NYT Spelling Bee Answers for September 21, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | U |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, f, i, n, o, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 26 words |
| Total Points | 123 points |
| Genius Level | 86 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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 5 |
| F | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| I | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| N | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| O | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| T | 4 | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 7 |
| U | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 7 | Σ | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 26 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CO×2 CU×3 |
|---|---|
| F | FO×1 FU×2 |
| I | IN×2 |
| N | NO×1 |
| O | OU×1 |
| T | TO×2 TU×5 |
| U | UN×7 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | COC×1 COU×1 CUF×1 CUT×2 |
|---|---|
| F | FOU×1 FUN×1 FUT×1 |
| I | INT×2 |
| N | NOU×1 |
| O | OUT×1 |
| T | TOF×1 TOU×1 TUF×1 TUI×1 TUN×1 TUT×2 |
| U | UNC×3 UNF×1 UNI×2 UNT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| co..... | CO7 | A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed. |
| co... | CO5 | To recite numbers in sequence. |
| cu.. | CU4 | glove; mitten |
| cu.... | CU6 | The point at which something terminates or to which it is limited. A cutoff point (cutoff value, threshold value, cutpoint): the amount set by an operational definition as the transition point between states in a discretization or dichotomization. |
| cu.... | CU6 | Alternative form of cut-out |
| fo... | FO5 | Something from which water flows. |
| fu...... † | FU8 | What something does or is used for. |
| fu... | FU5 | A thin mattress of tufted cotton or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame as a bed. |
| in.... | IN6 | To know intuitively or by immediate perception. |
| in....... | IN9 | Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes. |
| no.. | NO4 | A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea; one of the basic parts of speech in many languages, including English. |
| ou.... | OU6 | A set of clothing (with accessories). |
| to.. | TO4 | A protein-rich food made from curdled soy milk. |
| to.. | TO4 | Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way. |
| tu.. | TU4 | A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held together at the base. |
| tu..... | TU7 | A sum of money paid for instruction (such as in a high school, boarding school, university, or college). |
| tu... | TU5 | A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles. |
| tu... | TU5 | All together. Indicates that the remainder of a group should join in playing after a solo or other passage with a reduced number of voices. |
| tu.. | TU4 | A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting. |
| un..... | UN7 | A salve or ointment. |
| un.... | UN6 | To remove cuffs from (someone) |
| un... | UN5 | Not cut. |
| un... | UN5 | Not fit; not having the correct requirements. |
| un... | UN5 | The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one. |
| un.. | UN4 | Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one. |
| un.. | UN4 | Up to the time or degree that; until. |
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.
- coconut (CO7)
- count (CO5)
- cuff (CU4)
- cutoff (CU6)
- cutout (CU6)
- fount (FO5)
- function† (FU8)
- futon (FU5)
- intuit (IN6)
- intuition (IN9)
- noun (NO4)
- outfit (OU6)
- tofu (TO4)
- tout (TO4)
- tuft (TU4)
- tuition (TU7)
- tunic (TU5)
- tutti (TU5)
- tutu (TU4)
- unction (UN7)
- uncuff (UN6)
- uncut (UN5)
- unfit (UN5)
- union (UN5)
- unit (UN4)
- unto (UN4)
Answer Definitions
- coconut (noun): A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
- count (verb): To recite numbers in sequence.
- cuff (noun): glove; mitten
- cutoff (noun): The point at which something terminates or to which it is limited. A cutoff point (cutoff value, threshold value, cutpoint): the amount set by an operational definition as the transition point between states in a discretization or dichotomization.
- cutout (noun): Alternative form of cut-out
- fount (noun): Something from which water flows.
- function† (noun): What something does or is used for.
- futon (noun): A thin mattress of tufted cotton or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame as a bed.
- intuit (verb): To know intuitively or by immediate perception.
- intuition (noun): Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes.
- noun (noun): A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea; one of the basic parts of speech in many languages, including English.
- outfit (noun): A set of clothing (with accessories).
- tofu (noun): A protein-rich food made from curdled soy milk.
- tout (noun): Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
- tuft (noun): A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held together at the base.
- tuition (noun): A sum of money paid for instruction (such as in a high school, boarding school, university, or college).
- tunic (noun): A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles.
- tutti (adverb): All together. Indicates that the remainder of a group should join in playing after a solo or other passage with a reduced number of voices.
- tutu (noun): A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.
- unction (noun): A salve or ointment.
- uncuff (verb): To remove cuffs from (someone)
- uncut (adjective): Not cut.
- unfit (adjective): Not fit; not having the correct requirements.
- union (noun): The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
- unit (noun): Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one.
- unto (conjunction): Up to the time or degree that; until.