NYT Spelling Bee Answers for August 25, 2023

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for August 25, 2023

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for August 25, 2023
Center LetterB
Outer Letterse, g, i, l, n, t
# of Pangrams4 (Perfect: 1)
Total Words59 words
Total Points367 points
Genius Level257 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 August 25, 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>9</th><th>10</th><th>11</th><th>12Σ
B91269331--43
E--1-1----2
G2-2------4
I-----11-13
L-1-21----4
N--1-1-1--3
T----------
Σ11131011643-159

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

B
BE×25
BI×15
BL×3
E
EB×1
EL×1
G
GI×3
GL×1
I
IL×1
IN×2
L
LE×1
LI×3
N
NE×1
NI×2
T

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

B
BEE×4
BEG×5
BEI×3
BEL×9
BEN×2
BET×2
BIB×1
BIG×1
BIL×6
BIN×4
BIT×3
BLI×3
E
EBB×1
ELI×1
G
GIB×3
GLI×1
I
ILL×1
INE×1
INT×1
L
LEG×1
LIB×3
N
NEG×1
NIB×2
T

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)
be........ BE10present participle and gerund of belittle
be..... BE7present participle and gerund of belt
bi....... BI9present participle and gerund of billet
in.......... IN12Capable of being understood; clear to the mind.
be.....BE7A very direct or quick path or trip.
be..BE4past participle of be.
be..BE4Beta vulgaris, a plant with a swollen root which is eaten or used to make sugar.
be....BE6Any of numerous species of insect in the order Coleoptera characterized by a pair of hard, shell-like front wings which cover and protect a pair of rear wings when at rest.
be...BE5To father; to sire; to produce (a child).
be.......BE9present participle of beget
be.....BE7The act of one who begs.
be...BE5To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.
be.......BE9The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
be...BE5A slightly yellowish gray colour, as that of unbleached wool.
be.....BE7A fritter (with a fruit or vegetable filling).
be...BE5present participle of be
be...BE5To lie around; encompass.
be......BE8To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation.
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.
be.....BE7Bellowing; the sound of a male deer during the rutting season
be..BE4A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.
be......BE8The imaginary line marking the upper end of the lower body of an automobile, running just below the bottoms of the windows
be....BE6Kind; gentle; mild.
be..BE4simple past tense and past participle of bend
be...BE5Either of two plants often used in combination: an evergreen Indian creeping shrub, Piper betle, whose dried leaves are chewed with betel nut: the betel pepper the seed of the betel palm, Areca catechu: the betel nut
be.....BE7Describing one who bets or gambles.
bi...BI5Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”)
bi....BI6Alternative spelling of biggy
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...BI5The rounded portion of a ship's hull, forming a transition between the bottom and the sides.
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....BI6A short informal letter.
bi.....BI7present participle of bill
bi...BI5A short period of excessive consumption, especially of food, alcohol, narcotics, etc.
bi......BI8present participle of binge
bi.....BI7present participle of binge
bi.....BI7present participle of bin
bi..BI4To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
bi....BI6present participle of bite
bi....BI6past participle of bite
bl..BL4To cease (from); to stop; to desist, to let up.
bl...BL5Alternative form of bling bling
bl...BL5A small pancake, of Russian origin, made from buckwheat flour; traditionally served with melted butter, sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.
eb....EB6present participle of ebb
el......EL8allowed to and meeting the necessary conditions required to participate in or be chosen for something
gi..GI4Alternative spelling of gybe
gi....GI6present participle of gibe
gi....GI6the edible viscera of a bird
gl..GL4Having a ready flow of words but lacking thought or understanding; superficial; shallow.
il.......IL9Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.
in........IN10Not eligible; forbidden to do something.
le.....LE7Clear enough to be read; readable, particularly of handwriting.
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......LI8present participle and gerund of libel
ne........NE10Able to be neglected, ignored or excluded from consideration; too small or unimportant to be of concern.
ni....NI6A small, quick bite taken with the front teeth.
ni......NI8The act or sound of one who nibbles.

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.

  • belittling  (BE10)
  • belting  (BE7)
  • billeting  (BI9)
  • intelligible  (IN12)
  • beeline  (BE7)
  • been  (BE4)
  • beet  (BE4)
  • beetle  (BE6)
  • beget  (BE5)
  • begetting  (BE9)
  • begging  (BE7)
  • begin  (BE5)
  • beginning  (BE9)
  • beige  (BE5)
  • beignet  (BE7)
  • being  (BE5)
  • belie  (BE5)
  • belittle  (BE8)
  • bell  (BE4)
  • belle  (BE5)
  • belling  (BE7)
  • belt  (BE4)
  • beltline  (BE8)
  • benign  (BE6)
  • bent  (BE4)
  • betel  (BE5)
  • betting  (BE7)
  • bible  (BI5)
  • biggie  (BI6)
  • bile  (BI4)
  • bilge  (BI5)
  • bill  (BI4)
  • billet  (BI6)
  • billing  (BI7)
  • binge  (BI5)
  • bingeing  (BI8)
  • binging  (BI7)
  • binning  (BI7)
  • bite  (BI4)
  • biting  (BI6)
  • bitten  (BI6)
  • blin  (BL4)
  • bling  (BL5)
  • blini  (BL5)
  • ebbing  (EB6)
  • eligible  (EL8)
  • gibe  (GI4)
  • gibing  (GI6)
  • giblet  (GI6)
  • glib  (GL4)
  • illegible  (IL9)
  • ineligible  (IN10)
  • legible  (LE7)
  • libel  (LI5)
  • libelee  (LI7)
  • libeling  (LI8)
  • negligible  (NE10)
  • nibble  (NI6)
  • nibbling  (NI8)

Answer Definitions

  • belittling (verb): present participle and gerund of belittle
  • belting (verb): present participle and gerund of belt
  • billeting (verb): present participle and gerund of billet
  • intelligible (adjective): Capable of being understood; clear to the mind.
  • beeline (noun): A very direct or quick path or trip.
  • been (verb): past participle of be.
  • beet (noun): Beta vulgaris, a plant with a swollen root which is eaten or used to make sugar.
  • beetle (noun): Any of numerous species of insect in the order Coleoptera characterized by a pair of hard, shell-like front wings which cover and protect a pair of rear wings when at rest.
  • beget (verb): To father; to sire; to produce (a child).
  • begetting (verb): present participle of beget
  • begging (noun): The act of one who begs.
  • begin (verb): To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.
  • beginning (noun): The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
  • beige (noun): A slightly yellowish gray colour, as that of unbleached wool.
  • beignet (noun): A fritter (with a fruit or vegetable filling).
  • being (verb): present participle of be
  • belie (verb): To lie around; encompass.
  • belittle (verb): To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation.
  • 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.
  • belling (noun): Bellowing; the sound of a male deer during the rutting season
  • belt (noun): A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.
  • beltline (noun): The imaginary line marking the upper end of the lower body of an automobile, running just below the bottoms of the windows
  • benign (adjective): Kind; gentle; mild.
  • bent (verb): simple past tense and past participle of bend
  • betel (noun): Either of two plants often used in combination: an evergreen Indian creeping shrub, Piper betle, whose dried leaves are chewed with betel nut: the betel pepper the seed of the betel palm, Areca catechu: the betel nut
  • betting (adjective): Describing one who bets or gambles.
  • bible (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Bible (“a specific version, edition, translation, or copy of the Christian religious text”)
  • biggie (noun): Alternative spelling of biggy
  • 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.
  • bilge (noun): The rounded portion of a ship's hull, forming a transition between the bottom and the sides.
  • 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.
  • billet (noun): A short informal letter.
  • billing (verb): present participle of bill
  • binge (noun): A short period of excessive consumption, especially of food, alcohol, narcotics, etc.
  • bingeing (verb): present participle of binge
  • binging (verb): present participle of binge
  • binning (verb): present participle of bin
  • bite (verb): To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
  • biting (verb): present participle of bite
  • bitten (verb): past participle of bite
  • blin (verb): To cease (from); to stop; to desist, to let up.
  • bling (noun): Alternative form of bling bling
  • blini (noun): A small pancake, of Russian origin, made from buckwheat flour; traditionally served with melted butter, sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.
  • ebbing (verb): present participle of ebb
  • eligible (adjective): allowed to and meeting the necessary conditions required to participate in or be chosen for something
  • gibe (noun): Alternative spelling of gybe
  • gibing (verb): present participle of gibe
  • giblet (noun): the edible viscera of a bird
  • glib (adjective): Having a ready flow of words but lacking thought or understanding; superficial; shallow.
  • illegible (adjective): Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.
  • ineligible (adjective): Not eligible; forbidden to do something.
  • legible (adjective): Clear enough to be read; readable, particularly of handwriting.
  • 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.
  • libeling (verb): present participle and gerund of libel
  • negligible (adjective): Able to be neglected, ignored or excluded from consideration; too small or unimportant to be of concern.
  • nibble (noun): A small, quick bite taken with the front teeth.
  • nibbling (noun): The act or sound of one who nibbles.