NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 3, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | A |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | b, d, o, r, t, u |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 55 words |
| Total Points | 221 points |
| Genius Level | 155 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 | 3 | 8 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 14 |
| B | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 14 |
| D | 5 | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | 8 |
| O | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| R | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | - | - | - | 5 |
| T | 5 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | 1 | 12 |
| U | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 24 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×6 AD×1 AO×1 AR×2 AT×1 AU×3 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×5 BO×4 BR×3 BU×2 |
| D | DA×4 DO×2 DR×2 |
| O | OR×1 OU×1 |
| R | RA×2 RO×3 |
| T | TA×9 TO×1 TR×1 TU×1 |
| U |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABB×1 ABO×3 ABR×1 ABU×1 ADO×1 AOR×1 ARB×1 ARD×1 ATT×1 AUR×2 AUT×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×1 BAO×1 BAR×2 BAU×1 BOA×3 BOB×1 BRA×2 BRO×1 BUB×1 BUR×1 |
| D | DAR×2 DAT×1 DAU×1 DOO×1 DOT×1 DRA×2 |
| O | ORA×1 OUT×1 |
| R | RAD×1 RAT×1 ROA×2 ROT×1 |
| T | TAB×3 TAR×4 TAT×1 TAU×1 TOA×1 TRO×1 TUB×1 |
| U |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| ab... | AB5 | The superior or head of an abbey or monastery. |
| ab.... | AB6 | On board; into or within a ship or boat; hence, into or within a railway car. |
| ab... | AB5 | An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making such a mission. |
| ab... | AB5 | In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of. |
| ab.... | AB6 | Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries. |
| ab.. | AB4 | To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or end; to border on; to lie adjacent (to); to be contiguous (said of an area of land) |
| ad... | AD5 | A Philippine dish in which pork or chicken is slowly cooked in a sauce including soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed garlic. |
| ao... | AO5 | The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system. |
| ar... | AR5 | A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation. |
| ar... | AR5 | Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion. |
| at... | AT5 | An essential oil extracted from flowers. |
| au.. | AU4 | Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something. |
| au.... | AU6 | An atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating coloured lights in the sky. It is usually named australis or borealis based on whether it is in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere respectively. |
| au.. | AU4 | Clipping of automatic. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. |
| ba.... | BA6 | A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits. |
| ba.. | BA4 | The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A unit of data transmission symbol rate; the number of signalling events per second. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A wild boar (Sus scrofa), the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. |
| bo... | BO5 | A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any material, usually wood or similar, often for use in construction or furniture-making. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A craft used for transportation of goods, fishing, racing, recreational cruising, or military use on or in the water, propelled by oars or outboard motor or inboard motor or by wind. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Synonym of tapioca pearl. |
| br.. | BR4 | A thin, small nail, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an escutcheon pin. |
| br.. | BR4 | A human child. A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish. |
| br... | BR5 | Wide in extent or scope. |
| bu... | BU5 | Brother; used as term of familiar address. |
| bu..... | BU7 | A fresh southern Italian cheese similar to creamy mozzarella. |
| da.. | DA4 | A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin. |
| da....... | DA9 | A board used as a target for throwing darts. |
| da.. | DA4 | plural of datum |
| da.. | DA4 | Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction. |
| do.... | DO6 | Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing. |
| do.... | DO6 | An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour. |
| dr.. | DR4 | To damn or curse. |
| or.... | OR6 | Someone who orates or delivers an oration. |
| ou...... † | OU8 | Situated outside the hull of a vessel. |
| 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 |
| ra..... | RA7 | A swiftly repeated knocking sound. |
| 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 | To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion. |
| ro..... | RO7 | One who or that which rotates. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A silk banner attached to a bugle or trumpet. |
| ta... | TA5 | An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion. |
| ta... | TA5 | A small drum. In traditional music, a small drum played with a single stick, leaving the player's other hand free to play a melody on a three-holed pipe. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato. |
| ta... | TA5 | A card game played in various different variations. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Sharp to the taste; acid; sour. |
| ta.... | TA6 | A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar. |
| ta.... | TA6 | An image made in the skin with ink and a needle. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight. |
| to.. | TO4 | An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae. |
| tr........ † | TR10 | An itinerant composer and performer of songs in medieval Europe; a jongleur or travelling minstrel. |
| tu.. | TU4 | A large brass musical instrument, usually in the bass range, played through a vibration of the lips upon the mouthpiece and fingering of the keys. |
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.
- abbot (AB5)
- aboard (AB6)
- abort (AB5)
- about (AB5)
- abroad (AB6)
- abut (AB4)
- adobo (AD5)
- aorta (AO5)
- arbor (AR5)
- ardor (AR5)
- attar (AT5)
- aura (AU4)
- aurora (AU6)
- auto (AU4)
- baba (BA4)
- baobab (BA6)
- barb (BA4)
- bard (BA4)
- baud (BA4)
- boar (BO4)
- board (BO5)
- boat (BO4)
- boba (BO4)
- brad (BR4)
- brat (BR4)
- broad (BR5)
- bubba (BU5)
- burrata (BU7)
- dart (DA4)
- dartboard (DA9)
- data (DA4)
- daub (DA4)
- doodad (DO6)
- dotard (DO6)
- drab (DR4)
- drat (DR4)
- orator (OR6)
- outboard† (OU8)
- radar (RA5)
- ratatat (RA7)
- road (RO4)
- roar (RO4)
- rotator (RO7)
- tabard (TA6)
- taboo (TA5)
- tabor (TA5)
- taro (TA4)
- tarot (TA5)
- tart (TA4)
- tartar (TA6)
- tattoo (TA6)
- taut (TA4)
- toad (TO4)
- troubadour† (TR10)
- tuba (TU4)
Answer Definitions
- abbot (noun): The superior or head of an abbey or monastery.
- aboard (adverb): On board; into or within a ship or boat; hence, into or within a railway car.
- abort (noun): An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making such a mission.
- about (preposition): In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.
- abroad (adverb): Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries.
- abut (verb): To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or end; to border on; to lie adjacent (to); to be contiguous (said of an area of land)
- adobo (noun): A Philippine dish in which pork or chicken is slowly cooked in a sauce including soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed garlic.
- aorta (noun): The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
- arbor (noun): A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation.
- ardor (noun): Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
- attar (noun): An essential oil extracted from flowers.
- aura (noun): Distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something.
- aurora (noun): An atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating coloured lights in the sky. It is usually named australis or borealis based on whether it is in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere respectively.
- auto (adjective): Clipping of automatic.
- baba (noun): A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- baobab (noun): A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits.
- barb (noun): The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.
- bard (noun): A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.
- baud (noun): A unit of data transmission symbol rate; the number of signalling events per second.
- boar (noun): A wild boar (Sus scrofa), the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig.
- board (noun): A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any material, usually wood or similar, often for use in construction or furniture-making.
- boat (noun): A craft used for transportation of goods, fishing, racing, recreational cruising, or military use on or in the water, propelled by oars or outboard motor or inboard motor or by wind.
- boba (noun): Synonym of tapioca pearl.
- brad (noun): A thin, small nail, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an escutcheon pin.
- brat (noun): A human child. A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish.
- broad (adjective): Wide in extent or scope.
- bubba (noun): Brother; used as term of familiar address.
- burrata (noun): A fresh southern Italian cheese similar to creamy mozzarella.
- dart (noun): A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
- dartboard (noun): A board used as a target for throwing darts.
- data (noun): plural of datum
- daub (noun): Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction.
- doodad (noun): Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing.
- dotard (noun): An old person with impaired intellect; one in his or her dotage.
- drab (noun): A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour.
- drat (verb): To damn or curse.
- orator (noun): Someone who orates or delivers an oration.
- outboard† (adjective): Situated outside the hull of a vessel.
- 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
- ratatat (noun): A swiftly repeated knocking sound.
- 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.
- roar (verb): To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.
- rotator (noun): One who or that which rotates.
- tabard (noun): A silk banner attached to a bugle or trumpet.
- taboo (noun): An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
- tabor (noun): A small drum. In traditional music, a small drum played with a single stick, leaving the player's other hand free to play a melody on a three-holed pipe.
- taro (noun): Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
- tarot (noun): A card game played in various different variations.
- tart (adjective): Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
- tartar (noun): A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar.
- tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
- taut (adjective): Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
- toad (noun): An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
- troubadour† (noun): An itinerant composer and performer of songs in medieval Europe; a jongleur or travelling minstrel.
- tuba (noun): A large brass musical instrument, usually in the bass range, played through a vibration of the lips upon the mouthpiece and fingering of the keys.