NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 20, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | D |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, h, o, p, r, t |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 32 words |
| Total Points | 136 points |
| Genius Level | 95 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 | Σ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | 3 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 5 |
| D | 7 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | 10 |
| H | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 7 |
| O | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| P | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 3 |
| R | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| T | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | 3 | Σ | 15 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 32 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AD×3 AR×2 |
|---|---|
| D | DA×2 DO×5 DR×3 |
| H | HA×3 HO×4 |
| O | OD×1 |
| P | PA×2 PR×1 |
| R | RA×1 RO×2 |
| T | TO×1 TR×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ADA×2 ADO×1 ARD×1 ART×1 |
|---|---|
| D | DAR×1 DAT×1 DOD×1 DOO×2 DOT×2 DRA×1 DRO×2 |
| H | HAR×3 HOA×1 HOO×2 HOT×1 |
| O | ODO×1 |
| P | PAR×2 PRO×1 |
| R | RAD×1 ROA×1 ROO×1 |
| T | TOA×1 TRA×1 TRO×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ad... | AD5 | To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit |
| ad..... | AD7 | Alternative form of adapter |
| ad... | AD5 | To take by choice into relationship (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) To take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of, or as, one's own child. |
| ar... | AR5 | Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion. |
| ar....... † | AR9 | An invertebrate animal of the phylum Arthropoda, characterized by a chitinous exoskeleton and multiple jointed appendages. |
| da.. | DA4 | A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin. |
| da.. | DA4 | plural of datum |
| 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 | Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing. |
| do.. | DO4 | A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key. |
| do.... | DO6 | An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage. |
| do.. | DO4 | third-person singular simple present indicative form of do |
| dr.. | DR4 | To damn or curse. |
| dr... | DR5 | To hang downward; to sag. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid. |
| ha.. | HA4 | Having a severe property; presenting difficulty. Resistant to pressure. |
| ha..... | HA7 | Alternative spelling of hard hat |
| ha..... † | HA7 | The removable rigid roof of a convertible or sports car. |
| ho... | HO5 | A hidden supply or fund. |
| ho.. | HO4 | A covering for the head attached to a larger garment such as a jacket or cloak. |
| ho.... | HO6 | A set of spiritual practices and traditions created and concealed from slave-owners by enslaved Africans in North America, based on traditional African beliefs. |
| ho.... | HO6 | Alternative spelling of hot rod |
| od.. | OD4 | Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive. |
| pa..... | PA7 | a usually government-operated hostelry found especially in Spain. |
| pa...... | PA8 | A delivery of goods or equipment by dropping of a parachute |
| pr.. | PR4 | To poke, to push, to touch. |
| ra... | RA5 | A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces |
| ro.. | RO4 | A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane. |
| ro.. | RO4 | A crucifix, cross, especially in a church. |
| to.. | TO4 | An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae. |
| tr...... | TR8 | A hinged or sliding door set into a floor or ceiling. |
| tr.. | TR4 | simple past tense of tread |
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.
- adapt (AD5)
- adaptor (AD7)
- adopt (AD5)
- ardor (AR5)
- arthropod† (AR9)
- dart (DA4)
- data (DA4)
- dodo (DO4)
- doodad (DO6)
- door (DO4)
- dotard (DO6)
- doth (DO4)
- drat (DR4)
- droop (DR5)
- drop (DR4)
- hard (HA4)
- hardhat (HA7)
- hardtop† (HA7)
- hoard (HO5)
- hood (HO4)
- hoodoo (HO6)
- hotrod (HO6)
- odor (OD4)
- parador (PA7)
- paradrop (PA8)
- prod (PR4)
- radar (RA5)
- road (RO4)
- rood (RO4)
- toad (TO4)
- trapdoor (TR8)
- trod (TR4)
Answer Definitions
- adapt (verb): To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit
- adaptor (noun): Alternative form of adapter
- adopt (verb): To take by choice into relationship (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) To take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of, or as, one's own child.
- ardor (noun): Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
- arthropod† (noun): An invertebrate animal of the phylum Arthropoda, characterized by a chitinous exoskeleton and multiple jointed appendages.
- dart (noun): A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
- data (noun): plural of datum
- dodo (noun): A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius.
- doodad (noun): Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing.
- door (noun): A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key.
- dotard (noun): An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage.
- doth (verb): third-person singular simple present indicative form of do
- drat (verb): To damn or curse.
- droop (verb): To hang downward; to sag.
- drop (noun): A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
- hard (adjective): Having a severe property; presenting difficulty. Resistant to pressure.
- hardhat (noun): Alternative spelling of hard hat
- hardtop† (noun): The removable rigid roof of a convertible or sports car.
- hoard (noun): A hidden supply or fund.
- hood (noun): A covering for the head attached to a larger garment such as a jacket or cloak.
- hoodoo (noun): A set of spiritual practices and traditions created and concealed from slave-owners by enslaved Africans in North America, based on traditional African beliefs.
- hotrod (noun): Alternative spelling of hot rod
- odor (noun): Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.
- parador (noun): a usually government-operated hostelry found especially in Spain.
- paradrop (noun): A delivery of goods or equipment by dropping of a parachute
- prod (verb): To poke, to push, to touch.
- radar (noun): A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces
- road (noun): A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
- rood (noun): A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.
- toad (noun): An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
- trapdoor (noun): A hinged or sliding door set into a floor or ceiling.
- trod (verb): simple past tense of tread