NYT Spelling Bee Answers for February 23, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | P |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, i, r, t, u, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 39 words |
| Total Points | 162 points |
| Genius Level | 113 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 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| I | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| P | 10 | 7 | 4 | 2 | - | 1 | 24 |
| R | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| T | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 7 |
| U | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Y | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 15 | 11 | 8 | 4 | - | 1 | 39 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AP×3 |
|---|---|
| I | IR×1 |
| P | PA×11 PI×5 PR×2 PU×6 |
| R | RA×2 |
| T | TA×3 TI×1 TR×3 |
| U | UP×1 |
| Y | YA×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | APA×1 API×1 APP×1 |
|---|---|
| I | IRR×1 |
| P | PAI×1 PAP×4 PAR×5 PAT×1 PIP×1 PIT×4 PRA×2 PUP×2 PUR×2 PUT×2 |
| R | RAP×1 RAT×1 |
| T | TAP×2 TAR×1 TIP×1 TRA×1 TRI×2 |
| U | UPP×1 |
| Y | YAP×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ap... | AP5 | Placed separately (in regard to space or time). |
| ap.... | AP6 | A place where bees and their hives are kept. |
| ap..... | AP7 | The Soviet machinery of state bureaucratic administration, or a similar communistic structure. |
| ir.... | IR6 | To break into. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father. |
| pa.... | PA6 | A tropical American evergreen tree, Carica papaya, having large, yellow, edible fruit |
| pa... | PA5 | Like pap; soft; mushy. |
| pa.... | PA6 | plural of papyrus |
| pa.... | PA6 | Equality; comparability of strength or intensity. |
| pa... | PA5 | To avoid, deflect, or ward off (an attack, a blow, an argument, etc.). |
| pa.. | PA4 | A portion; a component. A fraction of a whole. |
| pa..... | PA7 | A type of instrumental suite popular in the 18th century |
| pa... | PA5 | A person or group of people constituting a particular side in a contract or legal action. |
| pa... | PA5 | A flattened portion of ground meat or a vegetarian equivalent, usually round but sometimes square in shape. |
| pi... | PI5 | Any of various small passerine birds, mainly from the genus Anthus, that are often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country. |
| pi.. | PI4 | A flat bread pouch used for making sandwiches such as gyros or falafels. |
| pi..... | PI7 | Alternative spelling of pit-a-pat |
| pi....... † | PI9 | Of or relating to the pituitary gland. |
| pi.. | PI4 | A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something. |
| pr.. | PR4 | A cunning or mischievous trick; a prank, a joke. |
| pr.. | PR4 | To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to God or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc. |
| pu.. | PU4 | Used as a specific epithet; resembling an insect in its pupal stage of development. |
| pu... | PU5 | A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12-18 months) |
| pu.... | PU6 | The state or degree of being pure. |
| pu.. | PU4 | Of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented. |
| pu.. | PU4 | The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green. |
| pu... | PU5 | A form of cement, made from linseed oil and whiting, used to fix panes of glass. |
| ra.. | RA4 | Snatched, taken away; abducted. |
| ra..... | RA7 | A device (trap) used to catch rats. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry. |
| ta... | TA5 | Any one of the species of large odd-toed ungulates of the taxonomic family Tapiridae with a long prehensile upper lip, of which all four surviving species are in genus Tapirus. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A tarpaulin. |
| ti... | TI5 | Fashionable, tip-top. |
| tr.. | TR4 | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body. |
| tr.. | TR4 | A journey; an excursion or jaunt. |
| tr.... | TR6 | Strange, surreal, similar to the effects of a hallucinogen. |
| up.... | UP6 | Presumptuous, above oneself, self-important; arrogant, snobbish, haughty. |
| ya... | YA5 | Of a dog, yapping in an annoying manner. |
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.
- apart (AP5)
- apiary (AP6)
- apparat (AP7)
- irrupt (IR6)
- pair (PA4)
- papa (PA4)
- papaya (PA6)
- pappy (PA5)
- papyri (PA6)
- parity (PA6)
- parry (PA5)
- part (PA4)
- partita (PA7)
- party (PA5)
- patty (PA5)
- pipit (PI5)
- pita (PI4)
- pitapat (PI7)
- pituitary† (PI9)
- pity (PI4)
- prat (PR4)
- pray (PR4)
- pupa (PU4)
- puppy (PU5)
- purity (PU6)
- purr (PU4)
- putt (PU4)
- putty (PU5)
- rapt (RA4)
- rattrap (RA7)
- tapa (TA4)
- tapir (TA5)
- tarp (TA4)
- tippy (TI5)
- trap (TR4)
- trip (TR4)
- trippy (TR6)
- uppity (UP6)
- yappy (YA5)
Answer Definitions
- apart (adverb): Placed separately (in regard to space or time).
- apiary (noun): A place where bees and their hives are kept.
- apparat (noun): The Soviet machinery of state bureaucratic administration, or a similar communistic structure.
- irrupt (verb): To break into.
- pair (noun): Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
- papa (noun): Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father.
- papaya (noun): A tropical American evergreen tree, Carica papaya, having large, yellow, edible fruit
- pappy (adjective): Like pap; soft; mushy.
- papyri (noun): plural of papyrus
- parity (noun): Equality; comparability of strength or intensity.
- parry (verb): To avoid, deflect, or ward off (an attack, a blow, an argument, etc.).
- part (noun): A portion; a component. A fraction of a whole.
- partita (noun): A type of instrumental suite popular in the 18th century
- party (noun): A person or group of people constituting a particular side in a contract or legal action.
- patty (noun): A flattened portion of ground meat or a vegetarian equivalent, usually round but sometimes square in shape.
- pipit (noun): Any of various small passerine birds, mainly from the genus Anthus, that are often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
- pita (noun): A flat bread pouch used for making sandwiches such as gyros or falafels.
- pitapat (verb): Alternative spelling of pit-a-pat
- pituitary† (adjective): Of or relating to the pituitary gland.
- pity (noun): A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
- prat (noun): A cunning or mischievous trick; a prank, a joke.
- pray (verb): To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to God or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc.
- pupa (noun): Used as a specific epithet; resembling an insect in its pupal stage of development.
- puppy (noun): A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12-18 months)
- purity (noun): The state or degree of being pure.
- purr (verb): Of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented.
- putt (noun): The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
- putty (noun): A form of cement, made from linseed oil and whiting, used to fix panes of glass.
- rapt (adjective): Snatched, taken away; abducted.
- rattrap (noun): A device (trap) used to catch rats.
- tapa (noun): A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry.
- tapir (noun): Any one of the species of large odd-toed ungulates of the taxonomic family Tapiridae with a long prehensile upper lip, of which all four surviving species are in genus Tapirus.
- tarp (noun): A tarpaulin.
- tippy (adjective): Fashionable, tip-top.
- trap (noun): A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body.
- trip (noun): A journey; an excursion or jaunt.
- trippy (adjective): Strange, surreal, similar to the effects of a hallucinogen.
- uppity (adjective): Presumptuous, above oneself, self-important; arrogant, snobbish, haughty.
- yappy (adjective): Of a dog, yapping in an annoying manner.