NYT Spelling Bee Answers for September 18, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | H |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, d, e, l, n |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 49 words |
| Total Points | 265 points |
| Genius Level | 186 points |
| Bingo? | No |
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 | Σ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| C | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | 11 |
| D | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| E | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| H | 9 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 | - | - | 23 |
| L | 1 | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | - | 5 |
| N | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 13 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 49 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×2 AH×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×2 CH×7 CL×2 |
| D | DA×2 DE×2 |
| E | EA×1 EN×2 |
| H | HA×8 HE×15 |
| L | LE×5 |
| N |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACH×2 AHE×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAC×2 CHA×7 CLE×2 |
| D | DAC×1 DAN×1 DEA×2 |
| E | EAC×1 ENH×2 |
| H | HAL×3 HAN×5 HEA×6 HEE×4 HEL×2 HEN×3 |
| L | LEA×2 LEC×1 LEE×2 |
| N |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| ac.. | AC4 | To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed. |
| ac... | AC5 | simple past tense and past participle of ache |
| ah... | AH5 | At or towards the front; in the direction one is facing or moving. |
| ca... | CA5 | A store of things that may be required in the future, which can be retrieved rapidly, protected or hidden in some way. |
| ca.... | CA6 | simple past tense and past participle of cache |
| ch.. | CH4 | Small pieces of paper punched out from the edges of continuous stationery, or from ballot papers, paper tape, punched cards, etc. |
| ch..... | CH7 | A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov. |
| ch.... | CH6 | An opportunity or possibility. |
| ch..... | CH7 | simple past tense and past participle of chance |
| ch..... | CH7 | The space around the altar in a church, often enclosed, for use by the clergy and the choir. In medieval cathedrals the chancel was usually enclosed or blocked off from the nave by an altar screen. |
| ch..... | CH7 | The physical confine of a river or slough, consisting of a bed and banks. |
| ch....... † | CH9 | Having a vehicle's height reduced by lowering the body with respect to the frame rails. |
| cl.... | CL6 | To grip or hold fast. |
| cl...... | CL8 | Closed tightly. |
| da... | DA5 | A Russian villa or summer house in the countryside. |
| da....... † | DA9 | A public hall for dancing. |
| de...... | DE8 | A person either admitted to a theatrical or musical performance without charge, or paid to attend. |
| de........ | DE10 | simple past tense and past participle of deadhead |
| ea.. | EA4 | All; every; qualifying a singular noun, indicating all examples of the thing so named seen as individual or separate items (compare every). |
| en..... | EN7 | To lift, raise up. |
| en...... | EN8 | In a version or form that has been improved or made better than some other standard form. |
| ha... | HA5 | Permissible, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do. |
| ha.. | HA4 | Sound, entire, healthy; robust, not impaired. |
| ha.. | HA4 | A corridor; a hallway. |
| ha.. | HA4 | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals. |
| ha.... | HA6 | Having a certain kind or number of hands. |
| ha...... | HA8 | Alternative spelling of hand-held |
| ha.... | HA6 | The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved. |
| ha..... | HA7 | simple past tense and past participle of handle |
| he.. | HE4 | The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. |
| he...... | HE8 | A pain or ache in the head. |
| he.... | HE6 | Of a sheet of paper: having the sender's name, address, etc. preprinted at the top. |
| he...... | HE8 | Coastal land that juts into the sea. |
| he.. | HE4 | To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure. |
| he.... | HE6 | simple past tense and past participle of heal |
| he.. | HE4 | Careful attention. |
| he.... | HE6 | simple past tense and past participle of heed |
| he.. | HE4 | The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg. |
| he.... | HE6 | simple past tense and past participle of heel |
| he.. | HE4 | simple past tense and past participle of hold |
| he.. | HE4 | A place of torment where some or all sinners and evil spirits are believed to go after death. |
| he... | HE5 | from here, from this place, away |
| he... | HE5 | A shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers |
| he..... | HE7 | Dyed with henna. |
| le... | LE5 | A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali. |
| le..... | LE7 | simple past tense and past participle of leach |
| le.. | LE4 | A strong, lecherous desire or craving. |
| le... | LE5 | An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis. |
| le..... | LE7 | simple past tense and past participle of leech |
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.
- ache (AC4)
- ached (AC5)
- ahead (AH5)
- cache (CA5)
- cached (CA6)
- chad (CH4)
- challah (CH7)
- chance (CH6)
- chanced (CH7)
- chancel (CH7)
- channel (CH7)
- channeled† (CH9)
- clench (CL6)
- clenched (CL8)
- dacha (DA5)
- dancehall† (DA9)
- deadhead (DE8)
- deadheaded (DE10)
- each (EA4)
- enhance (EN7)
- enhanced (EN8)
- halal (HA5)
- hale (HA4)
- hall (HA4)
- hand (HA4)
- handed (HA6)
- handheld (HA8)
- handle (HA6)
- handled (HA7)
- head (HE4)
- headache (HE8)
- headed (HE6)
- headland (HE8)
- heal (HE4)
- healed (HE6)
- heed (HE4)
- heeded (HE6)
- heel (HE4)
- heeled (HE6)
- held (HE4)
- hell (HE4)
- hence (HE5)
- henna (HE5)
- hennaed (HE7)
- leach (LE5)
- leached (LE7)
- lech (LE4)
- leech (LE5)
- leeched (LE7)
Answer Definitions
- ache (verb): To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed.
- ached (verb): simple past tense and past participle of ache
- ahead (adverb): At or towards the front; in the direction one is facing or moving.
- cache (noun): A store of things that may be required in the future, which can be retrieved rapidly, protected or hidden in some way.
- cached (verb): simple past tense and past participle of cache
- chad (noun): Small pieces of paper punched out from the edges of continuous stationery, or from ballot papers, paper tape, punched cards, etc.
- challah (noun): A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.
- chance (noun): An opportunity or possibility.
- chanced (verb): simple past tense and past participle of chance
- chancel (noun): The space around the altar in a church, often enclosed, for use by the clergy and the choir. In medieval cathedrals the chancel was usually enclosed or blocked off from the nave by an altar screen.
- channel (noun): The physical confine of a river or slough, consisting of a bed and banks.
- channeled† (adjective): Having a vehicle's height reduced by lowering the body with respect to the frame rails.
- clench (verb): To grip or hold fast.
- clenched (adjective): Closed tightly.
- dacha (noun): A Russian villa or summer house in the countryside.
- dancehall† (noun): A public hall for dancing.
- deadhead (noun): A person either admitted to a theatrical or musical performance without charge, or paid to attend.
- deadheaded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of deadhead
- each (determiner): All; every; qualifying a singular noun, indicating all examples of the thing so named seen as individual or separate items (compare every).
- enhance (verb): To lift, raise up.
- enhanced (adjective): In a version or form that has been improved or made better than some other standard form.
- halal (adjective): Permissible, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do.
- hale (adjective): Sound, entire, healthy; robust, not impaired.
- hall (noun): A corridor; a hallway.
- hand (noun): The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
- handed (adjective): Having a certain kind or number of hands.
- handheld (adjective): Alternative spelling of hand-held
- handle (noun): The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved.
- handled (verb): simple past tense and past participle of handle
- head (noun): The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
- headache (noun): A pain or ache in the head.
- headed (adjective): Of a sheet of paper: having the sender's name, address, etc. preprinted at the top.
- headland (noun): Coastal land that juts into the sea.
- heal (verb): To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure.
- healed (verb): simple past tense and past participle of heal
- heed (noun): Careful attention.
- heeded (verb): simple past tense and past participle of heed
- heel (noun): The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
- heeled (verb): simple past tense and past participle of heel
- held (verb): simple past tense and past participle of hold
- hell (proper noun): A place of torment where some or all sinners and evil spirits are believed to go after death.
- hence (adverb): from here, from this place, away
- henna (noun): A shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers
- hennaed (adjective): Dyed with henna.
- leach (noun): A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.
- leached (verb): simple past tense and past participle of leach
- lech (noun): A strong, lecherous desire or craving.
- leech (noun): An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
- leeched (verb): simple past tense and past participle of leech