NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 19, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | I |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, b, c, f, k, l |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 35 words |
| Total Points | 167 points |
| Genius Level | 117 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 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 5 |
| B | 4 | - | - | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| C | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| F | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 6 |
| I | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| K | 2 | - | - | - | 2 | - | 4 |
| L | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 6 | Σ | 11 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 35 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×1 AC×2 AL×2 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×5 BI×5 |
| C | CI×1 CL×2 |
| F | FA×2 FI×2 FL×2 |
| I | IL×1 |
| K | KI×4 |
| L | LA×4 LI×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABA×1 ACA×2 ALI×1 ALK×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAC×2 BAI×2 BAL×1 BIB×1 BIF×1 BIL×3 |
| C | CIL×1 CLI×2 |
| F | FAC×1 FAI×1 FIL×2 FLA×1 FLI×1 |
| I | ILI×1 |
| K | KIC×3 KIL×1 |
| L | LAB×2 LAI×2 LIC×1 LIL×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ab... | AB5 | plural form of an ancient bead calculator. |
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| al... | AL5 | The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed. |
| al.... | AL6 | One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue. |
| ba..... | BA7 | plural of bacillus |
| ba...... † | BA8 | To refill a hole with the material dug out of it. |
| ba.. | BA4 | Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial. |
| ba..... | BA7 | An officer of the court, particularly: A reeve, the chief officer executing the decisions of any English court in the period following the Norman Conquest or executing the decisions of lower courts in the late medieval and early modern period. A high bailiff: an officer of the county courts responsible for executing warrants and court orders, appointed by the judge and removable by the Lord Chancellor. A bound bailiff: a deputy bailiff charged with debt collection. Any law enforcement officer charged with courtroom security and order. A huissier de justice or other foreign officer of the court acting as either a process server or as courtroom security. |
| ba....... | BA9 | A plucked stringed instrument with a triangular body, short neck and three strings, of Russian origin. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Of or relating to the Bible. |
| bi.. | BI4 | A sudden, sharp blow or punch. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Articulated with both lips. |
| bi.. | BI4 | The spoiling of someone's score in the crib. |
| bi.. | BI4 | Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff. |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cilium |
| cl... | CL5 | A brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively high-pitched sound produced by the impact of something small and hard against something hard, such as by the operation of a switch, a lock, or a latch. |
| cl... | CL5 | A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face. |
| fa.... | FA6 | Of or affecting the face. |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be unsuccessful. |
| fi.... | FI6 | Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter. |
| fi.. | FI4 | To occupy fully, to take up all of. |
| fl... | FL5 | A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material. |
| fl... | FL5 | A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip. |
| il... | IL5 | Relating to the ilium. |
| ki.. | KI4 | To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg. |
| ki...... | KI8 | A backward kick, a retrograde movement of an extremity. |
| ki...... | KI8 | A sport similar to baseball, where a ball is kicked rather than hit. |
| ki.. | KI4 | To put to death; to extinguish the life of. |
| la... | LA5 | The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of or pertaining to the lips or labia. |
| la.. | LA4 | A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy. |
| la.... | LA6 | Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity). |
| li.. | LI4 | To stroke with the tongue. |
| li... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
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.
- abaci (AB5)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- alibi (AL5)
- alkali (AL6)
- bacilli (BA7)
- backfill† (BA8)
- bail (BA4)
- bailiff (BA7)
- balalaika (BA9)
- biblical (BI8)
- biff (BI4)
- bilabial (BI8)
- bilk (BI4)
- bill (BI4)
- cilia (CI5)
- click (CL5)
- cliff (CL5)
- facial (FA6)
- fail (FA4)
- filial (FI6)
- fill (FI4)
- flail (FL5)
- flick (FL5)
- iliac (IL5)
- kick (KI4)
- kickback (KI8)
- kickball (KI8)
- kill (KI4)
- labia (LA5)
- labial (LA6)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- lick (LI4)
- lilac (LI5)
Answer Definitions
- abaci (noun): plural form of an ancient bead calculator.
- 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.
- alibi (noun): The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
- alkali (noun): One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.
- bacilli (noun): plural of bacillus
- backfill† (verb): To refill a hole with the material dug out of it.
- bail (noun): Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
- bailiff (noun): An officer of the court, particularly: A reeve, the chief officer executing the decisions of any English court in the period following the Norman Conquest or executing the decisions of lower courts in the late medieval and early modern period. A high bailiff: an officer of the county courts responsible for executing warrants and court orders, appointed by the judge and removable by the Lord Chancellor. A bound bailiff: a deputy bailiff charged with debt collection. Any law enforcement officer charged with courtroom security and order. A huissier de justice or other foreign officer of the court acting as either a process server or as courtroom security.
- balalaika (noun): A plucked stringed instrument with a triangular body, short neck and three strings, of Russian origin.
- biblical (adjective): Of or relating to the Bible.
- biff (noun): A sudden, sharp blow or punch.
- bilabial (adjective): Articulated with both lips.
- bilk (noun): The spoiling of someone's score in the crib.
- bill (noun): Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
- cilia (noun): plural of cilium
- click (noun): A brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively high-pitched sound produced by the impact of something small and hard against something hard, such as by the operation of a switch, a lock, or a latch.
- cliff (noun): A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
- facial (adjective): Of or affecting the face.
- fail (verb): To be unsuccessful.
- filial (adjective): Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
- fill (verb): To occupy fully, to take up all of.
- flail (noun): A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
- flick (noun): A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
- iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
- kick (verb): To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg.
- kickback (noun): A backward kick, a retrograde movement of an extremity.
- kickball (noun): A sport similar to baseball, where a ball is kicked rather than hit.
- kill (verb): To put to death; to extinguish the life of.
- labia (noun): The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.
- labial (adjective): Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.
- laic (noun): A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
- laical (adjective): Of or pertaining to a layperson, layman, laywoman, or laypeople (laity).
- lick (verb): To stroke with the tongue.
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.