NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 18, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | Y |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, b, l, n, o, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 43 words |
| Total Points | 228 points |
| Genius Level | 160 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 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 8 |
| B | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | - | 1 | 14 |
| L | - | 3 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 6 |
| N | - | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | 5 |
| O | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| T | 1 | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 7 |
| Y | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 7 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 43 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×1 AL×3 AN×2 AT×2 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×6 BL×3 BO×5 |
| L | LO×6 |
| N | NA×2 NO×2 NY×1 |
| O | OA×1 ON×2 |
| T | TA×4 TO×3 |
| Y |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABL×1 ALL×3 ANA×1 ANN×1 ATO×1 ATT×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×1 BAL×1 BAN×2 BAT×2 BLA×2 BLO×1 BON×2 BOO×2 BOT×1 |
| L | LOB×2 LOO×1 LOY×3 |
| N | NAN×1 NAT×1 NOB×1 NOT×1 NYL×1 |
| O | OAT×1 ONL×2 |
| T | TAB×1 TAL×2 TAT×1 TON×2 TOT×1 |
| Y |
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.. | AB4 | In an able manner; with great ability. |
| al... | AL5 | To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm. |
| al... | AL5 | A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal. |
| 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. |
| an.... | AN6 | Involving the anus. |
| an... | AN5 | To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds. |
| at...... | AT8 | In an atonal manner; without tone. |
| at..... | AT7 | Used to show encouragement or approval to a boy, man, or male animal. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered. |
| ba..... | BA7 | Alternative spelling of ball boy |
| ba..... | BA7 | In a banal, trite or boring manner. |
| ba.... | BA6 | An Indian trader, merchant, cashier, or money changer. |
| ba.... | BA6 | A boy employed to watch over the bats, and assist the players in retrieving them during play. |
| ba... | BA5 | Mad, crazy, silly. |
| bl.... | BL6 | Tending to blab or gossip a lot. |
| bl....... | BL9 | In a blatant manner; so as to be highly visible or obvious. |
| bl.... | BL6 | Similar in shape to blobs; amorphous in appearance; partially irregular in appearance like bubbles. |
| bo... | BO5 | Alternative spelling of bonnie |
| bo.. | BO4 | resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone; osseous. |
| bo... | BO5 | A stupid person. |
| bo... | BO5 | A form of prize which, when a ship was captured at sea, could be distributed at once. |
| bo.... | BO6 | The scientific study of plants, a branch of biology. Typically those disciplines that involve the whole plant. |
| lo... | LO5 | An entryway or reception area; vestibule; passageway; corridor. |
| lo...... | LO8 | Gruel. |
| lo... | LO5 | Insane. |
| lo... | LO5 | Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something. |
| lo..... | LO7 | In a loyal manner, faithfully. |
| lo..... | LO7 | The state of being loyal; fidelity. |
| na... | NA5 | A child's nurse. |
| na... | NA5 | Smart and fashionable. |
| no... | NO5 | In a noble manner. |
| no..... † | NO7 | As a pointed example; in a notable manner. |
| ny... | NY5 | Originally, the DuPont company trade name for polyamide, a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternating diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers bonded together; now generically used for this type of polymer. |
| oa.. | OA4 | Containing oats. |
| on... | ON5 | To lay or place something on a surface. |
| on.. | ON4 | Alone in a category. |
| ta... | TA5 | A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering. |
| ta..... | TA7 | A tall chest of drawers, or combination of chest on chest, or chest with a small wardrobe on top. Usually with low bracket feet but always resulting in a tall piece of furniture. |
| ta... | TA5 | Target sighted. |
| ta... | TA5 | worn and shabby; in poor condition. |
| to..... | TO7 | In a tonal manner. |
| to.. | TO4 | Stylish, high-toned, upscale. |
| to..... | TO7 | To the fullest extent or degree. |
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.
- ably (AB4)
- allay (AL5)
- alloy (AL5)
- ally (AL4)
- anally (AN6)
- annoy (AN5)
- atonally (AT8)
- attaboy (AT7)
- baby (BA4)
- ballboy (BA7)
- banally (BA7)
- banyan (BA6)
- batboy (BA6)
- batty (BA5)
- blabby (BL6)
- blatantly (BL9)
- blobby (BL6)
- bonny (BO5)
- bony (BO4)
- booby (BO5)
- booty (BO5)
- botany (BO6)
- lobby (LO5)
- loblolly (LO8)
- loony (LO5)
- loyal (LO5)
- loyally (LO7)
- loyalty (LO7)
- nanny (NA5)
- natty (NA5)
- nobly (NO5)
- notably† (NO7)
- nylon (NY5)
- oaty (OA4)
- onlay (ON5)
- only (ON4)
- tabby (TA5)
- tallboy (TA7)
- tally (TA5)
- tatty (TA5)
- tonally (TO7)
- tony (TO4)
- totally (TO7)
Answer Definitions
- ably (adverb): In an able manner; with great ability.
- allay (verb): To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.
- alloy (noun): A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal.
- 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.
- anally (adverb): Involving the anus.
- annoy (verb): To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds.
- atonally (adverb): In an atonal manner; without tone.
- attaboy (interjection): Used to show encouragement or approval to a boy, man, or male animal.
- baby (noun): A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
- ballboy (noun): Alternative spelling of ball boy
- banally (adverb): In a banal, trite or boring manner.
- banyan (noun): An Indian trader, merchant, cashier, or money changer.
- batboy (noun): A boy employed to watch over the bats, and assist the players in retrieving them during play.
- batty (adjective): Mad, crazy, silly.
- blabby (adjective): Tending to blab or gossip a lot.
- blatantly (adverb): In a blatant manner; so as to be highly visible or obvious.
- blobby (adjective): Similar in shape to blobs; amorphous in appearance; partially irregular in appearance like bubbles.
- bonny (adjective): Alternative spelling of bonnie
- bony (adjective): resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone; osseous.
- booby (noun): A stupid person.
- booty (noun): A form of prize which, when a ship was captured at sea, could be distributed at once.
- botany (noun): The scientific study of plants, a branch of biology. Typically those disciplines that involve the whole plant.
- lobby (noun): An entryway or reception area; vestibule; passageway; corridor.
- loblolly (noun): Gruel.
- loony (adjective): Insane.
- loyal (adjective): Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
- loyally (adverb): In a loyal manner, faithfully.
- loyalty (noun): The state of being loyal; fidelity.
- nanny (noun): A child's nurse.
- natty (adjective): Smart and fashionable.
- nobly (adverb): In a noble manner.
- notably† (adverb): As a pointed example; in a notable manner.
- nylon (noun): Originally, the DuPont company trade name for polyamide, a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternating diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers bonded together; now generically used for this type of polymer.
- oaty (adjective): Containing oats.
- onlay (verb): To lay or place something on a surface.
- only (adjective): Alone in a category.
- tabby (noun): A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
- tallboy (noun): A tall chest of drawers, or combination of chest on chest, or chest with a small wardrobe on top. Usually with low bracket feet but always resulting in a tall piece of furniture.
- tally (interjection): Target sighted.
- tatty (noun): worn and shabby; in poor condition.
- tonally (adverb): In a tonal manner.
- tony (adjective): Stylish, high-toned, upscale.
- totally (adverb): To the fullest extent or degree.