Game Summary

Table of Contents

As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!

1. Spelling Bee Grid
2. Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
3. Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
4. Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
5. Today's Complete Solution
6. 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.

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.

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 (^†).

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)
• aioli  (AI5)
• alit  (AL4)
• apolitical^†  (AP10)
• atilt  (AT5)
• attic  (AT5)
• cacti  (CA5)
• calico  (CA6)
• capicola  (CA8)
• capital  (CA7)
• capitol^†  (CA7)
• cattail  (CA7)
• ciao  (CI4)
• cilia  (CI5)
• clip  (CL4)
• coati  (CO5)
• coattail  (CO8)
• cocci  (CO5)
• coil  (CO4)
• coital  (CO6)
• colic  (CO5)
• copilot  (CO7)
• iliac  (IL5)
• illicit  (IL7)
• iota  (IO4)
• italic  (IT6)
• lactic  (LA6)
• laic  (LA4)
• laical  (LA6)
• licit  (LI5)
• lilac  (LI5)
• lilt  (LI4)
• lipo  (LI4)
• loci  (LO4)
• lollipop  (LO8)
• occipital^†  (OC9)
• ocotillo  (OC8)
• octopi  (OC6)
• olio  (OL4)
• optic  (OP5)
• optical^†  (OP7)
• pail  (PA4)
• palatial  (PA8)
• papilla  (PA7)
• patio  (PA5)
• pica  (PI4)
• piccata  (PI7)
• piccolo  (PI7)
• picot  (PI5)
• pill  (PI4)
• pilot  (PI5)
• pipit  (PI5)
• pita  (PI4)
• pitapat  (PI7)
• plait  (PL5)
• polio  (PO5)
• politic  (PO7)
• political^†  (PO9)
• politico  (PO8)
• tacit  (TA5)
• tactic  (TA6)
• tactical  (TA8)
• tail  (TA4)
• tailcoat  (TA8)
• tali  (TA4)
• tapioca  (TA7)
• tilapia  (TI7)
• till  (TI4)
• tilt  (TI4)
• tiptop  (TI6)
• toil  (TO4)
• topic  (TO5)
• topical^†  (TO7)

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.
• aioli (noun): A type of sauce, similar to mayonnaise, made from garlic, egg, lemon juice and olive oil.
• alit (verb): simple past tense and past participle of alight
• apolitical^† (adjective): Having no interest or involvement in politics.
• atilt (adjective): At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.
• attic (noun): The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
• cacti (noun): plural of cactus
• calico (noun): A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.
• capicola (noun): A traditional Neapolitan-Italian cold cut made from pork shoulder or neck and dry-cured whole.
• capital (noun): Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures).
• capitol^† (noun): Any building or complex of buildings in which a legislature meets.
• cattail (noun): Any of several perennial herbs, of the genus Typha, that have long flat leaves, and grow in marshy places.
• ciao (interjection): hello, hi.
• cilia (noun): plural of cilium
• clip (verb): To grip tightly.
• coati (noun): Any of several omnivorous mammals, of the genus Nasua or Nasuella, in order Carnivora, that live in the range from southern United States to northern Argentina.
• coattail (noun): The flap at the back of a coat that hangs down, sometimes below the waist.
• cocci (noun): plural of coccus
• coil (noun): Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.
• coital (adjective): of or relating to the sex act or coitus
• colic (noun): Severe pains that grip the abdomen or the disease that causes such pains (due to intestinal or bowel-related problems).
• copilot (noun): A backup or assistant pilot of an aircraft.
• iliac (adjective): Relating to the ilium.
• illicit (adjective): Not approved by law, but not invalid.
• iota (noun): The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet.
• italic (adjective): Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.
• lactic (adjective): Of, relating to, or derived from milk.
• 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).
• licit (adjective): Not forbidden by formal or informal rules.
• lilac (noun): A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
• lilt (verb): To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
• lipo (noun): Clipping of liposuction.
• loci (noun): plural of locus
• lollipop (noun): An item of confectionery consisting of a piece of candy/sweet attached to a stick.
• occipital^† (adjective): Of, pertaining to, or located within or near the occiput (back of the head) or the occipital bone.
• ocotillo (noun): Any of various succulent plants, unrelated to the cactus, in genus Fouquieria, especially Fouquieria splendens, living in Central America or the southwest United States.
• octopi (noun): plural of octopus
• olio (noun): A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables.
• optic (adjective): Of, or relating to the eye or to vision.
• optical^† (adjective): Of, or relating to sight; visual.
• pail (noun): A vessel of wood, tin, plastic, etc., usually cylindrical and having a handle -- used especially for carrying liquids, for example water or milk; a bucket (sometimes with a cover).
• palatial (adjective): Of or relating to a palace.
• papilla (noun): A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body. A vascular process of connective tissue extending into and nourishing the root of a hair, feather, or developing tooth. Any of the vascular protuberances of the dermal layer of the skin extending into the epidermal layer and often containing tactile corpuscles. Any of the small protuberances on the upper surface of the tongue often containing taste buds.
• patio (noun): A paved outside area, adjoining a house, used for dining or recreation.
• pica (noun): A disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances, such as chalk, clay, dirt, ice, or sand.
• piccata (adjective): Sliced, sautéed and served with lemon, parsley and butter sauce.
• piccolo (noun): A piccolo piano.
• picot (noun): An embroidery trim made of a series of small loops.
• pill (noun): A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
• pilot (noun): A person who steers a ship, a helmsman.
• 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
• plait (noun): A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.
• polio (noun): Abbreviation of poliomyelitis.
• politic (adjective): Of or relating to polity, or civil government; political.
• political^† (adjective): Concerning or relating to politics, the art and process of governing.
• politico (noun): A politician.
• tacit (adjective): Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence.
• tactic (noun): A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.
• tactical (adjective): of or relating to tactics
• tail (noun): The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.
• tailcoat (noun): A formal evening jacket with an extended back panel; a dress coat.
• tali (noun): plural of talus
• tapioca (noun): A starchy food made from the cassava plant, used in puddings.
• tilapia (noun): Any of various edible fish, formerly species of the genus Tilapia, but now placed in other cichlid genera (such as Oreochromis), native to Africa and the Middle East but cultivated worldwide.
• till (preposition): Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
• tilt (verb): To slope or incline (something); to slant.
• tiptop (noun): The very topmost point.
• toil (noun): Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
• topic (adjective): topical
• topical^† (adjective): Relating to a particular topic or subject.