NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 20, 2023
Game Summary
| Center Letter | T |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | c, i, l, n, o, u |
| # of Pangrams | 2 (Perfect: 1) |
| Total Words | 51 words |
| Total Points | 220 points |
| Genius Level | 154 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 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| I | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 |
| L | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 9 |
| N | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| O | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| T | 10 | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 15 |
| U | 2 | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 6 | Σ | 22 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 51 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| C | CL×2 CO×8 CU×3 |
|---|---|
| I | IL×1 IN×3 |
| L | LI×4 LO×5 |
| N | NO×1 |
| O | OC×2 ON×1 |
| T | TI×4 TO×7 TU×4 |
| U | UN×6 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| C | CLO×2 COC×1 COL×1 CON×2 COO×1 COT×2 COU×1 CUL×2 CUT×1 |
|---|---|
| I | ILL×1 INT×3 |
| L | LIC×1 LIL×1 LIN×2 LOC×1 LOO×1 LOT×2 LOU×1 |
| N | NOT×1 |
| O | OCC×1 OCT×1 ONT×1 |
| T | TIL×2 TIN×2 TOI×1 TOL×1 TON×1 TOO×3 TOU×1 TUI×1 TUN×1 TUT×2 |
| U | UNC×2 UNI×1 UNL×1 UNT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| li..... † | LI7 | A type of woodcut in which a block of linoleum is used for the relief surface; the design cut into the block. |
| lo...... † | LO8 | A phrase or expression connected to an individual or a group of individuals through repeated usage. |
| cl.. | CL4 | A thrombus, solidified mass of blood. |
| cl... | CL5 | Influence or effectiveness, especially political. |
| co..... | CO7 | A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed. |
| co.. | CO4 | A young male horse. |
| co..... | CO7 | To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking. |
| co........ | CO10 | The preparing of a medicine, food or other substance out of many ingredients. |
| co.. | CO4 | Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead. |
| co....... | CO9 | A bold dance performed in groups of eight where women lift their skirts to display their ankles. |
| co.... | CO6 | Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber. |
| co... | CO5 | To recite numbers in sequence. |
| cu.. | CU4 | A group, sect or movement following an unorthodox religious or philosophical system of beliefs, especially one in which members remove and exclude themselves from greater society, including family members not part of the cult, and show extreme devotion to a charismatic leader. |
| cu.... | CU6 | Of or relating to a cult or the methods of cults. |
| cu.... | CU6 | Alternative form of cut-out |
| il..... | IL7 | Not approved by law, but not invalid. |
| in.. | IN4 | To or towards the inside of. |
| in.... | IN6 | To know intuitively or by immediate perception. |
| in....... | IN9 | Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes. |
| li... | LI5 | Not forbidden by formal or informal rules. |
| li.. | LI4 | To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music. |
| li.. | LI4 | Clinging fuzzy fluff that clings to fabric or accumulates in one's pockets or navel etc. |
| lo.. | LO4 | A scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks. |
| lo.... | LO6 | A low- to medium-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin. |
| lo... | LO5 | a game of chance similar to bingo |
| lo.. | LO4 | A troublemaker, often violent; a rude violent person; a yob. |
| no.... | NO6 | Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept. |
| oc.... | OC6 | To cover or hide from view. |
| oc....... | OC9 | A thousand trillion trillion, a billion billion billion: 1 followed by 27 zeros, 10. |
| on.. | ON4 | Upon; on top of. |
| ti.. | TI4 | Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). |
| ti.. | TI4 | To slope or incline (something); to slant. |
| ti... | TI5 | A tint or colour. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A slight coloring. |
| to.. | TO4 | Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature. |
| to.. | TO4 | Loss or damage incurred through a disaster. |
| to... | TO5 | Pertaining to tension, especially of muscles. |
| to.. | TO4 | A mechanical device intended to make a task easier. |
| to.. | TO4 | A cartoon, especially an animated television show. |
| to.. | TO4 | The noise of a horn or whistle. |
| to.. | TO4 | Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way. |
| tu..... | TU7 | A sum of money paid for instruction (such as in a high school, boarding school, university, or college). |
| tu... | TU5 | A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles. |
| tu... | TU5 | All together. Indicates that the remainder of a group should join in playing after a solo or other passage with a reduced number of voices. |
| tu.. | TU4 | A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting. |
| un..... | UN7 | A salve or ointment. |
| un... | UN5 | Not cut. |
| un.. | UN4 | Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one. |
| un... | UN5 | Not lit |
| un... | UN5 | Up to the time of (something happening). |
| un.. | UN4 | Up to the time or degree that; until. |
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.
- linocut† (LI7)
- locution† (LO8)
- clot (CL4)
- clout (CL5)
- coconut (CO7)
- colt (CO4)
- concoct (CO7)
- concoction (CO10)
- coot (CO4)
- cotillion (CO9)
- cotton (CO6)
- count (CO5)
- cult (CU4)
- cultic (CU6)
- cutout (CU6)
- illicit (IL7)
- into (IN4)
- intuit (IN6)
- intuition (IN9)
- licit (LI5)
- lilt (LI4)
- lint (LI4)
- loot (LO4)
- lotion (LO6)
- lotto (LO5)
- lout (LO4)
- notion (NO6)
- occult (OC6)
- octillion (OC9)
- onto (ON4)
- till (TI4)
- tilt (TI4)
- tinct (TI5)
- tint (TI4)
- toil (TO4)
- toll (TO4)
- tonic (TO5)
- tool (TO4)
- toon (TO4)
- toot (TO4)
- tout (TO4)
- tuition (TU7)
- tunic (TU5)
- tutti (TU5)
- tutu (TU4)
- unction (UN7)
- uncut (UN5)
- unit (UN4)
- unlit (UN5)
- until (UN5)
- unto (UN4)
Answer Definitions
- linocut† (noun): A type of woodcut in which a block of linoleum is used for the relief surface; the design cut into the block.
- locution† (noun): A phrase or expression connected to an individual or a group of individuals through repeated usage.
- clot (noun): A thrombus, solidified mass of blood.
- clout (noun): Influence or effectiveness, especially political.
- coconut (noun): A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
- colt (noun): A young male horse.
- concoct (verb): To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking.
- concoction (noun): The preparing of a medicine, food or other substance out of many ingredients.
- coot (noun): Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
- cotillion (noun): A bold dance performed in groups of eight where women lift their skirts to display their ankles.
- cotton (noun): Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber.
- count (verb): To recite numbers in sequence.
- cult (noun): A group, sect or movement following an unorthodox religious or philosophical system of beliefs, especially one in which members remove and exclude themselves from greater society, including family members not part of the cult, and show extreme devotion to a charismatic leader.
- cultic (adjective): Of or relating to a cult or the methods of cults.
- cutout (noun): Alternative form of cut-out
- illicit (adjective): Not approved by law, but not invalid.
- into (preposition): To or towards the inside of.
- intuit (verb): To know intuitively or by immediate perception.
- intuition (noun): Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes.
- licit (adjective): Not forbidden by formal or informal rules.
- lilt (verb): To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.
- lint (noun): Clinging fuzzy fluff that clings to fabric or accumulates in one's pockets or navel etc.
- loot (noun): A scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks.
- lotion (noun): A low- to medium-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin.
- lotto (noun): a game of chance similar to bingo
- lout (noun): A troublemaker, often violent; a rude violent person; a yob.
- notion (noun): Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept.
- occult (verb): To cover or hide from view.
- octillion (numeral): A thousand trillion trillion, a billion billion billion: 1 followed by 27 zeros, 10.
- onto (preposition): Upon; on top of.
- till (preposition): Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
- tilt (verb): To slope or incline (something); to slant.
- tinct (noun): A tint or colour.
- tint (noun): A slight coloring.
- toil (noun): Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
- toll (noun): Loss or damage incurred through a disaster.
- tonic (adjective): Pertaining to tension, especially of muscles.
- tool (noun): A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.
- toon (noun): A cartoon, especially an animated television show.
- toot (noun): The noise of a horn or whistle.
- tout (noun): Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
- tuition (noun): A sum of money paid for instruction (such as in a high school, boarding school, university, or college).
- tunic (noun): A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles.
- tutti (adverb): All together. Indicates that the remainder of a group should join in playing after a solo or other passage with a reduced number of voices.
- tutu (noun): A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.
- unction (noun): A salve or ointment.
- uncut (adjective): Not cut.
- unit (noun): Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one.
- unlit (adjective): Not lit
- until (preposition): Up to the time of (something happening).
- unto (conjunction): Up to the time or degree that; until.