NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 13, 2021
Game Summary
| Center Letter | B |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | h, i, n, o, r, t |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 34 words |
| Total Points | 156 points |
| Genius Level | 109 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</th><th>10 | Σ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 8 | 4 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 19 |
| H | 1 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| I | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| N | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| O | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| R | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| T | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 11 | 8 | 12 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 34 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| B | BI×2 BO×15 BR×2 |
|---|---|
| H | HO×3 |
| I | IN×4 |
| N | NO×1 |
| O | OB×1 OR×1 |
| R | RI×2 RO×2 |
| T | TH×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| B | BIO×1 BIR×1 BOB×1 BOH×1 BON×3 BOO×7 BOR×2 BOT×1 BRI×1 BRO×1 |
|---|---|
| H | HOB×3 |
| I | INB×1 INH×3 |
| N | NOO×1 |
| O | OBI×1 ORB×1 |
| R | RIB×2 ROB×2 |
| T | THR×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) |
|---|---|---|
| bi.... | BI6 | A sulfur-containing member of the vitamin B complex, 5-[(3aS,4S,6aR)-2-oxohexahydro-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazol-4-yl]pentanoic acid, found in liver, egg yolk, milk and yeast, essential to the activity of multiple enzyme systems. |
| bi... | BI5 | The process of childbearing; the beginning of life. |
| bo.... | BO6 | A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A bohemian. |
| bo.... | BO6 | A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy. |
| bo.... | BO6 | Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda, that are related to and resemble the tuna. |
| bo.... | BO6 | The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river. |
| bo.. | BO4 | An idiot; a fool. |
| bo.... | BO6 | Alternative spelling of boo-boo |
| bo.... | BO6 | To cry, weep. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A prayer; petition. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A peasant. |
| bo.. | BO4 | A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg. A kind of sports shoe worn by players of certain games such as cricket and football. |
| bo... | BO5 | A small stall for the display and sale of goods. |
| bo.. | BO4 | past participle of bear; given birth to. |
| bo... | BO5 | The chemical element (symbol B) with an atomic number of 5, which is a metalloid found in its pure form as a dark amorphous powder. |
| bo.. | BO4 | Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items. |
| br.. | BR4 | Vigour or vivacity. |
| br... | BR5 | Water in which food (meat or vegetable etc) has been boiled. |
| ho.... | HO6 | A member of a fictional race of small humanoids with shaggy hair and hairy feet. |
| ho.... | HO6 | A toast made while touching glasses together. |
| ho.. | HO4 | A wandering homeless person, especially one illegally travelling by rail or a penniless, unemployed bum. |
| in.... | IN6 | Innate, possessed by an organism at birth. |
| in..... | IN7 | To hold in or hold back; to keep in check; restrain. |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of inhibiting. |
| in....... † | IN9 | One who or that which inhibits. |
| no.. | NO4 | A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things. |
| ob.. | OB4 | Death of a person. |
| or... | OR5 | A circular or elliptical path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, moon, or Lagrange point, especially a periodic elliptical revolution. |
| ri.... | RI6 | The vocal sound made by a frog or toad. |
| ri.... | RI6 | A long, narrow strip of material used for decoration of clothing or the hair or gift wrapping. |
| ro... | RO5 | Any of various passerine birds (about 100 species) of the families Muscicapidae, Turdidae and Petroicidae (formerly Eopsaltriidae), typically with a red breast. A European robin, Erithacus rubecula. An American robin, Turdus migratorius. |
| ro... | RO5 | A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour. |
| th... | TH5 | To pound or beat rapidly or violently. |
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.
- biotin (BI6)
- birth (BI5)
- bobbin (BO6)
- boho (BO4)
- bonbon (BO6)
- bonito (BO6)
- bonobo (BO6)
- boob (BO4)
- booboo (BO6)
- boohoo (BO6)
- boon (BO4)
- boor (BO4)
- boot (BO4)
- booth (BO5)
- born (BO4)
- boron (BO5)
- both (BO4)
- brio (BR4)
- broth (BR5)
- hobbit (HO6)
- hobnob (HO6)
- hobo (HO4)
- inborn (IN6)
- inhibit (IN7)
- inhibition (IN10)
- inhibitor† (IN9)
- noob (NO4)
- obit (OB4)
- orbit (OR5)
- ribbit (RI6)
- ribbon (RI6)
- robin (RO5)
- robot (RO5)
- throb (TH5)
Answer Definitions
- biotin (noun): A sulfur-containing member of the vitamin B complex, 5-[(3aS,4S,6aR)-2-oxohexahydro-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazol-4-yl]pentanoic acid, found in liver, egg yolk, milk and yeast, essential to the activity of multiple enzyme systems.
- birth (noun): The process of childbearing; the beginning of life.
- bobbin (noun): A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.
- boho (noun): A bohemian.
- bonbon (noun): A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.
- bonito (noun): Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda, that are related to and resemble the tuna.
- bonobo (noun): The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.
- boob (noun): An idiot; a fool.
- booboo (noun): Alternative spelling of boo-boo
- boohoo (verb): To cry, weep.
- boon (noun): A prayer; petition.
- boor (noun): A peasant.
- boot (noun): A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg. A kind of sports shoe worn by players of certain games such as cricket and football.
- booth (noun): A small stall for the display and sale of goods.
- born (verb): past participle of bear; given birth to.
- boron (noun): The chemical element (symbol B) with an atomic number of 5, which is a metalloid found in its pure form as a dark amorphous powder.
- both (determiner): Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.
- brio (noun): Vigour or vivacity.
- broth (noun): Water in which food (meat or vegetable etc) has been boiled.
- hobbit (noun): A member of a fictional race of small humanoids with shaggy hair and hairy feet.
- hobnob (noun): A toast made while touching glasses together.
- hobo (noun): A wandering homeless person, especially one illegally travelling by rail or a penniless, unemployed bum.
- inborn (adjective): Innate, possessed by an organism at birth.
- inhibit (verb): To hold in or hold back; to keep in check; restrain.
- inhibition (noun): The act of inhibiting.
- inhibitor† (noun): One who or that which inhibits.
- noob (noun): A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.
- obit (noun): Death of a person.
- orbit (noun): A circular or elliptical path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, moon, or Lagrange point, especially a periodic elliptical revolution.
- ribbit (interjection): The vocal sound made by a frog or toad.
- ribbon (noun): A long, narrow strip of material used for decoration of clothing or the hair or gift wrapping.
- robin (noun): Any of various passerine birds (about 100 species) of the families Muscicapidae, Turdidae and Petroicidae (formerly Eopsaltriidae), typically with a red breast. A European robin, Erithacus rubecula. An American robin, Turdus migratorius.
- robot (noun): A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour.
- throb (verb): To pound or beat rapidly or violently.