NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 28, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | C |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, d, g, i, n, r |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 46 words |
| Total Points | 273 points |
| Genius Level | 191 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 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | 10 |
| C | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 24 |
| D | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| G | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| I | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| N | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| R | - | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | 4 | Σ | 5 | 10 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 46 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×6 AR×4 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×15 CI×5 CR×4 |
| D | DA×1 DI×1 |
| G | GR×1 |
| I | IC×1 IN×2 |
| N | NA×1 NI×1 |
| R | RA×2 RI×2 |
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×3 ACR×1 ARC×4 |
|---|---|
| C | CAD×1 CAG×1 CAI×1 CAN×7 CAR×5 CIC×1 CIG×1 CIR×3 CRA×3 CRI×1 |
| D | DAN×1 DIC×1 |
| G | GRA×1 |
| I | ICI×1 IND×2 |
| N | NAR×1 NIA×1 |
| R | RAC×1 RAN×1 RIC×2 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar. |
| ac.... | AC6 | Having a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red. |
| ac... | AC5 | present participle of ace |
| ac... | AC5 | Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not to the taste. |
| ar..... | AR7 | Alternative letter-case form of Arcadia |
| ar...... | AR8 | Pertaining to an arcade. |
| ar.... | AR6 | Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated. |
| ar.... | AR6 | present participle of arc |
| ca..... | CA7 | present participle of cadge |
| ca.... | CA6 | present participle of cage |
| ca... | CA5 | A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Impartial and free from prejudice. |
| ca... | CA5 | Any member of the family Canidae, including dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals. |
| ca.... | CA6 | present participle of cane |
| ca... | CA5 | Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers. |
| ca..... | CA7 | present participle of can (“to be able to”) |
| ca.. | CA4 | cardinality |
| ca..... | CA7 | Pertaining to the heart. |
| ca...... † | CA8 | A type of sweater or jumper that fastens up the front with buttons or a zipper, usually machine- or hand-knitted from wool. |
| ca..... † | CA7 | present participle of card |
| ca.... | CA6 | Kind, sensitive, or empathetic. |
| ci.... | CI6 | Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings. The periodical cicada. |
| ci... | CI5 | A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked. |
| ci... | CI5 | Approximately, about, around |
| ci....... | CI9 | of, relating to, or showing rhythmic behaviour with a period of 24 hours; especially of a biological process |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers. |
| cr.. | CR4 | A rocky outcrop; a rugged steep cliff or rock. |
| cr.... | CR6 | plural of cranium |
| cr..... | CR7 | present participle of crane |
| cr...... | CR8 | present participle of cringe |
| da..... | DA7 | The activity of taking part in a dance. |
| di.... | DI6 | present participle of dice |
| gr..... | GR7 | present participle of grace |
| ic... | IC5 | A sweet, often creamy and thick glaze made primarily of sugar, often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, or flavorings, typically used for baked goods. |
| in.... | IN6 | Any of the indica subspecies of the rice, Oryza sativa, which (unlike the japonica or sinica subspecies) are non-sticky and long-grained. |
| in..... | IN7 | plural of indicium |
| na.. | NA4 | A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. |
| ra.... | RA6 | The sport of competing in races. |
| ra.... | RA6 | Rank in taste or smell. |
| ri... | RI5 | An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean. |
| ri.... | RI6 | present participle of rice |
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)
- acing (AC5)
- acrid (AC5)
- arcadia (AR7)
- arcadian (AR8)
- arcana (AR6)
- arcing (AR6)
- cadging (CA7)
- caging (CA6)
- cairn (CA5)
- canard (CA6)
- cancan (CA6)
- candid (CA6)
- canid (CA5)
- caning (CA6)
- canna (CA5)
- canning (CA7)
- card (CA4)
- cardiac (CA7)
- cardigan† (CA8)
- carding† (CA7)
- caring (CA6)
- cicada (CI6)
- cigar (CI5)
- circa (CI5)
- circadian (CI9)
- cirri (CI5)
- crag (CR4)
- crania (CR6)
- craning (CR7)
- cringing (CR8)
- dancing (DA7)
- dicing (DI6)
- gracing (GR7)
- icing (IC5)
- indica (IN6)
- indicia (IN7)
- narc (NA4)
- niacin (NI6)
- racing (RA6)
- rancid (RA6)
- ricin (RI5)
- ricing (RI6)
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.
- acing (verb): present participle of ace
- acrid (adjective): Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not to the taste.
- arcadia (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Arcadia
- arcadian (adjective): Pertaining to an arcade.
- arcana (noun): Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
- arcing (verb): present participle of arc
- cadging (verb): present participle of cadge
- caging (verb): present participle of cage
- cairn (noun): A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- canard (noun): A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so.
- 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.
- caning (verb): present participle of cane
- canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
- canning (verb): present participle of can (“to be able to”)
- card (symbol): cardinality
- cardiac (adjective): Pertaining to the heart.
- cardigan† (noun): A type of sweater or jumper that fastens up the front with buttons or a zipper, usually machine- or hand-knitted from wool.
- carding† (verb): present participle of card
- caring (adjective): Kind, sensitive, or empathetic.
- 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.
- cigar (noun): A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked.
- circa (preposition): Approximately, about, around
- circadian (adjective): of, relating to, or showing rhythmic behaviour with a period of 24 hours; especially of a biological process
- cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
- crag (noun): A rocky outcrop; a rugged steep cliff or rock.
- crania (noun): plural of cranium
- craning (verb): present participle of crane
- cringing (verb): present participle of cringe
- dancing (noun): The activity of taking part in a dance.
- dicing (verb): present participle of dice
- gracing (verb): present participle of grace
- icing (noun): A sweet, often creamy and thick glaze made primarily of sugar, often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, or flavorings, typically used for baked goods.
- 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
- narc (noun): A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
- niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
- racing (noun): The sport of competing in races.
- rancid (adjective): Rank in taste or smell.
- ricin (noun): An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.
- ricing (verb): present participle of rice