NYT Spelling Bee Answers for September 21, 2023
Game Summary
| Center Letter | I |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, m, n, o, t, v |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 52 words |
| Total Points | 301 points |
| Genius Level | 211 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| I | 3 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| M | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| N | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 5 |
| O | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 3 |
| T | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| V | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | Σ | 12 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 52 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AM×3 AN×6 AT×1 AV×2 |
|---|---|
| I | IM×2 IN×6 IO×1 |
| M | MA×4 MI×7 MO×3 |
| N | NA×1 NO×4 |
| O | OM×1 ON×1 OV×1 |
| T | TA×3 TI×2 TO×1 |
| V | VA×1 VI×1 VO×1 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | AMI×1 AMM×1 AMN×1 ANI×3 ANN×1 ANO×1 ANT×1 ATT×1 AVI×2 |
|---|---|
| I | IMA×1 IMI×1 INI×1 INN×1 INT×3 INV×1 IOT×1 |
| M | MAI×3 MAN×1 MIN×6 MIT×1 MON×1 MOT×2 |
| N | NAT×1 NOM×1 NOT×2 NOV×1 |
| O | OMI×1 ONI×1 OVA×1 |
| T | TAI×1 TAN×1 TAT×1 TIN×1 TIT×1 TOM×1 |
| V | VAI×1 VIT×1 VOM×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) |
|---|---|---|
| mo........ † | MO10 | Willingness of action especially in behavior. |
| am... | AM5 | Relating to an amine. |
| am..... | AM7 | A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste. |
| am... | AM5 | amniocentesis |
| an... | AN5 | The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus. |
| an....... | AN9 | The act of animating, or giving life or spirit. |
| an... | AN5 | A negatively charged ion. |
| an........ | AN10 | A critical or explanatory commentary or analysis. |
| an.... | AN6 | To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil. |
| an.. | AN4 | Opposed to something. |
| at.... | AT6 | To gain (an object or desired result). |
| av... | AV5 | Characteristic of or pertaining to birds, or to bird-like or flying creatures. |
| av...... | AV8 | The art or science of making and flying aircraft. |
| im.. | IM4 | One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque. |
| im....... | IM9 | The act of imitating. |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of innovating; the introduction of something new, in customs, rites, etc. |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of intimating. |
| in.. | IN4 | To or towards the inside of. |
| in........ | IN10 | The rise and fall of the voice in speaking. |
| in........ | IN10 | The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company. |
| io.. | IO4 | The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. |
| ma.. | MA4 | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. |
| ma.. | MA4 | Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal. |
| ma...... | MA8 | To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action. |
| ma... | MA5 | Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity. |
| mi.. | MI4 | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| mi... | MI5 | A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem. |
| mi.... | MI6 | plural of minimum |
| mi.... | MI6 | A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being. |
| mi..... | MI7 | A small van. |
| mi.. | MI4 | A building or institution where money (originally, only coins) is produced under government licence. |
| mi.. | MI4 | A mitten |
| mo....... | MO9 | Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject. |
| mo.... | MO6 | A state of progression from one place to another. |
| na.... | NA6 | A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture. |
| no........ | NO10 | An act or instance of nominating. |
| no...... | NO8 | The act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters. |
| no.... | NO6 | Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept. |
| no...... | NO8 | Replacement of a contract with one or more new contracts, in particular in financial markets the replacement of a contract between a particular buyer and seller with contracts between the clearing house and each party. |
| om.. | OM4 | To leave out or exclude. |
| on... | ON5 | A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice. |
| ov..... | OV7 | A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph. |
| ta... | TA5 | A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food. |
| ta.... | TA6 | Tannic acid or any of its derivatives. |
| ta.... | TA6 | Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. |
| ti.. | TI4 | A slight coloring. |
| ti... | TI5 | Something or someone of very large stature, greatness, or godliness. |
| to.... | TO6 | Alternative spelling of tom-tit |
| va.. | VA4 | Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason. |
| vi..... | VI7 | Any of a specific group of organic compounds essential in small quantities for healthy human growth, metabolism, development, and body function; found in minute amounts in plant and animal foods or sometimes produced synthetically; deficiencies of specific vitamins produce specific disorders. |
| vo... | VO5 | To regurgitate or eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth; puke. |
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.
- motivation† (MO10)
- amino (AM5)
- ammonia (AM7)
- amnio (AM5)
- anima (AN5)
- animation (AN9)
- anion (AN5)
- annotation (AN10)
- anoint (AN6)
- anti (AN4)
- attain (AT6)
- avian (AV5)
- aviation (AV8)
- imam (IM4)
- imitation (IM9)
- initiation (IN10)
- innovation (IN10)
- intimation (IN10)
- into (IN4)
- intonation (IN10)
- invitation (IN10)
- iota (IO4)
- maim (MA4)
- main (MA4)
- maintain (MA8)
- mania (MA5)
- mini (MI4)
- minim (MI5)
- minima (MI6)
- minion (MI6)
- minivan (MI7)
- mint (MI4)
- mitt (MI4)
- monomania (MO9)
- motion (MO6)
- nation (NA6)
- nomination (NO10)
- notation (NO8)
- notion (NO6)
- novation (NO8)
- omit (OM4)
- onion (ON5)
- ovation (OV7)
- taint (TA5)
- tannin (TA6)
- tatami (TA6)
- tint (TI4)
- titan (TI5)
- tomtit (TO6)
- vain (VA4)
- vitamin (VI7)
- vomit (VO5)
Answer Definitions
- motivation† (noun): Willingness of action especially in behavior.
- amino (adjective): Relating to an amine.
- ammonia (noun): A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste.
- amnio (noun): amniocentesis
- anima (noun): The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.
- animation (noun): The act of animating, or giving life or spirit.
- anion (noun): A negatively charged ion.
- annotation (noun): A critical or explanatory commentary or analysis.
- anoint (verb): To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil.
- anti (adjective): Opposed to something.
- attain (verb): To gain (an object or desired result).
- avian (adjective): Characteristic of or pertaining to birds, or to bird-like or flying creatures.
- aviation (noun): The art or science of making and flying aircraft.
- imam (noun): One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.
- imitation (noun): The act of imitating.
- initiation (noun): The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced
- innovation (noun): The act of innovating; the introduction of something new, in customs, rites, etc.
- intimation (noun): The act of intimating.
- into (preposition): To or towards the inside of.
- intonation (noun): The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
- invitation (noun): The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company.
- iota (noun): The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet.
- maim (verb): To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.
- main (adjective): Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
- maintain (verb): To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action.
- mania (noun): Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity.
- mini (adjective): Miniature, tiny, small.
- minim (noun): A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem.
- minima (noun): plural of minimum
- minion (noun): A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
- minivan (noun): A small van.
- mint (noun): A building or institution where money (originally, only coins) is produced under government licence.
- mitt (noun): A mitten
- monomania (noun): Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject.
- motion (noun): A state of progression from one place to another.
- nation (noun): A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.
- nomination (noun): An act or instance of nominating.
- notation (noun): The act, process, method, or an instance of representing by a system or set of marks, signs, figures, or characters.
- notion (noun): Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept.
- novation (noun): Replacement of a contract with one or more new contracts, in particular in financial markets the replacement of a contract between a particular buyer and seller with contracts between the clearing house and each party.
- omit (verb): To leave out or exclude.
- onion (noun): A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
- ovation (noun): A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph.
- taint (noun): A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food.
- tannin (noun): Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.
- tatami (noun): Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses.
- tint (noun): A slight coloring.
- titan (noun): Something or someone of very large stature, greatness, or godliness.
- tomtit (noun): Alternative spelling of tom-tit
- vain (adjective): Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
- vitamin (noun): Any of a specific group of organic compounds essential in small quantities for healthy human growth, metabolism, development, and body function; found in minute amounts in plant and animal foods or sometimes produced synthetically; deficiencies of specific vitamins produce specific disorders.
- vomit (verb): To regurgitate or eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth; puke.