NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 5, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | O |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, d, i, m, n, t |
| # of Pangrams | 6 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 66 words |
| Total Points | 390 points |
| Genius Level | 273 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</th><th>10</th><th>11</th><th>12 | Σ | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | 12 |
| D | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 14 |
| I | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | 9 |
| M | 6 | 4 | 3 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 14 |
| N | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 7 |
| O | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| T | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | Σ | 20 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 66 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AD×2 AM×4 AN×5 AT×1 |
|---|---|
| D | DA×1 DI×4 DO×9 |
| I | ID×2 IM×1 IN×5 IO×1 |
| M | MA×1 MI×1 MO×12 |
| N | NA×1 NO×6 |
| O | OM×1 ON×2 OT×1 |
| T | TA×1 TO×5 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ADD×1 ADM×1 AMI×1 AMM×2 AMN×1 ANI×2 ANN×1 ANO×2 ATO×1 |
|---|---|
| D | DAM×1 DIA×2 DIN×1 DIT×1 DOD×1 DOM×5 DON×1 DOO×2 |
| I | IDI×2 IMI×1 INI×1 INT×4 IOT×1 |
| M | MAM×1 MIN×1 MOA×2 MOM×1 MON×4 MOO×3 MOT×2 |
| N | NAT×1 NOM×2 NON×1 NOO×1 NOT×2 |
| O | OMI×1 ONI×1 ONT×1 OTT×1 |
| T | TAT×1 TOA×1 TOM×2 TOO×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ad...... | AD8 | The act of adding anything. |
| ad........ † | AD10 | Gentle or friendly reproof; counseling against fault or oversight; warning. |
| am... | AM5 | Relating to an amine. |
| am.. | AM4 | Ammunition. |
| am..... | AM7 | A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste. |
| am... | AM5 | amniocentesis |
| an....... | AN9 | The act of animating, or giving life or spirit. |
| an... | AN5 | A negatively charged ion. |
| an........ | AN10 | A critical or explanatory commentary or analysis. |
| an.... | AN6 | To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil. |
| an.. | AN4 | Straight away; at once. |
| at.. | AT4 | The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. |
| da....... † | DA9 | The state of being damned; condemnation; openly expressed disapprobation. |
| di..... | DI7 | A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an allotrope of carbon in which each atom is surrounded by four others in the form of a tetrahedron. |
| di.... | DI6 | Any of a group of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, now categorized as class Diatomophyceae or division Bacillariophyta. |
| di.. | DI4 | dinosaur. |
| di... | DI5 | That which was stated before, the aforesaid, the above, the same, likewise. |
| do.. | DO4 | A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius. |
| do.... | DO6 | A geographic area owned or controlled by a single person or organization. |
| do...... † | DO8 | The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on. |
| do........ † | DO10 | Control by means of superior ability, influence, position, or resources; prevailing force. |
| do...... | DO8 | Power or the use of power; sovereignty over something; stewardship, supremacy. |
| do.... | DO6 | A tile divided into two squares, each having 0 to 6 (or sometimes more) dots or pips (as in dice), used in the game of dominoes. |
| do...... | DO8 | A voluntary gift or contribution for a specific cause. |
| do.... | DO6 | Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing. |
| do.. | DO4 | Destiny, especially terrible. |
| id... | ID5 | A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people. |
| id... | ID5 | A person of low general intelligence. |
| im....... | IM9 | The act of imitating. |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of intimating. |
| in.......... † | IN12 | The act of making timid or fearful or of deterring by threats; the state of being intimidated |
| in.. | IN4 | To or towards the inside of. |
| in........ | IN10 | The rise and fall of the voice in speaking. |
| io.. | IO4 | The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. |
| ma.... | MA6 | Alternative letter-case form of Mammon (wealth, material avarice). |
| mi.... | MI6 | A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being. |
| mo.. | MO4 | a low, mournful cry of pain, sorrow or pleasure |
| mo.. | MO4 | A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation. |
| mo... | MO5 | mother |
| mo... | MO5 | An ultimate atom, or simple, unextended point; something ultimate and indivisible. |
| mo... | MO5 | A dialogue between master and student designed to obtain an intuitive truth. |
| mo.. | MO4 | Clipping of mononucleosis. |
| mo....... | MO9 | Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject. |
| mo.. | MO4 | A mental or emotional state, composure. |
| mo.. | MO4 | Alternative letter-case form of Moon (“the Earth's only permanent natural satellite”). |
| mo.. | MO4 | Subject to discussion (originally at a moot); arguable, debatable, unsolved or impossible to solve. |
| mo.... | MO6 | A state of progression from one place to another. |
| mo... | MO5 | A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement. |
| na.... | NA6 | A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture. |
| no... | NO5 | A member of a society or class who herd animals from pasture to pasture with no fixed home. |
| no........ | NO10 | An act or instance of nominating. |
| no......... † | NO11 | Not dominant. |
| no.. | NO4 | The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday. |
| no...... | NO8 | The act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters. |
| no.... | NO6 | Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept. |
| om.. | OM4 | To leave out or exclude. |
| on... | ON5 | A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice. |
| on.. | ON4 | Upon; on top of. |
| ot..... | OT7 | An upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc. |
| ta.... | TA6 | An image made in the skin with ink and a needle. |
| to.. | TO4 | An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae. |
| to.... | TO6 | A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit. |
| to.... | TO6 | Alternative spelling of tom-tit |
| to.. | TO4 | A cartoon, especially an animated television show. |
| to.. | TO4 | The noise of a horn or whistle. |
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.
- addition (AD8)
- admonition† (AD10)
- amino (AM5)
- ammo (AM4)
- ammonia (AM7)
- amnio (AM5)
- animation (AN9)
- anion (AN5)
- annotation (AN10)
- anoint (AN6)
- anon (AN4)
- atom (AT4)
- damnation† (DA9)
- diamond (DI7)
- diatom (DI6)
- dino (DI4)
- ditto (DI5)
- dodo (DO4)
- domain (DO6)
- dominant† (DO8)
- domination† (DO10)
- dominion (DO8)
- domino (DO6)
- donation (DO8)
- doodad (DO6)
- doom (DO4)
- idiom (ID5)
- idiot (ID5)
- imitation (IM9)
- initiation (IN10)
- intimation (IN10)
- intimidation† (IN12)
- into (IN4)
- intonation (IN10)
- iota (IO4)
- mammon (MA6)
- minion (MI6)
- moan (MO4)
- moat (MO4)
- momma (MO5)
- monad (MO5)
- mondo (MO5)
- mono (MO4)
- monomania (MO9)
- mood (MO4)
- moon (MO4)
- moot (MO4)
- motion (MO6)
- motto (MO5)
- nation (NA6)
- nomad (NO5)
- nomination (NO10)
- nondominant† (NO11)
- noon (NO4)
- notation (NO8)
- notion (NO6)
- omit (OM4)
- onion (ON5)
- onto (ON4)
- ottoman (OT7)
- tattoo (TA6)
- toad (TO4)
- tomato (TO6)
- tomtit (TO6)
- toon (TO4)
- toot (TO4)
Answer Definitions
- addition (noun): The act of adding anything.
- admonition† (noun): Gentle or friendly reproof; counseling against fault or oversight; warning.
- amino (adjective): Relating to an amine.
- ammo (noun): Ammunition.
- ammonia (noun): A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste.
- amnio (noun): amniocentesis
- animation (noun): The act of animating, or giving life or spirit.
- anion (noun): A negatively charged ion.
- annotation (noun): A critical or explanatory commentary or analysis.
- anoint (verb): To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil.
- anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
- atom (noun): The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
- damnation† (noun): The state of being damned; condemnation; openly expressed disapprobation.
- diamond (noun): A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an allotrope of carbon in which each atom is surrounded by four others in the form of a tetrahedron.
- diatom (noun): Any of a group of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, now categorized as class Diatomophyceae or division Bacillariophyta.
- dino (noun): dinosaur.
- ditto (noun): That which was stated before, the aforesaid, the above, the same, likewise.
- dodo (noun): A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius.
- domain (noun): A geographic area owned or controlled by a single person or organization.
- dominant† (noun): The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.
- domination† (noun): Control by means of superior ability, influence, position, or resources; prevailing force.
- dominion (noun): Power or the use of power; sovereignty over something; stewardship, supremacy.
- domino (noun): A tile divided into two squares, each having 0 to 6 (or sometimes more) dots or pips (as in dice), used in the game of dominoes.
- donation (noun): A voluntary gift or contribution for a specific cause.
- doodad (noun): Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing.
- doom (noun): Destiny, especially terrible.
- idiom (noun): A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
- idiot (noun): A person of low general intelligence.
- imitation (noun): The act of imitating.
- initiation (noun): The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced
- intimation (noun): The act of intimating.
- intimidation† (noun): The act of making timid or fearful or of deterring by threats; the state of being intimidated
- into (preposition): To or towards the inside of.
- intonation (noun): The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
- iota (noun): The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet.
- mammon (proper noun): Alternative letter-case form of Mammon (wealth, material avarice).
- minion (noun): A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
- moan (noun): a low, mournful cry of pain, sorrow or pleasure
- moat (noun): A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation.
- momma (noun): mother
- monad (noun): An ultimate atom, or simple, unextended point; something ultimate and indivisible.
- mondo (noun): A dialogue between master and student designed to obtain an intuitive truth.
- mono (noun): Clipping of mononucleosis.
- monomania (noun): Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject.
- mood (noun): A mental or emotional state, composure.
- moon (proper noun): Alternative letter-case form of Moon (“the Earth's only permanent natural satellite”).
- moot (adjective): Subject to discussion (originally at a moot); arguable, debatable, unsolved or impossible to solve.
- motion (noun): A state of progression from one place to another.
- motto (noun): A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
- nation (noun): A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.
- nomad (noun): A member of a society or class who herd animals from pasture to pasture with no fixed home.
- nomination (noun): An act or instance of nominating.
- nondominant† (adjective): Not dominant.
- noon (noun): The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
- notation (noun): The act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters.
- notion (noun): Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept.
- omit (verb): To leave out or exclude.
- onion (noun): A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
- onto (preposition): Upon; on top of.
- ottoman (noun): An upholstered sofa, without arms or a back, sometimes with a compartment for storing linen etc.
- tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
- toad (noun): An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
- tomato (noun): A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
- tomtit (noun): Alternative spelling of tom-tit
- toon (noun): A cartoon, especially an animated television show.
- toot (noun): The noise of a horn or whistle.