NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 4, 2021

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for January 4, 2021

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for January 4, 2021
Center LetterC
Outer Lettersa, d, h, i, n, p
# of Pangrams1 (Perfect: none)
Total Words31 words
Total Points132 points
Genius Level92 points
Bingo?Yes

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 January 4, 2021

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>8Σ
A2-2--4
C764--17
D-1---1
H----11
I1-11-3
N--1--1
P121--4
Σ11991131

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A
AC×4
C
CA×4
CH×11
CI×2
D
DA×1
H
HA×1
I
IN×3
N
NI×1
P
PA×1
PI×3

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A
ACA×2
ACI×2
C
CAN×4
CHA×4
CHI×7
CIC×1
CIN×1
D
DAC×1
H
HAN×1
I
INC×1
IND×2
N
NIA×1
P
PAN×1
PIC×2
PIN×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 ().

Word2L RefDefinition (click to reveal)
ac....AC6A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
ac..AC4Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
ac..AC4Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar.
ac....AC6Having a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red.
ca....CA6A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
ca....CA6Impartial and free from prejudice.
ca...CA5Any member of the family Canidae, including dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals.
ca...CA5Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
ch..CH4Small pieces of paper punched out from the edges of continuous stationery, or from ballot papers, paper tape, punched cards, etc.
ch..CH4A female gypsy.
ch...CH5A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
ch..CH4A man, a fellow.
ch..CH4A Mexican sage grown for its edible seeds, Salvia hispanica.
ch..CH4Elegant, stylish.
ch...CH5A Latin-American girl; a Latina.
ch....CH6Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
ch..CH4The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
ch...CH5Synonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
ch..CH4A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.
ci....CI6Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings. The periodical cicada.
ci...CI5A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
da...DA5A Russian villa or summer house in the countryside.
ha...... HA8Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.
in..IN4A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
in....IN6Any of the indica subspecies of the rice, Oryza sativa, which (unlike the japonica or sinica subspecies) are non-sticky and long-grained.
in.....IN7plural of indicium
ni....NI6A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
pa...PA5Alternative letter-case form of Panic (“pertaining to the Greek god Pan”)
pi..PI4A disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances, such as chalk, clay, dirt, ice, or sand.
pi....PI6An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink.
pi...PI5To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.

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.

  • acacia  (AC6)
  • acai  (AC4)
  • acid  (AC4)
  • acidic  (AC6)
  • cancan  (CA6)
  • candid  (CA6)
  • canid  (CA5)
  • canna  (CA5)
  • chad  (CH4)
  • chai  (CH4)
  • chain  (CH5)
  • chap  (CH4)
  • chia  (CH4)
  • chic  (CH4)
  • chica  (CH5)
  • chichi  (CH6)
  • chin  (CH4)
  • china  (CH5)
  • chip  (CH4)
  • cicada  (CI6)
  • cinch  (CI5)
  • dacha  (DA5)
  • handicap  (HA8)
  • inch  (IN4)
  • indica  (IN6)
  • indicia  (IN7)
  • niacin  (NI6)
  • panic  (PA5)
  • pica  (PI4)
  • picnic  (PI6)
  • pinch  (PI5)

Answer Definitions

  • acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
  • acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
  • acid (adjective): Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar.
  • acidic (adjective): Having a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red.
  • cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
  • candid (adjective): Impartial and free from prejudice.
  • canid (noun): Any member of the family Canidae, including dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals.
  • canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
  • chad (noun): Small pieces of paper punched out from the edges of continuous stationery, or from ballot papers, paper tape, punched cards, etc.
  • chai (noun): A female gypsy.
  • chain (noun): A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
  • chap (noun): A man, a fellow.
  • chia (noun): A Mexican sage grown for its edible seeds, Salvia hispanica.
  • chic (adjective): Elegant, stylish.
  • chica (noun): A Latin-American girl; a Latina.
  • chichi (adjective): Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
  • chin (noun): The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
  • china (noun): Synonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
  • chip (noun): A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.
  • cicada (noun): Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings. The periodical cicada.
  • cinch (noun): A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
  • dacha (noun): A Russian villa or summer house in the countryside.
  • handicap (noun): Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.
  • inch (noun): A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
  • indica (noun): Any of the indica subspecies of the rice, Oryza sativa, which (unlike the japonica or sinica subspecies) are non-sticky and long-grained.
  • indicia (noun): plural of indicium
  • niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
  • panic (adjective): Alternative letter-case form of Panic (“pertaining to the Greek god Pan”)
  • pica (noun): A disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances, such as chalk, clay, dirt, ice, or sand.
  • picnic (noun): An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink.
  • pinch (verb): To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.