NYT Spelling Bee Answers for July 12, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | N |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, d, e, k, l, u |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 41 words |
| Total Points | 197 points |
| Genius Level | 138 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 | Σ | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 |
| D | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | 7 |
| E | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| K | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| L | 3 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| N | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | 11 |
| U | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | 3 | Σ | 13 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 41 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CL×2 |
|---|---|
| D | DE×2 DU×5 |
| E | EN×3 |
| K | KE×4 KN×8 |
| L | LE×1 LU×2 |
| N | NE×7 NU×4 |
| U | UN×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | CLU×2 |
|---|---|
| D | DEN×2 DUN×5 |
| E | END×3 |
| K | KEE×2 KEN×2 KNE×6 KNU×2 |
| L | LEN×1 LUN×2 |
| N | NEC×2 NEE×4 NEN×1 NUD×1 NUK×2 NUL×1 |
| U | UNC×1 UND×1 UNN×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) |
|---|---|---|
| cl... | CL5 | A dull, metallic sound, especially one made by two bodies coming into contact. |
| cl..... † | CL7 | simple past tense and past participle of clunk |
| de.... | DE6 | To divest of all covering; to make bare or naked; to strip. |
| de..... | DE7 | simple past tense and past participle of denude |
| du... | DU5 | An unintelligent person. |
| du.. | DU4 | A ridge or hill of sand piled up by the wind. |
| du.. | DU4 | To submerge briefly in a liquid. |
| du.... | DU6 | simple past tense and past participle of dunk |
| du.... | DU6 | simple past tense and past participle of dun |
| en... | EN5 | simple past tense and past participle of end |
| en... | EN5 | To pass food into the stomach; to digest; also figuratively, to take on, absorb. |
| en.... | EN6 | simple past tense and past participle of endue |
| ke.. | KE4 | Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested. |
| ke.... | KE6 | simple past tense and past participle of keen |
| ke.... | KE6 | A house or shelter for a dog. |
| ke...... | KE8 | simple past tense and past participle of kennel |
| kn.. | KN4 | In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank. |
| kn... | KN5 | Having a knee or knees, or, in combination, the stated type of knee or knees. |
| kn... | KN5 | To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position. |
| kn..... | KN7 | simple past tense and past participle of kneel |
| kn... | KN5 | To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll. |
| kn..... | KN7 | simple past tense and past participle of knell |
| kn..... | KN7 | Any of the joints between the phalanges of the fingers. |
| kn...... † | KN8 | Having a certain type of knuckles. |
| le.. | LE4 | To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned. |
| lu.. | LU4 | A fit of lunacy or madness; a period of frenzy; a crazy or unreasonable freak. |
| lu.. | LU4 | A fool; an idiot; a lunkhead. |
| ne.. | NE4 | The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals. |
| ne.... | NE6 | Having some specific type of neck |
| ne.. | NE4 | A requirement for something; something needed. |
| ne.... | NE6 | Necessary; being required. |
| ne.... | NE6 | A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing as in sewing, embroidery, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, sutures, etc; or a blunt but otherwise similar implement used for forming loops or knots in crafts such as darning, knitting, tatting, etc. |
| ne..... | NE7 | Covered or armored with needles. |
| ne.. | NE4 | The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957. |
| nu.. | NU4 | Without clothing or other covering of the skin; without clothing on the genitals or female nipples. |
| nu.. | NU4 | A nuclear weapon. |
| nu... | NU5 | simple past tense and past participle of nuke |
| nu.. | NU4 | A non-existent or empty value or set of values. |
| un... | UN5 | The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent. |
| un... | UN5 | Excessive; going beyond that what is natural or sufficient. |
| un...... | UN8 | Not needed. |
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.
- clunk (CL5)
- clunked† (CL7)
- denude (DE6)
- denuded (DE7)
- dunce (DU5)
- dune (DU4)
- dunk (DU4)
- dunked (DU6)
- dunned (DU6)
- ended (EN5)
- endue (EN5)
- endued (EN6)
- keen (KE4)
- keened (KE6)
- kennel (KE6)
- kenneled (KE8)
- knee (KN4)
- kneed (KN5)
- kneel (KN5)
- kneeled (KN7)
- knell (KN5)
- knelled (KN7)
- knuckle (KN7)
- knuckled† (KN8)
- lend (LE4)
- lune (LU4)
- lunk (LU4)
- neck (NE4)
- necked (NE6)
- need (NE4)
- needed (NE6)
- needle (NE6)
- needled (NE7)
- nene (NE4)
- nude (NU4)
- nuke (NU4)
- nuked (NU5)
- null (NU4)
- uncle (UN5)
- undue (UN5)
- unneeded (UN8)
Answer Definitions
- clunk (noun): A dull, metallic sound, especially one made by two bodies coming into contact.
- clunked† (verb): simple past tense and past participle of clunk
- denude (verb): To divest of all covering; to make bare or naked; to strip.
- denuded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of denude
- dunce (noun): An unintelligent person.
- dune (noun): A ridge or hill of sand piled up by the wind.
- dunk (verb): To submerge briefly in a liquid.
- dunked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of dunk
- dunned (verb): simple past tense and past participle of dun
- ended (verb): simple past tense and past participle of end
- endue (verb): To pass food into the stomach; to digest; also figuratively, to take on, absorb.
- endued (verb): simple past tense and past participle of endue
- keen (adjective): Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
- keened (verb): simple past tense and past participle of keen
- kennel (noun): A house or shelter for a dog.
- kenneled (verb): simple past tense and past participle of kennel
- knee (noun): In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
- kneed (adjective): Having a knee or knees, or, in combination, the stated type of knee or knees.
- kneel (verb): To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
- kneeled (verb): simple past tense and past participle of kneel
- knell (verb): To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
- knelled (verb): simple past tense and past participle of knell
- knuckle (noun): Any of the joints between the phalanges of the fingers.
- knuckled† (adjective): Having a certain type of knuckles.
- lend (verb): To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
- lune (noun): A fit of lunacy or madness; a period of frenzy; a crazy or unreasonable freak.
- lunk (noun): A fool; an idiot; a lunkhead.
- neck (noun): The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
- necked (adjective): Having some specific type of neck
- need (noun): A requirement for something; something needed.
- needed (adjective): Necessary; being required.
- needle (noun): A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing as in sewing, embroidery, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, sutures, etc; or a blunt but otherwise similar implement used for forming loops or knots in crafts such as darning, knitting, tatting, etc.
- needled (adjective): Covered or armored with needles.
- nene (noun): The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957.
- nude (adjective): Without clothing or other covering of the skin; without clothing on the genitals or female nipples.
- nuke (noun): A nuclear weapon.
- nuked (verb): simple past tense and past participle of nuke
- null (noun): A non-existent or empty value or set of values.
- uncle (noun): The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.
- undue (adjective): Excessive; going beyond that what is natural or sufficient.
- unneeded (adjective): Not needed.