Game Summary

Table of Contents

As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!

1. Spelling Bee Grid
2. Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
3. Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
4. Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
5. Today's Complete Solution
6. 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.

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.

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 (^†).

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.

• facelift^†  (FA8)
• facilitate^†  (FA10)
• affect  (AF6)
• affiliate  (AF9)
• afflict  (AF7)
• alfalfa  (AL7)
• cafe  (CA4)
• calf  (CA4)
• clef  (CL4)
• cleft  (CL5)
• cliff  (CL5)
• efface  (EF6)
• effect  (EF6)
• effete  (EF6)
• face  (FA4)
• facet  (FA5)
• facial  (FA6)
• facile  (FA6)
• fact  (FA4)
• fail  (FA4)
• falafel  (FA7)
• fall  (FA4)
• fatal  (FA5)
• fate  (FA4)
• feat  (FE4)
• fecal  (FE5)
• feel  (FE4)
• feet  (FE4)
• fell  (FE4)
• fella  (FE5)
• fellate  (FE7)
• felt  (FE4)
• feta  (FE4)
• fetal  (FE5)
• fete  (FE4)
• fettle  (FE6)
• fiat  (FI4)
• fief  (FI4)
• fife  (FI4)
• file  (FI4)
• filet  (FI5)
• filial  (FI6)
• fill  (FI4)
• fillet  (FI6)
• flail  (FL5)
• flat  (FL4)
• flatfeet  (FL8)
• flea  (FL4)
• flee  (FL4)
• fleece  (FL6)
• fleet  (FL5)
• flit  (FL4)
• icefall  (IC7)
• leaf  (LE4)
• leaflet  (LE7)
• left  (LE4)
• leftie  (LE6)
• life  (LI4)
• lift  (LI4)
• taffeta  (TA7)
• tiff  (TI4)

Answer Definitions

• facelift^† (noun): Plastic surgery to the face to remove wrinkles, fat or various signs of aging.
• facilitate^† (verb): To make easy or easier.
• affect (verb): To influence or alter.
• affiliate (noun): Someone or something, especially, a television station, that is associated with a larger, related organization, such as a television network; a member of a group of associated things.
• afflict (verb): To cause (someone) pain, suffering or distress.
• alfalfa (noun): A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
• cafe (noun): Alternative form of café
• calf (noun): A young cow or bull.
• clef (noun): A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff
• cleft (noun): An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting.
• cliff (noun): A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
• efface (verb): To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible.
• effect (noun): The result or outcome of a cause.
• effete (adjective): Of substances, quantities etc: exhausted, spent, worn-out.
• face (noun): The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose and mouth, and the surrounding area.
• facet (noun): Any one of the flat surfaces cut into a gem.
• facial (adjective): Of or affecting the face.
• facile (adjective): Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy.
• fact (noun): Something actual as opposed to invented.
• fail (verb): To be unsuccessful.
• falafel (noun): A Middle Eastern food in the form of balls made from chickpeas or broad beans and other ingredients. Often served in a pita.
• fall (verb): To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
• fatal (adjective): Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny.
• fate (noun): The presumed cause, force, principle, or divine will that predetermines events.
• feat (noun): A relatively rare or difficult accomplishment.
• fecal (adjective): Of or relating to feces.
• feel (verb): To use or experience the sense of touch. To become aware of through the skin; to use the sense of touch on.
• feet (noun): plural of foot
• fell (verb): To make something fall; especially to chop down a tree.
• fella (noun): Pronunciation spelling of fellow.
• fellate (verb): To perform oral sex on (a man); to stimulate (a penis or testicles) using the mouth.
• felt (noun): A cloth or stuff made of matted fibres of wool, or wool and fur, fulled or wrought into a compact substance by rolling and pressure, with lees or size, without spinning or weaving.
• feta (noun): A variety of curd cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk and originating from Greece.
• fetal (adjective): Pertaining to, or connected with, a fetus.
• fete (noun): A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
• fettle (noun): A state of proper physical condition; kilter or trim.
• fiat (noun): An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
• fief (noun): An estate held by a person on condition of providing military service to a superior.
• fife (noun): A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo flute, used chiefly to accompany the drum in military music
• file (noun): A collection of papers collated and archived together.
• filet (noun): Alternative form of fillet
• filial (adjective): Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
• fill (verb): To occupy fully, to take up all of.
• fillet (noun): A headband; a ribbon or other band used to tie the hair up, or keep a headdress in place, or for decoration.
• flail (noun): A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
• flat (adjective): Having no variations in height.
• flatfeet (noun): plural of flatfoot
• flea (noun): A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.
• flee (verb): To run away; to escape.
• fleece (noun): Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal
• fleet (noun): A group of vessels or vehicles.
• flit (noun): A fluttering or darting movement.
• icefall (noun): A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice, somewhat analogous to a waterfall.
• leaf (noun): The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants.
• leaflet (noun): One of the components of a compound leaf.
• left (adjective): Designating the side of the body toward the west when one is facing north; the opposite of right. This arrow points to the reader's left: ←
• leftie (noun): Alternative form of lefty
• life (noun): The state of organisms preceding their death, characterized by biological processes such as metabolism and reproduction and distinguishing them from inanimate objects; the state of being alive and living.
• lift (verb): To raise or rise.
• taffeta (noun): A crisp, smooth woven fabric made from silk or synthetic fibers.
• tiff (noun): A small argument; a petty quarrel.