NYT Spelling Bee Answers for October 31, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | N |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, i, o, r, z |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 43 words |
| Total Points | 190 points |
| Genius Level | 133 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 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 5 |
| C | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | - | 14 |
| I | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | 5 |
| N | 5 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 7 |
| O | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 |
| R | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 6 |
| Z | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 4 | Σ | 14 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 43 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×1 AN×2 AR×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×6 CO×5 CR×2 CZ×1 |
| I | IC×2 IO×1 IR×2 |
| N | NA×4 NI×1 NO×2 |
| O | OC×1 ON×1 |
| R | RA×4 RI×1 RO×1 |
| Z | ZI×4 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACO×1 ANI×1 ANO×1 ARC×1 ARN×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAI×1 CAN×4 CAR×1 COC×1 COI×1 CON×1 COR×2 CRA×1 CRO×1 CZA×1 |
| I | ICO×2 ION×1 IRO×2 |
| N | NAA×1 NAN×1 NAR×2 NIA×1 NOI×1 NOO×1 |
| O | OCA×1 ONI×1 |
| R | RAC×1 RAI×1 RAN×2 RIC×1 ROA×1 |
| Z | ZIN×2 ZIR×2 |
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... | AC5 | The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule. |
| an... | AN5 | A negatively charged ion. |
| an.. | AN4 | Straight away; at once. |
| ar.... | AR6 | Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated. |
| ar.... | AR6 | Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana. |
| ca... | CA5 | A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France. |
| ca... | CA5 | Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages. |
| ca... | CA5 | A generally accepted principle; a rule. |
| ca..... | CA7 | Dead flesh; carcasses. |
| co.... | CO6 | The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa. |
| co.. | CO4 | A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle. |
| co... | CO5 | Synonym of conical |
| co.. | CO4 | Any cereal plant grown for its grain, or the grain thereof. |
| co.... | CO6 | A large, round, pendent chandelier, with spikes around its upper rim to hold candles or lamps, usually hung from the roof of a church. |
| cr.... | CR6 | plural of cranium |
| cr... | CR5 | To hum or sing softly or in a sentimental manner. |
| cz..... | CZ7 | Alternative spelling of tsarina |
| ic.. | IC4 | An image, symbol, picture, or other representation usually as an object of religious devotion. |
| ic.... | IC6 | Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon. |
| io... | IO5 | of, relating to, or containing ions |
| ir.. | IR4 | A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel. |
| ir.... | IR6 | (Of a situation) Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony. |
| na.. | NA4 | A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine. |
| na.. | NA4 | A banana. |
| na.. | NA4 | A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control. |
| na... | NA5 | Narcotics. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. |
| no.. | NO4 | Of or pertaining to film noir, or the atmosphere associated with that genre |
| no.. | NO4 | The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday. |
| oc..... | OC7 | A woodwind musical instrument that is closed at both sides to produce an enclosed space, and punctured with finger holes. |
| on... | ON5 | A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice. |
| ra..... | RA7 | A nocturnal omnivore native to North America, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail; Procyon lotor. |
| ra.. | RA4 | Condensed water falling from a cloud. |
| ra.... | RA6 | A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness. |
| ra.. | RA4 | The wife of a rajah. |
| ri... | RI5 | An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean. |
| ro.. | RO4 | Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in |
| zi.. | ZI4 | A chemical element (symbol Zn) with an atomic number of 30, a slightly brittle blue-silvery metal. |
| zi.... | ZI6 | Any of several brightly coloured flowering plants, of the genus Zinnia, native to tropical America; old maid |
| zi.... | ZI6 | A mineral occurring in tetragonal crystals, usually of a brown or grey colour and consisting of silica and zirconia. |
| zi...... † | ZI8 | The oxide of zirconium, obtained as a white powder, and possessing both acid and basic properties. On account of its infusibility, and brilliant luminosity when incandescent, it is used as an ingredient of sticks for the Drummond light. |
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.
- acorn (AC5)
- anion (AN5)
- anon (AN4)
- arcana (AR6)
- arnica (AR6)
- cairn (CA5)
- cancan (CA6)
- canna (CA5)
- cannon (CA6)
- canon (CA5)
- carrion (CA7)
- cocoon (CO6)
- coin (CO4)
- conic (CO5)
- corn (CO4)
- corona (CO6)
- crania (CR6)
- croon (CR5)
- czarina (CZ7)
- icon (IC4)
- iconic (IC6)
- ionic (IO5)
- iron (IR4)
- ironic (IR6)
- naan (NA4)
- nana (NA4)
- narc (NA4)
- narco (NA5)
- niacin (NI6)
- noir (NO4)
- noon (NO4)
- ocarina (OC7)
- onion (ON5)
- raccoon (RA7)
- rain (RA4)
- rancor (RA6)
- rani (RA4)
- ricin (RI5)
- roan (RO4)
- zinc (ZI4)
- zinnia (ZI6)
- zircon (ZI6)
- zirconia† (ZI8)
Answer Definitions
- acorn (noun): The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule.
- anion (noun): A negatively charged ion.
- anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
- arcana (noun): Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
- arnica (noun): Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana.
- cairn (noun): A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
- canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
- cannon (noun): A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.
- canon (noun): A generally accepted principle; a rule.
- carrion (noun): Dead flesh; carcasses.
- cocoon (noun): The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.
- coin (noun): A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle.
- conic (adjective): Synonym of conical
- corn (noun): Any cereal plant grown for its grain, or the grain thereof.
- corona (noun): A large, round, pendent chandelier, with spikes around its upper rim to hold candles or lamps, usually hung from the roof of a church.
- crania (noun): plural of cranium
- croon (verb): To hum or sing softly or in a sentimental manner.
- czarina (noun): Alternative spelling of tsarina
- icon (noun): An image, symbol, picture, or other representation usually as an object of religious devotion.
- iconic (adjective): Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon.
- ionic (adjective): of, relating to, or containing ions
- iron (noun): A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel.
- ironic (adjective): (Of a situation) Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
- naan (noun): A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
- nana (noun): A banana.
- narc (noun): A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
- narco (noun): Narcotics.
- niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
- noir (adjective): Of or pertaining to film noir, or the atmosphere associated with that genre
- noon (noun): The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
- ocarina (noun): A woodwind musical instrument that is closed at both sides to produce an enclosed space, and punctured with finger holes.
- onion (noun): A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
- raccoon (noun): A nocturnal omnivore native to North America, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail; Procyon lotor.
- rain (noun): Condensed water falling from a cloud.
- rancor (noun): A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
- rani (noun): The wife of a rajah.
- ricin (noun): An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.
- roan (adjective): Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in
- zinc (noun): A chemical element (symbol Zn) with an atomic number of 30, a slightly brittle blue-silvery metal.
- zinnia (noun): Any of several brightly coloured flowering plants, of the genus Zinnia, native to tropical America; old maid
- zircon (noun): A mineral occurring in tetragonal crystals, usually of a brown or grey colour and consisting of silica and zirconia.
- zirconia† (noun): The oxide of zirconium, obtained as a white powder, and possessing both acid and basic properties. On account of its infusibility, and brilliant luminosity when incandescent, it is used as an ingredient of sticks for the Drummond light.