human hand or labor. |
| at... | AT5 | plural of atrium |
| at... | AT5 | The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation. |
| ca... | CA5 | plural of cactus |
| ca..... | CA7 | Pertaining to the heart. |
| ci.... | CI6 | Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings. The periodical cicada. |
| ci... | CI5 | Approximately, about, around |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers. |
| ci.... | CI6 | Of, pertaining to, or derived from, citrus fruit. |
| cr.... | CR6 | A person who appraises the works of others. |
| di....... | DI9 | distinguishing |
| di... | DI5 | plural of dictum |
| di.... | DI6 | a didactic person |
| di...... | DI8 | Instructive or intended to teach or demonstrate, especially with regard to morality. |
| di...... † | DI8 | To cause diffraction |
| di.. | DI4 | Soil or earth. |
| dr... | DR5 | Movement; that which moves or is moved. Anything driven at random. A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc., especially by wind or water. |
| fa.. | FA4 | Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality. |
| fi.. | FI4 | An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree. |
| fr... | FR5 | A member of a mendicant Christian order such as the Augustinians, Carmelites, Franciscans, or the Dominicans. |
| fr...... | FR8 | A form of omelette in which vegetables, cheese, etc., are mixed into the eggs and cooked together. |
| ra... | RA5 | plural of radius |
| ra.... | RA6 | A fibrous material used for tying plants, originating from the leaves of the raffia palm tree (genus Raphia). |
| ra.. | RA4 | A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle. |
| ra... | RA5 | A condiment used as a dip or sauce in the cuisine of southern Asia, made from seasoned yogurt. |
| ri.. | RI4 | A repeated instrumental melody line in a song. |
| ri...... | RI8 | The rabble; crowds; the common people. |
| ri.. | RI4 | A chasm or fissure. |
| ta... | TA5 | Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a list of such duties, or the duties themselves. |
| ti... | TI5 | The papal crown. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A small argument; a petty quarrel. |
| tr..... | TR7 | Moving pedestrians or vehicles, or the flux or passage thereof. |
| tr... | TR5 | An identifying characteristic, habit or trend. |
| tr... | TR5 | A grouping of three. |
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)
- acid (AC4)
- acidic (AC6)
- acrid (AC5)
- addict (AD6)
- adrift (AD6)
- affair (AF6)
- afraid (AF6)
- aircraft (AI8)
- arcadia (AR7)
- arctic (AR6)
- aria (AR4)
- arid (AR4)
- artifact (AR8)
- atria (AT5)
- attic (AT5)
- cacti (CA5)
- cardiac (CA7)
- cicada (CI6)
- circa (CI5)
- cirri (CI5)
- citric (CI6)
- critic (CR6)
- diacritic (DI9)
- dicta (DI5)
- didact (DI6)
- didactic (DI8)
- diffract† (DI8)
- dirt (DI4)
- drift (DR5)
- fair (FA4)
- fiat (FI4)
- friar (FR5)
- frittata (FR8)
- radii (RA5)
- raffia (RA6)
- raid (RA4)
- raita (RA5)
- riff (RI4)
- riffraff (RI8)
- rift (RI4)
- tacit (TA5)
- tactic (TA6)
- tariff (TA6)
- tiara (TI5)
- tiff (TI4)
- traffic (TR7)
- trait (TR5)
- triad (TR5)
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.
- acid (adjective): Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar.
- acidic (adjective): Having a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red.
- acrid (adjective): Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not to the taste.
- addict (noun): A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug
- adrift (adjective): Floating at random.
- affair (noun): Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.
- afraid (adjective): Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
- aircraft (noun): A vehicle capable of atmospheric flight due to interaction with the air, such as buoyancy or lift
- arcadia (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Arcadia
- arctic (adjective): Alternative letter-case form of Arctic
- aria (noun): A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata.
- arid (adjective): Very dry.
- artifact (noun): An object made or shaped by human hand or labor.
- atria (noun): plural of atrium
- attic (noun): The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
- cacti (noun): plural of cactus
- cardiac (adjective): Pertaining to the heart.
- cicada (noun): Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings. The periodical cicada.
- circa (preposition): Approximately, about, around
- cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
- citric (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or derived from, citrus fruit.
- critic (noun): A person who appraises the works of others.
- diacritic (adjective): distinguishing
- dicta (noun): plural of dictum
- didact (noun): a didactic person
- didactic (adjective): Instructive or intended to teach or demonstrate, especially with regard to morality.
- diffract† (verb): To cause diffraction
- dirt (noun): Soil or earth.
- drift (noun): Movement; that which moves or is moved. Anything driven at random. A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc., especially by wind or water.
- fair (adjective): Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.
- fiat (noun): An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
- friar (noun): A member of a mendicant Christian order such as the Augustinians, Carmelites, Franciscans, or the Dominicans.
- frittata (noun): A form of omelette in which vegetables, cheese, etc., are mixed into the eggs and cooked together.
- radii (noun): plural of radius
- raffia (noun): A fibrous material used for tying plants, originating from the leaves of the raffia palm tree (genus Raphia).
- raid (noun): A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle.
- raita (noun): A condiment used as a dip or sauce in the cuisine of southern Asia, made from seasoned yogurt.
- riff (noun): A repeated instrumental melody line in a song.
- riffraff (noun): The rabble; crowds; the common people.
- rift (noun): A chasm or fissure.
- tacit (adjective): Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence.
- tactic (noun): A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.
- tariff (noun): A system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a list of such duties, or the duties themselves.
- tiara (noun): The papal crown.
- tiff (noun): A small argument; a petty quarrel.
- traffic (noun): Moving pedestrians or vehicles, or the flux or passage thereof.
- trait (noun): An identifying characteristic, habit or trend.
- triad (noun): A grouping of three.