NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 11, 2023
Game Summary
| Center Letter | F |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, e, g, i, n, t |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 29 words |
| Total Points | 169 points |
| Genius Level | 118 points |
| Bingo? | No |
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 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| E | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | - | 4 |
| F | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 17 |
| G | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| I | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 4 |
| N | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | Σ | 8 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | 1 | 29 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | |
|---|---|
| E | EF×4 |
| F | FE×9 FI×8 |
| G | GI×2 |
| I | IN×4 |
| N | |
| T | TE×1 TI×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | |
|---|---|
| E | EFF×4 |
| F | FEE×1 FEI×4 FEN×2 FET×2 FIE×1 FIF×3 FIN×3 FIT×1 |
| G | GIF×2 |
| I | INE×1 INF×3 |
| N | |
| T | TEF×1 TIF×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ef....... † | EF9 | Causative, effective. |
| in....... † | IN9 | present participle of infect |
| ef.... | EF6 | The result or outcome of a cause. |
| ef.... | EF6 | Of substances, quantities etc: exhausted, spent, worn-out. |
| ef....... | EF9 | making good, thorough, or careful use of resources; not consuming extra. Especially, making good use of time or energy |
| fe.. | FE4 | plural of foot |
| fe... | FE5 | To make a false show or pretence of; to counterfeit or simulate. |
| fe...... | FE8 | present participle of feign |
| fe... | FE5 | To make a feint, or mock attack. |
| fe...... | FE8 | present participle of feint |
| fe... | FE5 | A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc. |
| fe..... | FE7 | present participle of fence |
| fe.. | FE4 | A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity. |
| fe.... | FE6 | present participle of fete |
| fi.. | FI4 | An estate held by a person on condition of providing military service to a superior. |
| fi.. | FI4 | A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo flute, used chiefly to accompany the drum in military music |
| fi.... | FI6 | present participle of fife |
| fi..... | FI7 | The cardinal number occurring after fourteen (14) and before sixteen (16). |
| fi.. | FI4 | Senses referring to subjective quality. Of superior quality. |
| fi.... | FI6 | present participle of fine |
| fi.... | FI6 | Having an end or limit; constrained by bounds; whose number of elements is a natural number. |
| fi..... | FI7 | present participle of fit |
| gi.. | GI4 | Something given to another voluntarily, without charge. |
| gi..... | GI7 | present participle of gift |
| in......... | IN11 | Not efficient; not producing the effect intended or desired; inefficacious |
| in.... | IN6 | To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body or body part) and begin to act on it. |
| in...... | IN8 | Indefinably large, countlessly great; immense. |
| te.. | TE4 | A love grass, Eragrostis tef, with small seeds, grown as a cereal and for forage in Ethiopia and parts of Arabia. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A small argument; a petty quarrel. |
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.
- effecting† (EF9)
- infecting† (IN9)
- effect (EF6)
- effete (EF6)
- efficient (EF9)
- feet (FE4)
- feign (FE5)
- feigning (FE8)
- feint (FE5)
- feinting (FE8)
- fence (FE5)
- fencing (FE7)
- fete (FE4)
- feting (FE6)
- fief (FI4)
- fife (FI4)
- fifing (FI6)
- fifteen (FI7)
- fine (FI4)
- fining (FI6)
- finite (FI6)
- fitting (FI7)
- gift (GI4)
- gifting (GI7)
- inefficient (IN11)
- infect (IN6)
- infinite (IN8)
- teff (TE4)
- tiff (TI4)
Answer Definitions
- effecting† (adjective): Causative, effective.
- infecting† (verb): present participle of infect
- effect (noun): The result or outcome of a cause.
- effete (adjective): Of substances, quantities etc: exhausted, spent, worn-out.
- efficient (adjective): making good, thorough, or careful use of resources; not consuming extra. Especially, making good use of time or energy
- feet (noun): plural of foot
- feign (verb): To make a false show or pretence of; to counterfeit or simulate.
- feigning (verb): present participle of feign
- feint (verb): To make a feint, or mock attack.
- feinting (verb): present participle of feint
- fence (noun): A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
- fencing (verb): present participle of fence
- fete (noun): A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
- feting (verb): present participle of fete
- 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
- fifing (verb): present participle of fife
- fifteen (numeral): The cardinal number occurring after fourteen (14) and before sixteen (16).
- fine (adjective): Senses referring to subjective quality. Of superior quality.
- fining (verb): present participle of fine
- finite (adjective): Having an end or limit; constrained by bounds; whose number of elements is a natural number.
- fitting (verb): present participle of fit
- gift (noun): Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
- gifting (verb): present participle of gift
- inefficient (adjective): Not efficient; not producing the effect intended or desired; inefficacious
- infect (verb): To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body or body part) and begin to act on it.
- infinite (adjective): Indefinably large, countlessly great; immense.
- teff (noun): A love grass, Eragrostis tef, with small seeds, grown as a cereal and for forage in Ethiopia and parts of Arabia.
- tiff (noun): A small argument; a petty quarrel.