NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 20, 2022
Game Summary
| Center Letter | T |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, e, i, l, o, v |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 49 words |
| Total Points | 205 points |
| Genius Level | 144 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 11 |
| E | - | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| I | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| L | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| O | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| T | 9 | 2 | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | 15 |
| V | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 6 | Σ | 20 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 3 | - | 1 | 49 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CI×2 CL×1 CO×8 |
|---|---|
| E | EC×1 EL×5 EV×2 |
| I | IL×1 |
| L | LI×4 LO×2 |
| O | OC×2 |
| T | TE×1 TI×5 TO×9 |
| V | VE×2 VI×1 VO×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | CIT×1 CIV×1 CLO×1 COL×4 COO×2 COT×1 COV×1 |
|---|---|
| E | ECL×1 ELE×3 ELI×2 EVI×2 |
| I | ILL×1 |
| L | LIC×1 LIL×1 LIT×2 LOO×1 LOT×1 |
| O | OCE×1 OCT×1 |
| T | TEL×1 TIL×3 TIT×2 TOI×4 TOL×1 TOO×3 TOT×1 |
| V | VEL×1 VET×1 VIO×1 VOL×1 VOT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| co........ † | CO10 | Formed by gathering or collecting; gathered into a mass, sum, or body. |
| ci.. | CI4 | to quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another. |
| ci... | CI5 | A carnivorous catlike animal, Civettictis civetta, that produces a musky secretion. It is two to three feet (30–90 cm) long, with black bands and spots on the body and tail. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A thrombus, solidified mass of blood. |
| co..... | CO7 | To gather together; amass. |
| co.... | CO6 | A band, flange, ferrule, or collar, designed to grip and hold a tool or a workpiece under proper control, and usually to release it under control thereafter; such a collet usually is made of a hard, springy material, especially a metal. |
| co.. | CO4 | A young male horse. |
| co.. | CO4 | Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead. |
| co.... | CO6 | A louse (Pediculus humanus). |
| co.. | CO4 | A cottage or hut. |
| co... | CO5 | To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously. |
| ec...... | EC8 | Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles. |
| el... | EL5 | One chosen or set apart. |
| el..... | EL7 | Someone who is elected. |
| el...... | EL8 | Of, or pertaining to voting or elections; involving a choice between options. |
| el.... | EL6 | To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer. |
| el... | EL5 | Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician. |
| ev... | EV5 | To expel (one or more people) from their property; to force (one or more people) to move out. |
| ev..... | EV7 | One who is evicted. |
| il..... | IL7 | Not approved by law, but not invalid. |
| li... | LI5 | Not forbidden by formal or informal rules. |
| li.. | LI4 | To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music. |
| li.. | LI4 | Abridged; refers to a simpler or unpaid version of a product. |
| li.... | LI6 | Small in size. |
| lo.. | LO4 | A scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks. |
| lo... | LO5 | a game of chance similar to bingo |
| oc.... | OC6 | An American feline carnivore (Leopardus pardalis, syn. Felis pardalis) covered with blackish ocellated spots and blotches which are variously arranged. |
| oc... | OC5 | A group or set of eight of something. |
| te.. | TE4 | To count, reckon, or enumerate. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile etc. |
| ti.. | TI4 | Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). |
| ti.. | TI4 | To slope or incline (something); to slant. |
| ti... | TI5 | An appellation given to a person or family to signify either veneration, official position, social rank, the possession of assets or properties, or a professional or academic qualification. See also Category:Titles |
| ti.... | TI6 | Any small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark, especially if part of a letter, or if a letter-like abbreviation; in particular, the dots over the Latin letters i and j. |
| to.. | TO4 | Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature. |
| to... | TO5 | plain or simple twilled fabric |
| to.... | TO6 | A covering of linen, silk, or tapestry, spread over a dressing table in a chamber or dressing room. |
| to...... | TO8 | Archaic form of toilet. (in all senses related to dressing and personal grooming, but not a water closet) |
| to.. | TO4 | Loss or damage incurred through a disaster. |
| to.. | TO4 | A mechanical device intended to make a task easier. |
| to.. | TO4 | The noise of a horn or whistle. |
| to.... | TO6 | To make a soft toot sound. |
| to.. | TO4 | A tote bag. |
| ve.... | VE6 | A closely woven fabric (originally of silk, now also of cotton or man-made fibres) with a thick short pile on one side. |
| ve.. | VE4 | A political right to disapprove of (and thereby stop) the process of a decision, a law etc. |
| vi.... | VI6 | A plant or flower of the genus Viola, especially the fragrant Viola odorata; similar-looking plants and flowers. |
| vo.. | VO4 | In the International System of Units, the derived unit of electrical potential and electromotive force (voltage); the potential difference across a conductor when a current of one ampere uses one watt of power. Symbol: V |
| vo.. | VO4 | a formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute. |
| vo.... | VO6 | Dedicated or given in fulfillment of a vow or pledge. |
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.
- collective† (CO10)
- cite (CI4)
- civet (CI5)
- clot (CL4)
- collect (CO7)
- collet (CO6)
- colt (CO4)
- coot (CO4)
- cootie (CO6)
- cote (CO4)
- covet (CO5)
- eclectic (EC8)
- elect (EL5)
- electee (EL7)
- elective (EL8)
- elicit (EL6)
- elite (EL5)
- evict (EV5)
- evictee (EV7)
- illicit (IL7)
- licit (LI5)
- lilt (LI4)
- lite (LI4)
- little (LI6)
- loot (LO4)
- lotto (LO5)
- ocelot (OC6)
- octet (OC5)
- tell (TE4)
- tile (TI4)
- till (TI4)
- tilt (TI4)
- title (TI5)
- tittle (TI6)
- toil (TO4)
- toile (TO5)
- toilet (TO6)
- toilette (TO8)
- toll (TO4)
- tool (TO4)
- toot (TO4)
- tootle (TO6)
- tote (TO4)
- velvet (VE6)
- veto (VE4)
- violet (VI6)
- volt (VO4)
- vote (VO4)
- votive (VO6)
Answer Definitions
- collective† (adjective): Formed by gathering or collecting; gathered into a mass, sum, or body.
- cite (verb): to quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.
- civet (noun): A carnivorous catlike animal, Civettictis civetta, that produces a musky secretion. It is two to three feet (30–90 cm) long, with black bands and spots on the body and tail.
- clot (noun): A thrombus, solidified mass of blood.
- collect (verb): To gather together; amass.
- collet (noun): A band, flange, ferrule, or collar, designed to grip and hold a tool or a workpiece under proper control, and usually to release it under control thereafter; such a collet usually is made of a hard, springy material, especially a metal.
- colt (noun): A young male horse.
- coot (noun): Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
- cootie (noun): A louse (Pediculus humanus).
- cote (noun): A cottage or hut.
- covet (verb): To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously.
- eclectic (adjective): Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles.
- elect (noun): One chosen or set apart.
- electee (noun): Someone who is elected.
- elective (adjective): Of, or pertaining to voting or elections; involving a choice between options.
- elicit (verb): To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer.
- elite (adjective): Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.
- evict (verb): To expel (one or more people) from their property; to force (one or more people) to move out.
- evictee (noun): One who is evicted.
- illicit (adjective): Not approved by law, but not invalid.
- licit (adjective): Not forbidden by formal or informal rules.
- lilt (verb): To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
- lite (adjective): Abridged; refers to a simpler or unpaid version of a product.
- little (adjective): Small in size.
- loot (noun): A scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks.
- lotto (noun): a game of chance similar to bingo
- ocelot (noun): An American feline carnivore (Leopardus pardalis, syn. Felis pardalis) covered with blackish ocellated spots and blotches which are variously arranged.
- octet (noun): A group or set of eight of something.
- tell (verb): To count, reckon, or enumerate.
- tile (noun): A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile etc.
- till (preposition): Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
- tilt (verb): To slope or incline (something); to slant.
- title (noun): An appellation given to a person or family to signify either veneration, official position, social rank, the possession of assets or properties, or a professional or academic qualification. See also Category:Titles
- tittle (noun): Any small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark, especially if part of a letter, or if a letter-like abbreviation; in particular, the dots over the Latin letters i and j.
- toil (noun): Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
- toile (noun): plain or simple twilled fabric
- toilet (noun): A covering of linen, silk, or tapestry, spread over a dressing table in a chamber or dressing room.
- toilette (noun): Archaic form of toilet. (in all senses related to dressing and personal grooming, but not a water closet)
- toll (noun): Loss or damage incurred through a disaster.
- tool (noun): A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.
- toot (noun): The noise of a horn or whistle.
- tootle (verb): To make a soft toot sound.
- tote (noun): A tote bag.
- velvet (noun): A closely woven fabric (originally of silk, now also of cotton or man-made fibres) with a thick short pile on one side.
- veto (noun): A political right to disapprove of (and thereby stop) the process of a decision, a law etc.
- violet (noun): A plant or flower of the genus Viola, especially the fragrant Viola odorata; similar-looking plants and flowers.
- volt (noun): In the International System of Units, the derived unit of electrical potential and electromotive force (voltage); the potential difference across a conductor when a current of one ampere uses one watt of power. Symbol: V
- vote (noun): a formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute.
- votive (adjective): Dedicated or given in fulfillment of a vow or pledge.