NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 12, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | D |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | g, i, l, n, u, v |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 26 words |
| Total Points | 154 points |
| Genius Level | 108 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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 4 | - | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| G | 1 | 1 | - | 3 | - | - | 5 |
| I | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| L | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| N | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| U | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| V | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| D | DI×10 DU×5 |
|---|---|
| G | GI×2 GL×1 GU×2 |
| I | ID×1 IN×1 |
| L | LI×1 |
| N | NU×1 |
| U | UN×1 |
| V | VI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| D | DID×1 DIG×1 DIL×1 DIN×3 DIV×4 DUD×1 DUL×2 DUN×2 |
|---|---|
| G | GIL×2 GLI×1 GUI×2 |
| I | IDL×1 IND×1 |
| L | LIV×1 |
| N | NUD×1 |
| U | UND×1 |
| V | VIV×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) |
|---|---|---|
| di...... | DI8 | present participle of diddle |
| di..... | DI7 | The action performed by a person or thing that digs. |
| di.. | DI4 | Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed. |
| di.. | DI4 | Very minor damage, a small dent or chip. |
| di..... | DI7 | present participle of ding |
| di.... | DI6 | Eating dinner as a social function. |
| di...... | DI8 | Serving to divide or separate. |
| di.... | DI6 | present participle of dive |
| di...... | DI8 | The action of the verb to divine in any sense. |
| di....... † | DI9 | present participle of divulge |
| du.... | DU6 | present participle of dude. |
| du.. | DU4 | Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp. |
| du..... | DU7 | present participle of dull |
| du.. | DU4 | Manure; animal excrement. |
| du..... | DU7 | present participle of dun |
| gi.. | GI4 | To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf. |
| gi..... | GI7 | present participle of gild |
| gl..... | GL7 | The action or motion of something that glides. |
| gu..... | GU7 | present participle of guide |
| gu... | GU5 | A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans for mutual aid, particularly in the Middle Ages. |
| id.... | ID6 | present participle of idle |
| in....... | IN9 | present participle of indulge |
| li... | LI5 | Having a dark, bluish appearance. |
| nu..... | NU7 | present participle of nudge |
| un... | UN5 | simple past tense of undo |
| vi... | VI5 | Clear, detailed or powerful. |
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.
- diddling (DI8)
- digging (DI7)
- dill (DI4)
- ding (DI4)
- dinging (DI7)
- dining (DI6)
- dividing (DI8)
- diving (DI6)
- divining (DI8)
- divulging† (DI9)
- duding (DU6)
- dull (DU4)
- dulling (DU7)
- dung (DU4)
- dunning (DU7)
- gild (GI4)
- gilding (GI7)
- gliding (GL7)
- guiding (GU7)
- guild (GU5)
- idling (ID6)
- indulging (IN9)
- livid (LI5)
- nudging (NU7)
- undid (UN5)
- vivid (VI5)
Answer Definitions
- diddling (verb): present participle of diddle
- digging (noun): The action performed by a person or thing that digs.
- dill (noun): Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed.
- ding (noun): Very minor damage, a small dent or chip.
- dinging (verb): present participle of ding
- dining (noun): Eating dinner as a social function.
- dividing (adjective): Serving to divide or separate.
- diving (verb): present participle of dive
- divining (noun): The action of the verb to divine in any sense.
- divulging† (verb): present participle of divulge
- duding (verb): present participle of dude.
- dull (adjective): Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
- dulling (verb): present participle of dull
- dung (noun): Manure; animal excrement.
- dunning (verb): present participle of dun
- gild (verb): To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.
- gilding (verb): present participle of gild
- gliding (noun): The action or motion of something that glides.
- guiding (verb): present participle of guide
- guild (noun): A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans for mutual aid, particularly in the Middle Ages.
- idling (verb): present participle of idle
- indulging (verb): present participle of indulge
- livid (adjective): Having a dark, bluish appearance.
- nudging (verb): present participle of nudge
- undid (verb): simple past tense of undo
- vivid (adjective): Clear, detailed or powerful.