NYT Spelling Bee Answers for October 12, 2020

calendar Oct 12, 2020 · 11 min read · spelling bee  ·
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Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for October 12, 2020
Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for October 12, 2020

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for October 12, 2020
Center LetterA
Outer Lettersd, n, o, r, t, u
# of Pangrams2 (Perfect: 1)
Total Words59 words
Total Points271 points
Genius Level190 points
Bingo?No

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 "Hive" Board for October 12, 2020

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</th><th>10Σ
A443--1-12
D512----8
N3-2111-8
O--2----2
R5213-1-12
T5263--117
U--------
Σ22916713159

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.

A
AD×1
AN×2
AO×1
AR×3
AT×1
AU×4
D
DA×4
DO×2
DR×1
DU×1
N
NA×5
NO×2
NU×1
O
OR×1
OU×1
R
RA×6
RO×5
RU×1
T
TA×11
TO×2
TR×1
TU×3
U

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.

A
ADO×1
ANN×1
ANO×1
AOR×1
ARD×1
ARO×1
ARR×1
ATT×1
AUN×1
AUR×2
AUT×1
D
DAR×2
DAT×1
DAU×1
DOO×1
DOT×1
DRA×1
DUA×1
N
NAA×1
NAD×1
NAN×1
NAR×1
NAT×1
NON×1
NOT×1
NUR×1
O
ORA×1
OUT×1
R
RAD×2
RAN×2
RAT×2
ROA×3
ROT×2
RUN×1
T
TAN×3
TAR×5
TAT×1
TAU×2
TOA×1
TOR×1
TRU×1
TUN×2
TUR×1
U

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 (†).

Word2L RefDefinition (click to reveal)
ad...AD5To make more beautiful and attractive; to decorate.
an.......AN9One who annotates.
an..AN4Straight away; at once.
ao...AO5The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
ar...AR5Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
ar....AR6Forming a circle or closed curve containing (something).
ar....AR6Complete; downright; utter.
at...AT5An essential oil extracted from flowers.
au..AU4The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
au..AU4Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something.
au....AU6An atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating coloured lights in the sky. It is usually named australis or borealis based on whether it is in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere respectively.
au..AU4Clipping of automatic.
da..DA4Damn.
da..DA4A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
da..DA4plural of datum
da...DA5To discourage, intimidate.
do....DO6Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing.
do....DO6An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage.
dr..DR4To damn or curse.
du..DU4A pair or couple.
na..NA4A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
na..NA4Nothing.
na..NA4A banana.
na......NA8One who narrates or tells stories.
na....NA6floating or swimming (in water)
no....NO6That which is not art
no.....NO7One who notates; a writer of notation.
nu.......NU9That provides nourishment; nurturing.
or....OR6Someone who orates or delivers an oration.
ou....OU6simple past tense of outrun
ra...RA5A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces
ra...RA5The chemical element (symbol Rn, formerly Ro) with atomic number 86. It is an odorless, colorless, chemically inert but radioactive noble gas.
ra..RA4The border of an area of land, especially marshland.
ra..RA4To speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger.
ra.....RA7A swiftly repeated knocking sound.
ra....RA6Any of several species of climbing palm of the genus Calamus.
ro..RO4A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
ro..RO4Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in
ro..RO4To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.
ro.....RO7One who or that which rotates.
ro..... †RO7A round building, usually small, often with a dome.
ru.......RU9An evasive explanation in the form of multiple excuses.
ta.....TA7A cylindrical clay oven used, in the cuisine of the Caucasus, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent, to make flat bread, or to cook meat.
ta.....TA7a flourish on a trumpet
ta....TA6A Hindu or Buddhist religious or esoteric text.
ta..TA4Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
ta...TA5A card game played in various different variations.
ta..TA4Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
ta....TA6A kind of woven woollen cloth with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles, associated with Scottish Highlanders, different clans and some Scottish families and institutions having their own distinctive patterns.
ta....TA6A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar.
ta....TA6An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
ta...TA5to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.
ta..TA4Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
to..TO4An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
to.....TO7A violent windstorm characterized by a mobile, twisting, funnel-shaped cloud.
tr....TR6Absent without permission, especially from school.
tu..TU4Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae.
tu....TU6A flat and treeless Arctic biome.
tu........ †TU10The act of turning to face in the other direction.

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.

  • adorn  (AD5)
  • annotator  (AN9)
  • anon  (AN4)
  • aorta  (AO5)
  • ardor  (AR5)
  • around  (AR6)
  • arrant  (AR6)
  • attar  (AT5)
  • aunt  (AU4)
  • aura  (AU4)
  • aurora  (AU6)
  • auto  (AU4)
  • darn  (DA4)
  • dart  (DA4)
  • data  (DA4)
  • daunt  (DA5)
  • doodad  (DO6)
  • dotard  (DO6)
  • drat  (DR4)
  • duad  (DU4)
  • naan  (NA4)
  • nada  (NA4)
  • nana  (NA4)
  • narrator  (NA8)
  • natant  (NA6)
  • nonart  (NO6)
  • notator  (NO7)
  • nurturant  (NU9)
  • orator  (OR6)
  • outran  (OU6)
  • radar  (RA5)
  • radon  (RA5)
  • rand  (RA4)
  • rant  (RA4)
  • ratatat  (RA7)
  • rattan  (RA6)
  • road  (RO4)
  • roan  (RO4)
  • roar  (RO4)
  • rotator  (RO7)
  • rotunda†  (RO7)
  • runaround  (RU9)
  • tandoor  (TA7)
  • tantara  (TA7)
  • tantra  (TA6)
  • taro  (TA4)
  • tarot  (TA5)
  • tart  (TA4)
  • tartan  (TA6)
  • tartar  (TA6)
  • tattoo  (TA6)
  • taunt  (TA5)
  • taut  (TA4)
  • toad  (TO4)
  • tornado  (TO7)
  • truant  (TR6)
  • tuna  (TU4)
  • tundra  (TU6)
  • turnaround†  (TU10)

Answer Definitions

  • adorn (verb): To make more beautiful and attractive; to decorate.
  • annotator (noun): One who annotates.
  • anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
  • aorta (noun): The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
  • ardor (noun): Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
  • around (preposition): Forming a circle or closed curve containing (something).
  • arrant (adjective): Complete; downright; utter.
  • attar (noun): An essential oil extracted from flowers.
  • aunt (noun): The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
  • aura (noun): Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something.
  • aurora (noun): An atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating coloured lights in the sky. It is usually named australis or borealis based on whether it is in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere respectively.
  • auto (adjective): Clipping of automatic.
  • darn (adjective): Damn.
  • dart (noun): A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
  • data (noun): plural of datum
  • daunt (verb): To discourage, intimidate.
  • doodad (noun): Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing.
  • dotard (noun): An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage.
  • drat (verb): To damn or curse.
  • duad (noun): A pair or couple.
  • naan (noun): A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
  • nada (pronoun): Nothing.
  • nana (noun): A banana.
  • narrator (noun): One who narrates or tells stories.
  • natant (adjective): floating or swimming (in water)
  • nonart (noun): That which is not art
  • notator (noun): One who notates; a writer of notation.
  • nurturant (adjective): That provides nourishment; nurturing.
  • orator (noun): Someone who orates or delivers an oration.
  • outran (verb): simple past tense of outrun
  • radar (noun): A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces
  • radon (noun): The chemical element (symbol Rn, formerly Ro) with atomic number 86. It is an odorless, colorless, chemically inert but radioactive noble gas.
  • rand (noun): The border of an area of land, especially marshland.
  • rant (verb): To speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger.
  • ratatat (noun): A swiftly repeated knocking sound.
  • rattan (noun): Any of several species of climbing palm of the genus Calamus.
  • road (noun): A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
  • roan (adjective): Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in
  • roar (verb): To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.
  • rotator (noun): One who or that which rotates.
  • rotunda† (noun): A round building, usually small, often with a dome.
  • runaround (noun): An evasive explanation in the form of multiple excuses.
  • tandoor (noun): A cylindrical clay oven used, in the cuisine of the Caucasus, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent, to make flat bread, or to cook meat.
  • tantara (noun): a flourish on a trumpet
  • tantra (noun): A Hindu or Buddhist religious or esoteric text.
  • taro (noun): Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
  • tarot (noun): A card game played in various different variations.
  • tart (adjective): Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
  • tartan (noun): A kind of woven woollen cloth with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles, associated with Scottish Highlanders, different clans and some Scottish families and institutions having their own distinctive patterns.
  • tartar (noun): A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar.
  • tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
  • taunt (verb): to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.
  • taut (adjective): Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
  • toad (noun): An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
  • tornado (noun): A violent windstorm characterized by a mobile, twisting, funnel-shaped cloud.
  • truant (adjective): Absent without permission, especially from school.
  • tuna (noun): Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae.
  • tundra (noun): A flat and treeless Arctic biome.
  • turnaround† (noun): The act of turning to face in the other direction.