NYT Spelling Bee Answers for July 18, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | F |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, e, i, l, m |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 39 words |
| Total Points | 147 points |
| Genius Level | 103 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 2 |
| C | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| E | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| F | 13 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 26 |
| I | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| L | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| M | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 3 | Σ | 19 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 39 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AF×1 AL×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×2 CL×2 |
| E | EF×1 |
| F | FA×8 FE×6 FI×6 FL×6 |
| I | IC×1 |
| L | LE×1 LI×1 |
| M | MA×2 MI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AFL×1 ALF×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAF×1 CAL×1 CLE×1 CLI×1 |
| E | EFF×1 |
| F | FAC×3 FAI×1 FAL×2 FAM×2 FEC×1 FEE×1 FEL×2 FEM×2 FIE×1 FIF×1 FIL×4 FLA×2 FLE×3 FLI×1 |
| I | ICE×1 |
| L | LEA×1 LIF×1 |
| M | MAF×1 MAL×1 MIF×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) |
|---|---|---|
| af.... | AF6 | in flames, on fire, flaming, with flames coming from it |
| al..... | AL7 | A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Alternative form of café |
| ca.. | CA4 | A young cow or bull. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff |
| cl... | CL5 | A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face. |
| ef.... | EF6 | To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible. |
| fa.. | FA4 | The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose and mouth, and the surrounding area. |
| fa.... | FA6 | Of or affecting the face. |
| fa.... | FA6 | Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy. |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be unsuccessful. |
| fa..... | FA7 | A Middle Eastern food in the form of balls made from chickpeas or broad beans and other ingredients. Often served in a pita. |
| fa.. | FA4 | To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity. |
| fa.. | FA4 | What is said or reported; gossip, rumour. |
| fa...... | FA8 | Of or pertaining to a human family. |
| fe... | FE5 | Of or relating to feces. |
| fe.. | FE4 | To use or experience the sense of touch. To become aware of through the skin; to use the sense of touch on. |
| fe.. | FE4 | To make something fall; especially to chop down a tree. |
| fe... | FE5 | Pronunciation spelling of fellow. |
| fe.... | FE6 | Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it. |
| fe... | FE5 | A woman, a wife; a young woman or girl. |
| fi.. | FI4 | An estate held by a person on condition of providing military service to a superior. |
| fi.. | FI4 | A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo flute, used chiefly to accompany the drum in military music |
| fi.. | FI4 | A collection of papers collated and archived together. |
| fi.... | FI6 | Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter. |
| fi.. | FI4 | To occupy fully, to take up all of. |
| fi.. | FI4 | A thin layer of some substance; a pellicle; a membranous covering, causing opacity. |
| fl... | FL5 | A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material. |
| fl... | FL5 | The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat. |
| fl.. | FL4 | A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities. |
| fl.. | FL4 | To run away; to escape. |
| fl.... | FL6 | Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal |
| fl...... | FL8 | Alternative form of flim-flam |
| ic..... | IC7 | A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice, somewhat analogous to a waterfall. |
| le.. | LE4 | The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants. |
| li.. | LI4 | The state of organisms preceding their death, characterized by biological processes such as metabolism and reproduction and distinguishing them from inanimate objects; the state of being alive and living. |
| ma... | MA5 | A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion. |
| ma..... † | MA7 | Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful. |
| mi.. | MI4 | A small argument; a quarrel. |
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.
- aflame (AF6)
- alfalfa (AL7)
- cafe (CA4)
- calf (CA4)
- clef (CL4)
- cliff (CL5)
- efface (EF6)
- face (FA4)
- facial (FA6)
- facile (FA6)
- fail (FA4)
- falafel (FA7)
- fall (FA4)
- fame (FA4)
- familial (FA8)
- fecal (FE5)
- feel (FE4)
- fell (FE4)
- fella (FE5)
- female (FE6)
- femme (FE5)
- fief (FI4)
- fife (FI4)
- file (FI4)
- filial (FI6)
- fill (FI4)
- film (FI4)
- flail (FL5)
- flame (FL5)
- flea (FL4)
- flee (FL4)
- fleece (FL6)
- flimflam (FL8)
- icefall (IC7)
- leaf (LE4)
- life (LI4)
- mafia (MA5)
- malefic† (MA7)
- miff (MI4)
Answer Definitions
- aflame (adjective): in flames, on fire, flaming, with flames coming from it
- alfalfa (noun): A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
- cafe (noun): Alternative form of café
- calf (noun): A young cow or bull.
- clef (noun): A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff
- cliff (noun): A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
- efface (verb): To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible.
- face (noun): The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose and mouth, and the surrounding area.
- facial (adjective): Of or affecting the face.
- facile (adjective): Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy.
- fail (verb): To be unsuccessful.
- falafel (noun): A Middle Eastern food in the form of balls made from chickpeas or broad beans and other ingredients. Often served in a pita.
- fall (verb): To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
- fame (noun): What is said or reported; gossip, rumour.
- familial (adjective): Of or pertaining to a human family.
- fecal (adjective): Of or relating to feces.
- feel (verb): To use or experience the sense of touch. To become aware of through the skin; to use the sense of touch on.
- fell (verb): To make something fall; especially to chop down a tree.
- fella (noun): Pronunciation spelling of fellow.
- female (adjective): Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it.
- femme (noun): A woman, a wife; a young woman or girl.
- fief (noun): An estate held by a person on condition of providing military service to a superior.
- fife (noun): A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo flute, used chiefly to accompany the drum in military music
- file (noun): A collection of papers collated and archived together.
- filial (adjective): Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
- fill (verb): To occupy fully, to take up all of.
- film (noun): A thin layer of some substance; a pellicle; a membranous covering, causing opacity.
- flail (noun): A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
- flame (noun): The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat.
- flea (noun): A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.
- flee (verb): To run away; to escape.
- fleece (noun): Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal
- flimflam (noun): Alternative form of flim-flam
- icefall (noun): A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice, somewhat analogous to a waterfall.
- leaf (noun): The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants.
- life (noun): The state of organisms preceding their death, characterized by biological processes such as metabolism and reproduction and distinguishing them from inanimate objects; the state of being alive and living.
- mafia (noun): A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
- malefic† (adjective): Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful.
- miff (noun): A small argument; a quarrel.