NYT Spelling Bee Answers for April 21, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | B |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, i, l, m, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 37 words |
| Total Points | 172 points |
| Genius Level | 120 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 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 6 |
| B | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | 17 |
| C | - | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| I | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| L | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| M | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Y | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 12 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 4 | - | 1 | 37 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×3 AL×1 AM×2 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×7 BI×7 BL×3 |
| C | CA×3 CL×1 CY×1 |
| I | IA×3 |
| L | LA×3 LI×2 |
| M | MA×1 |
| Y |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABA×1 ABB×1 ABL×1 ALI×1 AMI×2 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×2 BAC×1 BAI×1 BAL×3 BIA×1 BIB×2 BIC×1 BIL×3 BLA×3 |
| C | CAB×3 CLI×1 CYM×1 |
| I | IAM×3 |
| L | LAB×2 LAM×1 LIM×2 |
| M | MAM×1 |
| Y |
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.... | AB6 | The dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an abbot or abbess. |
| ab.. | AB4 | In an able manner; with great ability. |
| 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. |
| am..... | AM7 | In an amiable manner; in a friendly or pleasant manner. |
| am...... † | AM8 | friendly; in an amicable manner. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered. |
| 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.. | BA4 | Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America. |
| ba... | BA5 | Producing balm. |
| bi... | BI5 | A flat bread roll topped with onion flakes. Instead of a hole like a bagel, it has a depression in the middle. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Of or relating to the Bible. |
| bi........ | BI10 | In a biblical manner. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Having two cycles. |
| bi...... | BI8 | Articulated with both lips. |
| 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. |
| bi... | BI5 | A billy club. |
| bl.. | BL4 | To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion. |
| bl.... | BL6 | Tending to blab or gossip a lot. |
| bl.. | BL4 | A sudden, explosive sound, such as is made by a gunshot |
| ca... | CA5 | A secret political clique or faction. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Alternative spelling of Kabballah |
| ca... | CA5 | A cabdriver; someone who drives a taxi. |
| cl... | CL5 | To ascend; rise; to go up. |
| cy.... | CY6 | A concave plate of brass or bronze that produces a sharp, ringing sound when struck: played either in pairs, by striking them together, or singly by striking with a drumstick or the like. |
| ia.. | IA4 | A metrical foot in verse consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. |
| ia... | IA5 | plural of iambus |
| ia.... | IA6 | Consisting of iambs (metrical feet with an unstressed-stressed pattern) or characterized by their predominance. |
| 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 young sheep. |
| li.. | LI4 | A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing). |
| li.... | LI6 | Relating to the limbic system. |
| ma... | MA5 | Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees. |
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)
- abbacy (AB6)
- ably (AB4)
- alibi (AL5)
- amiably (AM7)
- amicably† (AM8)
- baba (BA4)
- baby (BA4)
- bacilli (BA7)
- bail (BA4)
- ball (BA4)
- balm (BA4)
- balmy (BA5)
- bialy (BI5)
- biblical (BI8)
- biblically (BI10)
- bicyclic (BI8)
- bilabial (BI8)
- bill (BI4)
- billy (BI5)
- blab (BL4)
- blabby (BL6)
- blam (BL4)
- cabal (CA5)
- cabala (CA6)
- cabby (CA5)
- climb (CL5)
- cymbal (CY6)
- iamb (IA4)
- iambi (IA5)
- iambic (IA6)
- labia (LA5)
- labial (LA6)
- lamb (LA4)
- limb (LI4)
- limbic (LI6)
- mamba (MA5)
Answer Definitions
- abaci (noun): plural form of an ancient bead calculator.
- abbacy (noun): The dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an abbot or abbess.
- ably (adverb): In an able manner; with great ability.
- 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.
- amiably (adverb): In an amiable manner; in a friendly or pleasant manner.
- amicably† (adverb): friendly; in an amicable manner.
- baba (noun): A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- baby (noun): A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
- 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.
- balm (noun): Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
- balmy (adjective): Producing balm.
- bialy (noun): A flat bread roll topped with onion flakes. Instead of a hole like a bagel, it has a depression in the middle.
- biblical (adjective): Of or relating to the Bible.
- biblically (adverb): In a biblical manner.
- bicyclic (adjective): Having two cycles.
- bilabial (adjective): Articulated with both lips.
- 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.
- billy (noun): A billy club.
- blab (verb): To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
- blabby (adjective): Tending to blab or gossip a lot.
- blam (noun): A sudden, explosive sound, such as is made by a gunshot
- cabal (noun): A secret political clique or faction.
- cabala (proper noun): Alternative spelling of Kabballah
- cabby (noun): A cabdriver; someone who drives a taxi.
- climb (verb): To ascend; rise; to go up.
- cymbal (noun): A concave plate of brass or bronze that produces a sharp, ringing sound when struck: played either in pairs, by striking them together, or singly by striking with a drumstick or the like.
- iamb (noun): A metrical foot in verse consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
- iambi (noun): plural of iambus
- iambic (adjective): Consisting of iambs (metrical feet with an unstressed-stressed pattern) or characterized by their predominance.
- 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.
- lamb (noun): A young sheep.
- limb (noun): A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).
- limbic (adjective): Relating to the limbic system.
- mamba (noun): Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees.