NYT Spelling Bee Answers for July 31, 2023
Game Summary
| Center Letter | C |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, g, i, n, r, y |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 40 words |
| Total Points | 212 points |
| Genius Level | 148 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 | Σ | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | 6 |
| C | 3 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| G | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| I | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| N | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| R | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | 4 |
| Y | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 6 | 12 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 40 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×3 AR×3 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×13 CI×3 CR×8 CY×2 |
| G | GR×1 |
| I | IC×1 |
| N | NA×1 NI×1 |
| R | RA×2 RI×2 |
| 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 ACI×1 ARC×2 ARN×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAG×2 CAI×1 CAN×6 CAR×4 CIG×1 CIR×2 CRA×5 CRI×2 CRY×1 CYA×1 CYN×1 |
| G | GRA×1 |
| I | ICI×1 |
| N | NAR×1 NIA×1 |
| R | RAC×2 RIC×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 (†).
| Word | 2L Ref | Definition (click to reveal) |
|---|---|---|
| ca...... † | CA8 | present participle of carry |
| ac.... | AC6 | A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. |
| ac.. | AC4 | Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe. |
| ac... | AC5 | present participle of ace |
| ar.... | AR6 | Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated. |
| ar.... | AR6 | present participle of arc |
| ar.... | AR6 | Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana. |
| ca.... | CA6 | present participle of cage |
| ca.. | CA4 | Alternative form of cagey |
| ca... | CA5 | A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France. |
| ca.... | CA6 | present participle of cane |
| ca... | CA5 | Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers. |
| ca..... | CA7 | present participle of can (“to be able to”) |
| ca... | CA5 | Careful, prudent, cautious. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Kind, sensitive, or empathetic. |
| ca... | CA5 | A person who works in a carnival (often one who uses exaggerated showmanship or fraud). |
| ca... | CA5 | To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting. |
| ci... | CI5 | A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked. |
| ci... | CI5 | Approximately, about, around |
| ci... | CI5 | plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers. |
| cr.. | CR4 | A rocky outcrop; a rugged steep cliff or rock. |
| cr.... | CR6 | Characterized by rugged, sharp, or coarse features. |
| cr.... | CR6 | plural of cranium |
| cr..... | CR7 | present participle of crane |
| cr.... | CR6 | A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance. |
| cr...... | CR8 | present participle of cringe |
| cr.... | CR6 | Characterised by causing feelings of embarrassment; embarrassing. |
| cr.... | CR6 | That cries. |
| cy.. | CY4 | A vibrant pale greenish-blue colour between blue and green in the visible spectrum; the complementary colour of red; the colour obtained by subtracting red from white light. |
| cy... | CY5 | cynical (in all senses) |
| gr..... | GR7 | present participle of grace |
| ic... | IC5 | A sweet, often creamy and thick glaze made primarily of sugar, often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, or flavorings, typically used for baked goods. |
| na.. | NA4 | A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control. |
| ni.... | NI6 | A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. |
| ra.... | RA6 | The sport of competing in races. |
| ra.. | RA4 | Mildly risqué. |
| ri... | RI5 | An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean. |
| ri.... | RI6 | present participle of rice |
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.
- carrying† (CA8)
- acacia (AC6)
- acai (AC4)
- acing (AC5)
- arcana (AR6)
- arcing (AR6)
- arnica (AR6)
- caging (CA6)
- cagy (CA4)
- cairn (CA5)
- canary (CA6)
- cancan (CA6)
- caning (CA6)
- canna (CA5)
- canning (CA7)
- canny (CA5)
- caring (CA6)
- carny (CA5)
- carry (CA5)
- cigar (CI5)
- circa (CI5)
- cirri (CI5)
- crag (CR4)
- craggy (CR6)
- crania (CR6)
- craning (CR7)
- cranny (CR6)
- cringing (CR8)
- cringy (CR6)
- crying (CR6)
- cyan (CY4)
- cynic (CY5)
- gracing (GR7)
- icing (IC5)
- narc (NA4)
- niacin (NI6)
- racing (RA6)
- racy (RA4)
- ricin (RI5)
- ricing (RI6)
Answer Definitions
- carrying† (verb): present participle of carry
- 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.
- acing (verb): present participle of ace
- arcana (noun): Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
- arcing (verb): present participle of arc
- arnica (noun): Any of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana.
- caging (verb): present participle of cage
- cagy (adjective): Alternative form of cagey
- cairn (noun): A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- canary (noun): A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.
- cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
- caning (verb): present participle of cane
- canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
- canning (verb): present participle of can (“to be able to”)
- canny (adjective): Careful, prudent, cautious.
- caring (adjective): Kind, sensitive, or empathetic.
- carny (noun): A person who works in a carnival (often one who uses exaggerated showmanship or fraud).
- carry (verb): To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting.
- cigar (noun): A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked.
- circa (preposition): Approximately, about, around
- cirri (noun): plural of cirrus Tendrils or claspers.
- crag (noun): A rocky outcrop; a rugged steep cliff or rock.
- craggy (adjective): Characterized by rugged, sharp, or coarse features.
- crania (noun): plural of cranium
- craning (verb): present participle of crane
- cranny (noun): A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance.
- cringing (verb): present participle of cringe
- cringy (adjective): Characterised by causing feelings of embarrassment; embarrassing.
- crying (adjective): That cries.
- cyan (noun): A vibrant pale greenish-blue colour between blue and green in the visible spectrum; the complementary colour of red; the colour obtained by subtracting red from white light.
- cynic (adjective): cynical (in all senses)
- gracing (verb): present participle of grace
- icing (noun): A sweet, often creamy and thick glaze made primarily of sugar, often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, or flavorings, typically used for baked goods.
- narc (noun): A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
- niacin (noun): A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.
- racing (noun): The sport of competing in races.
- racy (adjective): Mildly risqué.
- ricin (noun): An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.
- ricing (verb): present participle of rice