NYT Spelling Bee Answers for February 12, 2023

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for February 12, 2023

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for February 12, 2023
Center LetterI
Outer Lettersa, c, h, n, t, y
# of Pangrams1 (Perfect: none)
Total Words52 words
Total Points232 points
Genius Level162 points
Bingo?No

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 "Hive" Board for February 12, 2023

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>9Σ
A222---6
C66221-17
H22--1-5
I3121--7
N-21---3
T3541-114
Y-------
Σ16181142152

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A
AC×2
AN×2
AT×2
C
CA×2
CH×12
CI×2
CY×1
H
HI×4
HY×1
I
IN×4
IT×3
N
NI×3
T
TA×7
TH×1
TI×6
Y

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A
ACA×2
ANT×2
ATT×2
C
CAC×1
CAN×1
CHA×2
CHI×10
CIN×1
CIT×1
CYN×1
H
HIN×2
HIT×1
HIY×1
HYA×1
I
INA×1
INC×2
INT×1
ITC×2
ITT×1
N
NIA×1
NIN×2
T
TAC×3
TAH×1
TAI×1
TAN×2
THI×1
TIN×4
TIT×2
Y

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 ().

Word2L RefDefinition (click to reveal)
hy...... HY8Any bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, native to the Mediterranean and South Africa.
ac....AC6A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
ac..AC4Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
an..AN4Opposed to something.
an...AN5Playful, funny, absurd.
at....AT6To gain (an object or desired result).
at...AT5The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
ca...CA5plural of cactus
ca.....CA7A drinking establishment, often specifically of the type found in Latin America.
ch..CH4A female gypsy.
ch...CH5A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
ch..CH4A Mexican sage grown for its edible seeds, Salvia hispanica.
ch.....CH7Alternative letter-case form of Chianti
ch..CH4Elegant, stylish.
ch...CH5A Latin-American girl; a Latina.
ch....CH6Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
ch..CH4The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
ch...CH5Synonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
ch..CH4A child or babe; a young, small, or insignificant person or animal.
ch......CH8Alternative spelling of chit-chat
ch....CH6A complex polysaccharide, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and in the cell walls of fungi; thought to be responsible for some forms of asthma in humans.
ci...CI5A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
ci..CI4A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes with a specific legal definition, depending on the place.
cy...CY5cynical (in all senses)
hi...HI5The hybrid offspring of a stallion (male horse) and a she-ass (female donkey).
hi..HI4A clue.
hi...HI5A sudden pull.
hi..HI4An informal greeting, hi, hello.
in.....IN7The property of lacking sense or meaning (often to the point of boredom or annoyance).
in....IN6To state solemnly, to chant.
in..IN4A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
in....IN6Left complete or whole; not touched, defiled, sullied or otherwise damaged.
it..IT4A sensation felt on an area of the skin that causes a person or animal to want to scratch said area.
it...IT5(of a condition) Characterized by itching.
it..IT4Extremely small.
ni....NI6A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
ni...NI5A silly or foolish person.
ni...NI5The ordinal form of the number nine.
ta...TA5Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence.
ta....TA6A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.
ta.......TA9A person skilled in the planning and execution of tactics.
ta....TA6A paste made from ground sesame seeds, and used to make hummus, baba ghanoush etc.
ta...TA5A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food.
ta....TA6Pertaining to, containing, or obtained from tannin.
ta....TA6Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.
th..TH4Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
ti...TI5A tint or colour.
ti...TI5having a displeasingly thin, metallic sound.
ti..TI4A slight coloring.
ti..TI4Very small.
ti...TI5Something or someone of very large stature, greatness, or godliness.
ti.....TI7Alternative letter-case form of Titanic Of or relating to the Titans, a race of giant gods in Greek mythology. Having great size, or great force, power, or strength. Of a conflict or contest: involving equally powerful participants.

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.

  • hyacinth  (HY8)
  • acacia  (AC6)
  • acai  (AC4)
  • anti  (AN4)
  • antic  (AN5)
  • attain  (AT6)
  • attic  (AT5)
  • cacti  (CA5)
  • cantina  (CA7)
  • chai  (CH4)
  • chain  (CH5)
  • chia  (CH4)
  • chianti  (CH7)
  • chic  (CH4)
  • chica  (CH5)
  • chichi  (CH6)
  • chin  (CH4)
  • china  (CH5)
  • chit  (CH4)
  • chitchat  (CH8)
  • chitin  (CH6)
  • cinch  (CI5)
  • city  (CI4)
  • cynic  (CY5)
  • hinny  (HI5)
  • hint  (HI4)
  • hitch  (HI5)
  • hiya  (HI4)
  • inanity  (IN7)
  • incant  (IN6)
  • inch  (IN4)
  • intact  (IN6)
  • itch  (IT4)
  • itchy  (IT5)
  • itty  (IT4)
  • niacin  (NI6)
  • ninny  (NI5)
  • ninth  (NI5)
  • tacit  (TA5)
  • tactic  (TA6)
  • tactician  (TA9)
  • tahini  (TA6)
  • taint  (TA5)
  • tannic  (TA6)
  • tannin  (TA6)
  • thin  (TH4)
  • tinct  (TI5)
  • tinny  (TI5)
  • tint  (TI4)
  • tiny  (TI4)
  • titan  (TI5)
  • titanic  (TI7)

Answer Definitions

  • hyacinth (noun): Any bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, native to the Mediterranean and South Africa.
  • acacia (noun): A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
  • acai (noun): Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
  • anti (adjective): Opposed to something.
  • antic (adjective): Playful, funny, absurd.
  • attain (verb): To gain (an object or desired result).
  • attic (noun): The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
  • cacti (noun): plural of cactus
  • cantina (noun): A drinking establishment, often specifically of the type found in Latin America.
  • chai (noun): A female gypsy.
  • chain (noun): A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.
  • chia (noun): A Mexican sage grown for its edible seeds, Salvia hispanica.
  • chianti (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Chianti
  • chic (adjective): Elegant, stylish.
  • chica (noun): A Latin-American girl; a Latina.
  • chichi (adjective): Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
  • chin (noun): The bottom of a face, the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
  • china (noun): Synonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
  • chit (noun): A child or babe; a young, small, or insignificant person or animal.
  • chitchat (noun): Alternative spelling of chit-chat
  • chitin (noun): A complex polysaccharide, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and in the cell walls of fungi; thought to be responsible for some forms of asthma in humans.
  • cinch (noun): A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
  • city (noun): A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes with a specific legal definition, depending on the place.
  • cynic (adjective): cynical (in all senses)
  • hinny (noun): The hybrid offspring of a stallion (male horse) and a she-ass (female donkey).
  • hint (noun): A clue.
  • hitch (noun): A sudden pull.
  • hiya (interjection): An informal greeting, hi, hello.
  • inanity (noun): The property of lacking sense or meaning (often to the point of boredom or annoyance).
  • incant (verb): To state solemnly, to chant.
  • inch (noun): A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
  • intact (adjective): Left complete or whole; not touched, defiled, sullied or otherwise damaged.
  • itch (noun): A sensation felt on an area of the skin that causes a person or animal to want to scratch said area.
  • itchy (adjective): (of a condition) Characterized by itching.
  • itty (adjective): Extremely small.
  • niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
  • ninny (noun): A silly or foolish person.
  • ninth (adjective): The ordinal form of the number nine.
  • tacit (adjective): Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence.
  • tactic (noun): A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.
  • tactician (noun): A person skilled in the planning and execution of tactics.
  • tahini (noun): A paste made from ground sesame seeds, and used to make hummus, baba ghanoush etc.
  • taint (noun): A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food.
  • tannic (adjective): Pertaining to, containing, or obtained from tannin.
  • tannin (noun): Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.
  • thin (adjective): Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
  • tinct (noun): A tint or colour.
  • tinny (adjective): having a displeasingly thin, metallic sound.
  • tint (noun): A slight coloring.
  • tiny (adjective): Very small.
  • titan (noun): Something or someone of very large stature, greatness, or godliness.
  • titanic (adjective): Alternative letter-case form of Titanic Of or relating to the Titans, a race of giant gods in Greek mythology. Having great size, or great force, power, or strength. Of a conflict or contest: involving equally powerful participants.