NYT Spelling Bee Answers for March 18, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | A |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | b, c, g, i, l, o |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 52 words |
| Total Points | 222 points |
| Genius Level | 155 points |
| Bingo? | No |
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</th><th>10 | Σ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| B | 6 | - | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | 12 |
| C | 5 | 5 | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | 14 |
| G | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 8 |
| I | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | 2 |
| L | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 7 |
| O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 20 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 52 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×2 AC×2 AG×1 AI×1 AL×3 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×5 BI×3 BL×1 BO×3 |
| C | CA×7 CI×2 CL×1 CO×4 |
| G | GA×3 GL×4 GO×1 |
| I | IL×2 |
| L | LA×4 LI×1 LO×2 |
| O |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABA×1 ABO×1 ACA×2 AGO×1 AIO×1 ALG×2 ALI×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×1 BAC×1 BAI×1 BAL×1 BAO×1 BIB×1 BIL×1 BIO×1 BLA×1 BOB×1 BOL×1 BOO×1 |
| C | CAB×2 CAC×1 CAL×4 CIA×1 CIL×1 CLO×1 COA×1 COC×2 COL×1 |
| G | GAG×1 GAL×2 GLA×1 GLI×2 GLO×1 GOA×1 |
| I | ILI×1 ILL×1 |
| L | LAB×2 LAI×2 LIL×1 LOC×1 LOG×1 |
| O |
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. |
| ab... | AB5 | In a boil; boiling. |
| 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. |
| ag.. | AG4 | In eager desire, eager, astir. |
| ai... | AI5 | A type of sauce, similar to mayonnaise, made from garlic, egg, lemon juice and olive oil. |
| al.. | AL4 | Any of many aquatic photosynthetic organisms, including the seaweeds, whose size ranges from a single cell to giant kelps and whose biochemistry and forms are very diverse, some being eukaryotic. |
| al... | AL5 | Pertaining to, or like, algae. |
| 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. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. |
| ba..... | BA7 | plural of bacillus |
| 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.. | BA4 | A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass. |
| ba.... | BA6 | A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Of or relating to the Bible. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Articulated with both lips. |
| bi........ † | BI10 | Of or relating to biology. |
| bl.. | BL4 | To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Synonym of tapioca pearl. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of a cord. |
| bo...... | BO8 | A genre of music that blends rhythm and blues and soul music with Cuban-style rhythms, originating in the United States in the 1960s. |
| ca... | CA5 | A secret political clique or faction. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Alternative spelling of Kabballah |
| ca... | CA5 | A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A telephone conversation; a phone call. |
| ca... | CA5 | A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe. |
| ca...... | CA8 | Any of various tropical plants grown in the Americas, especially of the genera Amaranthus and Xanthosoma, cultivated for their edible leaves. |
| ci.. | CI4 | hello, hi. |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cilium |
| cl.... | CL6 | A sewer. |
| co.. | CO4 | A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel. |
| co.. | CO4 | Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. |
| co... | CO5 | The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made. |
| co.. | CO4 | The kola plant, genus Cola, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts. |
| ga.. | GA4 | Mentally senile. |
| ga.. | GA4 | Celebratory; festive. |
| ga.. | GA4 | Bile, especially that of an animal; the greenish, profoundly bitter-tasting fluid found in bile ducts and gall bladders, structures associated with the liver. |
| gl..... | GL7 | Of, or relating to glaciers. |
| gl.. | GL4 | The network of glial cells that supports nervous system tissue. |
| gl... | GL5 | Of or pertaining to glia. |
| gl.... | GL6 | Concerning all parts of the world. |
| go.. | GO4 | A result that one is attempting to achieve. |
| il... | IL5 | Relating to the ilium. |
| il....... | IL9 | Contrary to logic; lacking sense or sound reasoning. |
| 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... | LI5 | A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. |
| lo... | LO5 | From or in a nearby location. |
| lo..... | LO7 | In agreement with the principles of logic. |
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)
- aboil (AB5)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- agog (AG4)
- aioli (AI5)
- alga (AL4)
- algal (AL5)
- alibi (AL5)
- baba (BA4)
- bacilli (BA7)
- bail (BA4)
- ball (BA4)
- baobab (BA6)
- biblical (BI8)
- bilabial (BI8)
- biological† (BI10)
- blab (BL4)
- boba (BO4)
- bola (BO4)
- boogaloo (BO8)
- cabal (CA5)
- cabala (CA6)
- cacao (CA5)
- calico (CA6)
- call (CA4)
- calla (CA5)
- callaloo (CA8)
- ciao (CI4)
- cilia (CI5)
- cloaca (CL6)
- coal (CO4)
- coca (CO4)
- cocoa (CO5)
- cola (CO4)
- gaga (GA4)
- gala (GA4)
- gall (GA4)
- glacial (GL7)
- glia (GL4)
- glial (GL5)
- global (GL6)
- goal (GO4)
- iliac (IL5)
- illogical (IL9)
- labia (LA5)
- labial (LA6)
- laic (LA4)
- laical (LA6)
- lilac (LI5)
- local (LO5)
- logical (LO7)
Answer Definitions
- abaci (noun): plural form of an ancient bead calculator.
- aboil (adjective): In a boil; boiling.
- 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.
- agog (adjective): In eager desire, eager, astir.
- aioli (noun): A type of sauce, similar to mayonnaise, made from garlic, egg, lemon juice and olive oil.
- alga (noun): Any of many aquatic photosynthetic organisms, including the seaweeds, whose size ranges from a single cell to giant kelps and whose biochemistry and forms are very diverse, some being eukaryotic.
- algal (adjective): Pertaining to, or like, algae.
- 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.
- baba (noun): A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- bacilli (noun): plural of bacillus
- 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.
- ball (noun): A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
- baobab (noun): A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits.
- biblical (adjective): Of or relating to the Bible.
- bilabial (adjective): Articulated with both lips.
- biological† (adjective): Of or relating to biology.
- blab (verb): To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
- boba (noun): Synonym of tapioca pearl.
- bola (noun): A throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of a cord.
- boogaloo (noun): A genre of music that blends rhythm and blues and soul music with Cuban-style rhythms, originating in the United States in the 1960s.
- cabal (noun): A secret political clique or faction.
- cabala (proper noun): Alternative spelling of Kabballah
- cacao (noun): A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.
- calico (noun): A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.
- call (noun): A telephone conversation; a phone call.
- calla (noun): A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
- callaloo (noun): Any of various tropical plants grown in the Americas, especially of the genera Amaranthus and Xanthosoma, cultivated for their edible leaves.
- ciao (interjection): hello, hi.
- cilia (noun): plural of cilium
- cloaca (noun): A sewer.
- coal (noun): A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
- coca (noun): Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.
- cocoa (noun): The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.
- cola (noun): The kola plant, genus Cola, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts.
- gaga (adjective): Mentally senile.
- gala (adjective): Celebratory; festive.
- gall (noun): Bile, especially that of an animal; the greenish, profoundly bitter-tasting fluid found in bile ducts and gall bladders, structures associated with the liver.
- glacial (adjective): Of, or relating to glaciers.
- glia (noun): The network of glial cells that supports nervous system tissue.
- glial (adjective): Of or pertaining to glia.
- global (adjective): Concerning all parts of the world.
- goal (noun): A result that one is attempting to achieve.
- iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
- illogical (adjective): Contrary to logic; lacking sense or sound reasoning.
- 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).
- lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- local (adjective): From or in a nearby location.
- logical (adjective): In agreement with the principles of logic.