NYT Spelling Bee Answers for October 22, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | Y |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, d, k, l, r, w |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 28 words |
| Total Points | 130 points |
| Genius Level | 91 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 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | 6 |
| D | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 9 |
| K | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| L | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| R | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | 6 |
| Y | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | Σ | 9 | 10 | 3 | 4 | - | 2 | 28 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AL×2 AR×1 AW×3 |
|---|---|
| D | DA×3 DR×5 DY×1 |
| K | KA×1 |
| L | LA×2 |
| R | RA×2 |
| W | WA×5 WR×1 |
| Y | YA×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ALL×2 ARR×1 AWA×1 AWK×1 AWR×1 |
|---|---|
| D | DAD×1 DAL×1 DAR×1 DRA×2 DRY×3 DYA×1 |
| K | KAY×1 |
| L | LAD×1 LAY×1 |
| R | RAL×1 RAW×1 |
| W | WAL×1 WAR×1 WAY×3 WRY×1 |
| Y | YAR×1 YAW×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) |
|---|---|---|
| al... | AL5 | To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm. |
| al.. | AL4 | To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty. |
| ar... | AR5 | an ordered series or arrangement. |
| aw.. | AW4 | From a place, hence. |
| aw....... † | AW9 | In an awkward manner; with discomfort or lack of coordination. |
| aw.. | AW4 | Obliquely, crookedly; askew. |
| da... | DA5 | Father. |
| da... | DA5 | To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle. |
| da.... | DA6 | With insufficient light for easy discernment or comprehension |
| dr.... | DR6 | Having a drawling sound. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A low horse-drawn cart, often without sides, and used especially for heavy loads. |
| dr... | DR5 | A female tree spirit. |
| dr... | DR5 | In a dry manner. |
| dr..... | DR7 | A building material comprising a sheet of gypsum sandwiched between two pieces of heavy paper, used mainly for interior walls and ceilings. |
| dy.. | DY4 | A set of two elements treated as one; a pair. |
| ka... | KA5 | A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck |
| la.. | LA4 | The mistress of a household. |
| la..... | LA7 | A pit in which hides are stored. |
| ra... | RA5 | A public gathering or mass meeting that is not mainly a protest and is organized to inspire enthusiasm for a cause. |
| ra... | RA5 | In a raw manner. |
| wa..... | WA7 | A clearly defined path for pedestrians. |
| wa.. | WA4 | Cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, trickery, and dangers; suspiciously prudent |
| wa.... | WA6 | To lie in wait for and attack from ambush. |
| wa..... | WA7 | Given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray. |
| wa....... | WA9 | In a wayward manner. |
| wr... | WR5 | In a wry manner. |
| ya.. | YA4 | A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building. |
| ya.. | YA4 | A small ship's boat, usually rowed by four or six oars. |
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.
- allay (AL5)
- ally (AL4)
- array (AR5)
- away (AW4)
- awkwardly† (AW9)
- awry (AW4)
- daddy (DA5)
- dally (DA5)
- darkly (DA6)
- drawly (DR6)
- dray (DR4)
- dryad (DR5)
- dryly (DR5)
- drywall (DR7)
- dyad (DY4)
- kayak (KA5)
- lady (LA4)
- layaway (LA7)
- rally (RA5)
- rawly (RA5)
- walkway (WA7)
- wary (WA4)
- waylay (WA6)
- wayward (WA7)
- waywardly (WA9)
- wryly (WR5)
- yard (YA4)
- yawl (YA4)
Answer Definitions
- allay (verb): To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.
- ally (verb): To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty.
- array (noun): an ordered series or arrangement.
- away (adverb): From a place, hence.
- awkwardly† (adverb): In an awkward manner; with discomfort or lack of coordination.
- awry (adverb): Obliquely, crookedly; askew.
- daddy (noun): Father.
- dally (verb): To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.
- darkly (adverb): With insufficient light for easy discernment or comprehension
- drawly (adjective): Having a drawling sound.
- dray (noun): A low horse-drawn cart, often without sides, and used especially for heavy loads.
- dryad (noun): A female tree spirit.
- dryly (adverb): In a dry manner.
- drywall (noun): A building material comprising a sheet of gypsum sandwiched between two pieces of heavy paper, used mainly for interior walls and ceilings.
- dyad (noun): A set of two elements treated as one; a pair.
- kayak (noun): A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck
- lady (noun): The mistress of a household.
- layaway (noun): A pit in which hides are stored.
- rally (noun): A public gathering or mass meeting that is not mainly a protest and is organized to inspire enthusiasm for a cause.
- rawly (adverb): In a raw manner.
- walkway (noun): A clearly defined path for pedestrians.
- wary (adjective): Cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, trickery, and dangers; suspiciously prudent
- waylay (verb): To lie in wait for and attack from ambush.
- wayward (adjective): Given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray.
- waywardly (adverb): In a wayward manner.
- wryly (adverb): In a wry manner.
- yard (noun): A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building.
- yawl (noun): A small ship's boat, usually rowed by four or six oars.