NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 18, 2022
Game Summary
| Center Letter | U |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, g, n, o, r, t |
| # of Pangrams | 3 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 42 words |
| Total Points | 190 points |
| Genius Level | 133 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 6 |
| G | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| N | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| O | - | 2 | 3 | - | - | 1 | - | 6 |
| R | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| T | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 11 |
| U | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | Σ | 17 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 42 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AR×1 AU×5 |
|---|---|
| G | GA×2 GO×1 GR×2 GU×4 |
| N | NO×2 |
| O | OR×1 OU×5 |
| R | RA×1 RO×2 RU×3 |
| T | TA×2 TO×2 TR×2 TU×5 |
| U | UN×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ARG×1 AUG×1 AUN×1 AUR×2 AUT×1 |
|---|---|
| G | GAR×1 GAU×1 GOU×1 GRO×1 GRU×1 GUA×3 GUR×1 |
| N | NOU×2 |
| O | ORA×1 OUT×5 |
| R | RAG×1 ROT×1 ROU×1 RUN×3 |
| T | TAU×2 TOU×2 TRO×1 TRU×1 TUN×1 TUR×2 TUT×2 |
| U | UNT×2 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| ar...... † | AR8 | Any of several species of shelled octopods of the family Argonautidae (of which only the genus Argonauta is not extinct). |
| gu....... † | GU9 | A person or company that provides a guarantee. |
| or....... † | OR9 | Any of three species of arboreal anthropoid ape, characterised by their shaggy reddish-brown coat and long arms, which comprise the genus Pongo; Pongo pygmaeus of Borneo, Pongo abelii of Sumatra or Pongo tapanuliensis of South Tapanuli (in Sumatra). |
| au... | AU5 | A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences. |
| au.. | AU4 | The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent. |
| 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. |
| ga........ | GA10 | Huge; immense; tremendous. |
| ga... | GA5 | Lean, angular, and bony. |
| go.. | GO4 | An extremely painful inflammation of joints, especially of the big toe, caused by a metabolic defect resulting in the accumulation of uric acid in the blood and the deposition of urates around the joints. |
| gr... | GR5 | A thin mortar used to fill the gaps between tiles and cavities in masonry. |
| gr... | GR5 | A short snorting sound, often to show disapproval, or used as a reply when one is reluctant to speak. |
| gu... | GU5 | Dung from a sea bird or from a bat. |
| gu.. | GU4 | An annual legume (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), used as a food for cattle and humans. |
| gu.. | GU4 | A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher. |
| no.... | NO6 | A mixture consisting of egg white and a sweetener, variously mixed with almonds or hazelnuts or used without nuts as a filler in candy bars. |
| no.. | NO4 | A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea; one of the basic parts of speech in many languages, including English. |
| ou... | OU5 | To go out, to set forth. |
| ou.... | OU6 | To defeat in terms of firepower. |
| ou.... | OU6 | simple past tense of outrun |
| ou... | OU5 | A portion of music at the end of a song; like an intro, but at the end instead of the beginning. |
| ou.... | OU6 | To run faster than. |
| ra.... | RA6 | a stew of meat and vegetables mixed together |
| ro.... | RO6 | Raw or poor-quality alcoholic liquor. |
| ro.. | RO4 | A group of people; a crowd, a throng, a troop; in particular , a group of people accompanying or travelling with someone. |
| ru.. | RU4 | A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round. |
| ru.... | RU6 | Something that has been run out. |
| ru.. | RU4 | The smallest animal of a litter. |
| ta... | TA5 | to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight. |
| to.. | TO4 | A journey through a particular building, estate, country, etc. |
| to.. | TO4 | Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way. |
| tr... | TR5 | Any of several species of fish in Salmonidae, closely related to salmon, and distinguished by spawning more than once. |
| tr.... | TR6 | Absent without permission, especially from school. |
| tu.. | TU4 | Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae. |
| tu.. | TU4 | To make a non-linear physical movement. Of a body, person, etc, to move around an axis through itself. |
| tu..... | TU7 | The act of coming forth. |
| tu... | TU5 | One who teaches another (usually called a student, learner, or tutee) in a one-on-one or small-group interaction. |
| tu.. | TU4 | A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting. |
| un... | UN5 | To remove a tag from. |
| un.. | UN4 | Up to the time or degree that; until. |
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.
- argonaut† (AR8)
- guarantor† (GU9)
- orangutan† (OR9)
- augur (AU5)
- aunt (AU4)
- aura (AU4)
- aurora (AU6)
- auto (AU4)
- gargantuan (GA10)
- gaunt (GA5)
- gout (GO4)
- grout (GR5)
- grunt (GR5)
- guano (GU5)
- guar (GU4)
- guru (GU4)
- nougat (NO6)
- noun (NO4)
- outgo (OU5)
- outgun (OU6)
- outran (OU6)
- outro (OU5)
- outrun (OU6)
- ragout (RA6)
- rotgut (RO6)
- rout (RO4)
- rung (RU4)
- runout (RU6)
- runt (RU4)
- taunt (TA5)
- taut (TA4)
- tour (TO4)
- tout (TO4)
- trout (TR5)
- truant (TR6)
- tuna (TU4)
- turn (TU4)
- turnout (TU7)
- tutor (TU5)
- tutu (TU4)
- untag (UN5)
- unto (UN4)
Answer Definitions
- argonaut† (noun): Any of several species of shelled octopods of the family Argonautidae (of which only the genus Argonauta is not extinct).
- guarantor† (noun): A person or company that provides a guarantee.
- orangutan† (noun): Any of three species of arboreal anthropoid ape, characterised by their shaggy reddish-brown coat and long arms, which comprise the genus Pongo; Pongo pygmaeus of Borneo, Pongo abelii of Sumatra or Pongo tapanuliensis of South Tapanuli (in Sumatra).
- augur (noun): A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.
- aunt (noun): The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
- 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.
- gargantuan (adjective): Huge; immense; tremendous.
- gaunt (adjective): Lean, angular, and bony.
- gout (noun): An extremely painful inflammation of joints, especially of the big toe, caused by a metabolic defect resulting in the accumulation of uric acid in the blood and the deposition of urates around the joints.
- grout (noun): A thin mortar used to fill the gaps between tiles and cavities in masonry.
- grunt (noun): A short snorting sound, often to show disapproval, or used as a reply when one is reluctant to speak.
- guano (noun): Dung from a sea bird or from a bat.
- guar (noun): An annual legume (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), used as a food for cattle and humans.
- guru (noun): A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher.
- nougat (noun): A mixture consisting of egg white and a sweetener, variously mixed with almonds or hazelnuts or used without nuts as a filler in candy bars.
- noun (noun): A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea; one of the basic parts of speech in many languages, including English.
- outgo (verb): To go out, to set forth.
- outgun (verb): To defeat in terms of firepower.
- outran (verb): simple past tense of outrun
- outro (noun): A portion of music at the end of a song; like an intro, but at the end instead of the beginning.
- outrun (verb): To run faster than.
- ragout (noun): a stew of meat and vegetables mixed together
- rotgut (noun): Raw or poor-quality alcoholic liquor.
- rout (noun): A group of people; a crowd, a throng, a troop; in particular , a group of people accompanying or travelling with someone.
- rung (noun): A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round.
- runout (noun): Something that has been run out.
- runt (noun): The smallest animal of a litter.
- taunt (verb): to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.
- taut (adjective): Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
- tour (noun): A journey through a particular building, estate, country, etc.
- tout (noun): Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
- trout (noun): Any of several species of fish in Salmonidae, closely related to salmon, and distinguished by spawning more than once.
- truant (adjective): Absent without permission, especially from school.
- tuna (noun): Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae.
- turn (verb): To make a non-linear physical movement. Of a body, person, etc, to move around an axis through itself.
- turnout (noun): The act of coming forth.
- tutor (noun): One who teaches another (usually called a student, learner, or tutee) in a one-on-one or small-group interaction.
- tutu (noun): A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.
- untag (verb): To remove a tag from.
- unto (conjunction): Up to the time or degree that; until.