NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 20, 2020
Game Summary
| Center Letter | I |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | e, g, h, l, o, p |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 21 words |
| Total Points | 89 points |
| Genius Level | 62 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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| G | 1 | - | 2 | - | - | - | 3 |
| H | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| I | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| L | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| O | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| P | 4 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 6 | Σ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| E | EP×1 |
|---|---|
| G | GI×3 |
| H | HI×4 |
| I | IG×1 |
| L | LI×2 LO×2 |
| O | OL×2 |
| P | PI×4 PL×1 PO×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| E | EPI×1 |
|---|---|
| G | GIG×2 GIL×1 |
| H | HIG×1 HIL×1 HIP×2 |
| I | IGL×1 |
| L | LIE×1 LIP×1 LOG×1 LOL×1 |
| O | OLI×1 OLL×1 |
| P | PIE×1 PIL×2 PIP×1 PLI×1 POL×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ep.... | EP6 | Alternative spelling of epilogue |
| gi.... | GI6 | To laugh gently in a nervous or affected manner. |
| gi.... | GI6 | A man who has a sexual relationship with a woman from whom he receives payment. |
| gi.. | GI4 | a breathing organ of fish and other aquatic animals |
| hi.. | HI4 | Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level: Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty. |
| hi.. | HI4 | An elevated landmass smaller than a mountain. |
| hi.... | HI6 | A teenager who imitated the beatniks. |
| hi... | HI5 | Clipping of hippopotamus. |
| ig... | IG5 | A dome-shaped Inuit shelter, constructed of blocks cut from snow. |
| li... | LI5 | A free and independent person; specifically, a lord paramount; a sovereign. |
| li.. | LI4 | Clipping of liposuction. |
| lo....... † | LO9 | One who loves words; a word buff. |
| lo...... | LO8 | An item of confectionery consisting of a piece of candy/sweet attached to a stick. |
| ol.. | OL4 | A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables. |
| ol... | OL5 | An aerial maneuver in which one catches air by leaping off the ground with the skateboard and into the air. |
| pi..... | PI7 | A person's mouth. |
| pi.. | PI4 | A mass of things heaped together; a heap. |
| pi.. | PI4 | A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication. |
| pi.. | PI4 | Meanings relating to a wind instrument. A wind instrument consisting of a tube, often lined with holes to allow for adjustment in pitch, sounded by blowing into the tube. A tube used to produce sound in an organ; an organ pipe. The key or sound of the voice. A high-pitched sound, especially of a bird. |
| pl.. | PL4 | Alternative spelling of plié |
| po... | PO5 | Abbreviation of poliomyelitis. |
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.
- epilog (EP6)
- giggle (GI6)
- gigolo (GI6)
- gill (GI4)
- high (HI4)
- hill (HI4)
- hippie (HI6)
- hippo (HI5)
- igloo (IG5)
- liege (LI5)
- lipo (LI4)
- logophile† (LO9)
- lollipop (LO8)
- olio (OL4)
- ollie (OL5)
- piehole (PI7)
- pile (PI4)
- pill (PI4)
- pipe (PI4)
- plie (PL4)
- polio (PO5)
Answer Definitions
- epilog (noun): Alternative spelling of epilogue
- giggle (verb): To laugh gently in a nervous or affected manner.
- gigolo (noun): A man who has a sexual relationship with a woman from whom he receives payment.
- gill (noun): a breathing organ of fish and other aquatic animals
- high (adjective): Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level: Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.
- hill (noun): An elevated landmass smaller than a mountain.
- hippie (noun): A teenager who imitated the beatniks.
- hippo (noun): Clipping of hippopotamus.
- igloo (noun): A dome-shaped Inuit shelter, constructed of blocks cut from snow.
- liege (noun): A free and independent person; specifically, a lord paramount; a sovereign.
- lipo (noun): Clipping of liposuction.
- logophile† (noun): One who loves words; a word buff.
- lollipop (noun): An item of confectionery consisting of a piece of candy/sweet attached to a stick.
- olio (noun): A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables.
- ollie (noun): An aerial maneuver in which one catches air by leaping off the ground with the skateboard and into the air.
- piehole (noun): A person's mouth.
- pile (noun): A mass of things heaped together; a heap.
- pill (noun): A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
- pipe (noun): Meanings relating to a wind instrument. A wind instrument consisting of a tube, often lined with holes to allow for adjustment in pitch, sounded by blowing into the tube. A tube used to produce sound in an organ; an organ pipe. The key or sound of the voice. A high-pitched sound, especially of a bird.
- plie (noun): Alternative spelling of plié
- polio (noun): Abbreviation of poliomyelitis.