NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 9, 2022
Game Summary
| Center Letter | A |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | b, c, d, k, r, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 36 words |
| Total Points | 126 points |
| Genius Level | 88 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</th><th>11 | Σ | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 4 |
| B | 8 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 11 |
| C | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| D | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| K | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| R | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| Y | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | Σ | 19 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 36 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AB×3 AR×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BA×9 BR×2 |
| C | CA×6 CR×4 |
| D | DA×2 DR×3 DY×1 |
| K | KA×1 |
| R | RA×3 |
| Y | YA×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ABA×1 ABB×1 ABR×1 ARR×1 |
|---|---|
| B | BAB×3 BAC×2 BAR×4 BRA×2 |
| C | CAB×1 CAD×1 CAK×1 CAR×3 CRA×3 CRY×1 |
| D | DAD×1 DAR×1 DRA×2 DRY×1 DYA×1 |
| K | KAY×1 |
| R | RAC×2 RAD×1 |
| Y | YAR×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ab... | AB5 | Toward the rear; Phrase: 'to be taken ____', meaning 'surprised'. |
| ab.... | AB6 | The dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an abbot or abbess. |
| ab......... | AB11 | A use of the mystical term ‘abracadabra’, supposed to work as part of a healing charm or a magical spell; any spell or incantation making use of the word. |
| ar... | AR5 | an ordered series or arrangement. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. |
| ba... | BA5 | A Central and Eastern European coffee cake flavored with orange rind, rum, almonds, and raisins. |
| ba.. | BA4 | A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered. |
| ba.. | BA4 | At or near the rear. |
| ba...... † | BA8 | A yard to the rear of a house or similar residence. |
| 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 | To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs). |
| ba..... | BA7 | A building for soldiers, especially within a garrison; originally referred to temporary huts, now usually to a permanent structure or set of buildings. |
| 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 | Of an animal (now chiefly of animals related to the ass or donkey, and the camel): to make its cry. |
| ca... | CA5 | A cabdriver; someone who drives a taxi. |
| ca... | CA5 | One hired to assist another in playing the game of golf. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Resembling cake in texture. |
| ca.. | CA4 | Clipping of carbohydrate. |
| ca.. | CA4 | cardinality |
| ca... | CA5 | To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting. |
| cr.. | CR4 | A crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace. |
| cr.... | CR6 | Visibly irritated or annoyed; grouchy, irritable, in a foul mood; given to complaining or finding fault in an annoyed way. |
| cr... | CR5 | To form cracks. |
| cr..... | CR7 | A baby who cries excessively. |
| da... | DA5 | Father. |
| da.. | DA4 | Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour. |
| dr.. | DR4 | A low horse-drawn cart, often without sides, and used especially for heavy loads. |
| dr... | DR5 | A female tree spirit. |
| dy.. | DY4 | A set of two elements treated as one; a pair. |
| ka... | KA5 | A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck |
| ra.. | RA4 | A series of one or more shelves, stacked one above the other |
| ra.. | RA4 | Mildly risqué. |
| 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 |
| ya.. | YA4 | A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building. |
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.
- aback (AB5)
- abbacy (AB6)
- abracadabra (AB11)
- array (AR5)
- baba (BA4)
- babka (BA5)
- baby (BA4)
- back (BA4)
- backyard† (BA8)
- barb (BA4)
- bard (BA4)
- bark (BA4)
- barrack (BA7)
- brad (BR4)
- bray (BR4)
- cabby (CA5)
- caddy (CA5)
- caky (CA4)
- carb (CA4)
- card (CA4)
- carry (CA5)
- crab (CR4)
- crabby (CR6)
- crack (CR5)
- crybaby (CR7)
- daddy (DA5)
- dark (DA4)
- drab (DR4)
- dray (DR4)
- dryad (DR5)
- dyad (DY4)
- kayak (KA5)
- rack (RA4)
- racy (RA4)
- radar (RA5)
- yard (YA4)
Answer Definitions
- aback (adverb): Toward the rear; Phrase: 'to be taken ____', meaning 'surprised'.
- abbacy (noun): The dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an abbot or abbess.
- abracadabra (noun): A use of the mystical term ‘abracadabra’, supposed to work as part of a healing charm or a magical spell; any spell or incantation making use of the word.
- array (noun): an ordered series or arrangement.
- baba (noun): A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- babka (noun): A Central and Eastern European coffee cake flavored with orange rind, rum, almonds, and raisins.
- baby (noun): A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
- back (adjective): At or near the rear.
- backyard† (noun): A yard to the rear of a house or similar residence.
- 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.
- bark (verb): To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs).
- barrack (noun): A building for soldiers, especially within a garrison; originally referred to temporary huts, now usually to a permanent structure or set of buildings.
- 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.
- bray (verb): Of an animal (now chiefly of animals related to the ass or donkey, and the camel): to make its cry.
- cabby (noun): A cabdriver; someone who drives a taxi.
- caddy (noun): One hired to assist another in playing the game of golf.
- caky (adjective): Resembling cake in texture.
- carb (noun): Clipping of carbohydrate.
- card (symbol): cardinality
- carry (verb): To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting.
- crab (noun): A crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace.
- crabby (adjective): Visibly irritated or annoyed; grouchy, irritable, in a foul mood; given to complaining or finding fault in an annoyed way.
- crack (verb): To form cracks.
- crybaby (noun): A baby who cries excessively.
- daddy (noun): Father.
- dark (adjective): Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.
- drab (noun): A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour.
- dray (noun): A low horse-drawn cart, often without sides, and used especially for heavy loads.
- dryad (noun): A female tree spirit.
- dyad (noun): A set of two elements treated as one; a pair.
- kayak (noun): A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck
- rack (noun): A series of one or more shelves, stacked one above the other
- racy (adjective): Mildly risqué.
- 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
- yard (noun): A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building.