NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 23, 2023

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 23, 2023

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 23, 2023
Center LetterB
Outer Lettersa, c, e, i, l, m
# of Pangrams3 (Perfect: none)
Total Words65 words
Total Points347 points
Genius Level243 points
Bingo?Yes

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 May 23, 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
A14211-9
B125314126
C-42-129
E--2---2
I112-116
L2341--10
M-1--113
Σ16181538565

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A
AB×2
AL×1
AM×6
B
BA×10
BE×5
BI×6
BL×5
C
CA×5
CE×1
CL×3
E
EM×2
I
IA×3
IM×3
L
LA×5
LI×5
M
MA×3

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A
ABA×1
ABL×1
ALI×1
AMB×1
AME×3
AMI×2
B
BAB×4
BAC×1
BAI×2
BAL×3
BEA×1
BEC×1
BEL×3
BIB×2
BIL×4
BLA×5
C
CAB×4
CAL×1
CEL×1
CLA×1
CLI×2
E
EMB×2
I
IAM×3
IMB×3
L
LAB×4
LAM×1
LIA×1
LIB×2
LIM×2
M
MAI×1
MAL×1
MAM×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 ().

Word2L RefDefinition (click to reveal)
am...... AM8Showing friendliness or goodwill.
cl....... CL9Able to be claimed.
cl....... CL9able to be climbed
ab...AB5plural form of an ancient bead calculator.
ab..AB4Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.
al...AL5The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
am...AM5An unhurried leisurely walk or stroll.
am...AM5Alternative form of amoeba
am....AM6plural of ameba, a variant of amoeba.
am....AM6Alternative form of amoebic
am.....AM7Friendly; kind; sweet; gracious
ba..BA4A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
ba....BA6To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds
ba..BA4A baby or infant; a very young human or animal.
ba...BA5Alternative form of Babel
ba.....BA7plural of bacillus
ba..BA4Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
ba....BA6One who holds bailed property; one who takes possession of the property of another (called a bailor) in order to keep that property safe for the other.
ba..BA4Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
ba..BA4A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
ba..BA4Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
be..BE4Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
be....BE6simple past tense of become
be...BE5To lie around; encompass.
be..BE4A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
be...BE5An attractive woman.
bi...BI5Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”)
bi......BI8Of or relating to the Bible.
bi......BI8Articulated with both lips.
bi..BI4A bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow secretion produced by the liver, stored in the gall bladder, and discharged into the duodenum where it aids the process of digestion.
bi..BI4Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
bi......BI8Capable of being billed for.
bl..BL4To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
bl..BL4A sudden, explosive sound, such as is made by a gunshot
bl......BL8Deserving blame
bl...BL5Censure.
bl.......BL9Alternative spelling of blamable
ca...CA5A secret political clique or faction.
ca....CA6Alternative spelling of Kabballah
ca....CA6A cabdriver, someone who drives a taxi.
ca...CA5A long object used to make a physical connection. A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope. An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes. An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated. A strong rope or chain used to moor or anchor a ship.
ca......CA8That can be called.
ce...CE5A celebrity; a famous person.
cl...CL5To ascend; rise; to go up.
em....EM6To treat a corpse with preservatives in order to prevent decomposition.
em....EM6A representative symbol, such as a trademark or logo.
ia..IA4A metrical foot in verse consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
ia...IA5plural of iambus
ia....IA6Consisting of iambs (metrical feet with an unstressed-stressed pattern) or characterized by their predominance.
im......IM8A person with limited mental capacity who can perform tasks and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five to seven-year-old child.
im.......IM9like or as an imbecile; so senseless as to be laughable; absurd, foolish, stupid, idiotic.
im....IM6To drink (used frequently of alcoholic beverages).
la...LA5A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
la...LA5The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.
la....LA6Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.
la....LA6Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize.
la..LA4A young sheep.
li....LI6bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.
li...LI5A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
li.....LI7The party against which a libel (hostile handbill) has been filed by a libelant.
li..LI4A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).
li....LI6Relating to the limbic system.
ma......MA8That can be (physically and/or legally) sent by mail.
ma.......MA9Able to be hammered into thin sheets; capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer, or by the pressure of rollers.
ma...MA5Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees.

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.

  • amicable  (AM8)
  • claimable  (CL9)
  • climbable  (CL9)
  • abaci  (AB5)
  • able  (AB4)
  • alibi  (AL5)
  • amble  (AM5)
  • ameba  (AM5)
  • amebae  (AM6)
  • amebic  (AM6)
  • amiable  (AM7)
  • baba  (BA4)
  • babble  (BA6)
  • babe  (BA4)
  • babel  (BA5)
  • bacilli  (BA7)
  • bail  (BA4)
  • bailee  (BA6)
  • bale  (BA4)
  • ball  (BA4)
  • balm  (BA4)
  • beam  (BE4)
  • became  (BE6)
  • belie  (BE5)
  • bell  (BE4)
  • belle  (BE5)
  • bible  (BI5)
  • biblical  (BI8)
  • bilabial  (BI8)
  • bile  (BI4)
  • bill  (BI4)
  • billable  (BI8)
  • blab  (BL4)
  • blam  (BL4)
  • blamable  (BL8)
  • blame  (BL5)
  • blameable  (BL9)
  • cabal  (CA5)
  • cabala  (CA6)
  • cabbie  (CA6)
  • cable  (CA5)
  • callable  (CA8)
  • celeb  (CE5)
  • climb  (CL5)
  • embalm  (EM6)
  • emblem  (EM6)
  • iamb  (IA4)
  • iambi  (IA5)
  • iambic  (IA6)
  • imbecile  (IM8)
  • imbecilic  (IM9)
  • imbibe  (IM6)
  • label  (LA5)
  • labia  (LA5)
  • labial  (LA6)
  • labile  (LA6)
  • lamb  (LA4)
  • liable  (LI6)
  • libel  (LI5)
  • libelee  (LI7)
  • limb  (LI4)
  • limbic  (LI6)
  • mailable  (MA8)
  • malleable  (MA9)
  • mamba  (MA5)

Answer Definitions

  • amicable (adjective): Showing friendliness or goodwill.
  • claimable (adjective): Able to be claimed.
  • climbable (adjective): able to be climbed
  • abaci (noun): plural form of an ancient bead calculator.
  • able (adjective): Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.
  • alibi (noun): The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
  • amble (noun): An unhurried leisurely walk or stroll.
  • ameba (noun): Alternative form of amoeba
  • amebae (noun): plural of ameba, a variant of amoeba.
  • amebic (adjective): Alternative form of amoebic
  • amiable (adjective): Friendly; kind; sweet; gracious
  • baba (noun): A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
  • babble (verb): To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds
  • babe (noun): A baby or infant; a very young human or animal.
  • babel (noun): Alternative form of Babel
  • bacilli (noun): plural of bacillus
  • bail (noun): Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
  • bailee (noun): One who holds bailed property; one who takes possession of the property of another (called a bailor) in order to keep that property safe for the other.
  • bale (noun): Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
  • ball (noun): A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
  • balm (noun): Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
  • beam (noun): Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
  • became (verb): simple past tense of become
  • belie (verb): To lie around; encompass.
  • bell (noun): A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
  • belle (noun): An attractive woman.
  • bible (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”)
  • biblical (adjective): Of or relating to the Bible.
  • bilabial (adjective): Articulated with both lips.
  • bile (noun): A bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow secretion produced by the liver, stored in the gall bladder, and discharged into the duodenum where it aids the process of digestion.
  • bill (noun): Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
  • billable (adjective): Capable of being billed for.
  • blab (verb): To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.
  • blam (noun): A sudden, explosive sound, such as is made by a gunshot
  • blamable (adjective): Deserving blame
  • blame (noun): Censure.
  • blameable (adjective): Alternative spelling of blamable
  • cabal (noun): A secret political clique or faction.
  • cabala (proper noun): Alternative spelling of Kabballah
  • cabbie (noun): A cabdriver, someone who drives a taxi.
  • cable (noun): A long object used to make a physical connection. A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope. An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes. An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated. A strong rope or chain used to moor or anchor a ship.
  • callable (adjective): That can be called.
  • celeb (noun): A celebrity; a famous person.
  • climb (verb): To ascend; rise; to go up.
  • embalm (verb): To treat a corpse with preservatives in order to prevent decomposition.
  • emblem (noun): A representative symbol, such as a trademark or logo.
  • iamb (noun): A metrical foot in verse consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
  • iambi (noun): plural of iambus
  • iambic (adjective): Consisting of iambs (metrical feet with an unstressed-stressed pattern) or characterized by their predominance.
  • imbecile (noun): A person with limited mental capacity who can perform tasks and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five to seven-year-old child.
  • imbecilic (adjective): like or as an imbecile; so senseless as to be laughable; absurd, foolish, stupid, idiotic.
  • imbibe (verb): To drink (used frequently of alcoholic beverages).
  • label (noun): A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
  • labia (noun): The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.
  • labial (adjective): Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.
  • labile (adjective): Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize.
  • lamb (noun): A young sheep.
  • liable (adjective): bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.
  • libel (noun): A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
  • libelee (noun): The party against which a libel (hostile handbill) has been filed by a libelant.
  • limb (noun): A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).
  • limbic (adjective): Relating to the limbic system.
  • mailable (adjective): That can be (physically and/or legally) sent by mail.
  • malleable (adjective): Able to be hammered into thin sheets; capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer, or by the pressure of rollers.
  • mamba (noun): Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, native to Africa, that live in trees.