NYT Spelling Bee Answers for October 18, 2023

calendar Oct 18, 2023 · 11 min read · spelling bee  ·
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Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for October 18, 2023
Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for October 18, 2023

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for October 18, 2023
Center LetterR
Outer Lettersa, h, n, o, t, w
# of Pangrams1 (Perfect: none)
Total Words59 words
Total Points274 points
Genius Level192 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 October 18, 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
A-411-28
H413-1-9
N-1211-5
O--1---1
R4212--9
T6561--18
W43-1-19
Σ18161462359

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A
AN×1
AO×1
AR×4
AT×2
H
HA×3
HO×6
N
NA×2
NO×3
O
OR×1
R
RA×3
RO×6
T
TA×7
TH×5
TO×4
TR×2
W
WA×4
WO×3
WR×2

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A
ANN×1
AOR×1
ARH×1
ARR×3
ATH×1
ATT×1
H
HAR×2
HAW×1
HOA×1
HON×1
HOO×1
HOR×3
N
NAR×2
NON×1
NOR×1
NOT×1
O
ORA×1
R
RAN×1
RAT×2
ROA×2
ROO×1
ROT×2
ROW×1
T
TAN×2
TAR×5
THO×1
THR×3
THW×1
TOR×4
TRO×2
W
WAR×4
WOR×3
WRA×1
WRO×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)
ha...... †HA8Any of various shrubs and small trees of the genus Crataegus having small, apple-like fruits and thorny branches
an.......AN9One who annotates.
ao...AO5The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
ar...AR5One who has attained enlightenment; a Buddhist saint.
ar....AR6Complete; downright; utter.
ar...AR5A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow.
ar.......AR9Maranta arundinacea from the Marantaceae family, a large perennial herb native to the Caribbean area with green leaves about 15 centimeters long.
at.....AT7From side to side, often in an oblique manner; across or over.
at...AT5An essential oil extracted from flowers.
ha....HA6A device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.
ha..HA4A male deer, especially the male of the red deer after his fifth year.
ho..HO4A white or greyish-white colour.
ho...HO5recognition of importance or value; respect; veneration
ho....HO6Alternative form of hurrah
ho..HO4A circle dance popular in the Balkans, Israel and Yiddish culture worldwide.
ho..HO4A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of certain animals, usually paired.
ho....HO6An intense distressing emotion of fear or repugnance.
na......NA8One who narrates or tells stories.
na....NA6Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
no....NO6That which is not art
no...NO5One of the four major compass points, specifically 0°, directed toward the North Pole, and conventionally upwards on a map (or even, sometimes used instead of the relative directional term up), abbreviated as N.
no.....NO7One who notates; a writer of notation.
or....OR6Someone who orates or delivers an oration.
ra..RA4To speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger.
ra.....RA7A swiftly repeated knocking sound.
ra....RA6Any of several species of climbing palm of the genus Calamus.
ro..RO4Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in
ro..RO4To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.
ro..RO4The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction.
ro.....RO7One who or that which rotates.
ro...RO5A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.
ro...RO5Sorbus aucuparia, the European rowan.
ta.....TA7a flourish on a trumpet
ta....TA6A Hindu or Buddhist religious or esoteric text.
ta..TA4Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
ta...TA5A card game played in various different variations.
ta..TA4Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
ta....TA6A kind of woven woollen cloth with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles, associated with Scottish Highlanders, different clans and some Scottish families and institutions having their own distinctive patterns.
ta....TA6A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar.
th...TH5A sharp protective spine of a plant.
th....TH6The front part of the neck.
th...TH5To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly through the air.
th....TH6past participle of throw
th....TH6Placed or situated across something else; cross, oblique, transverse.
to...TO5the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible
to..TO4past participle of tear (rip, rend, speed).
to..TO4A traditional Japanese lantern.
to..TO4An injury or wrong.
tr..TR4An ugly old woman, a hag.
tr...TR5An oath, pledge, or promise. A pledge or promise to marry someone. The state of being thus pledged; betrothal, engagement.
wa..WA4To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially: To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc.
wa.....WA7Authorization or certification; a sanction, as given by a superior.
wa.......WA9One making a warrant to the benefit of a warrantee.
wa..WA4A type of deformed growth occurring on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
wo..WO4Damaged and shabby as a result of much use.
wo..WO4A plant; herb; vegetable.
wo...WO5Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for.
wr...WR5Great anger.
wr...WR5Full of anger; wrathful.

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.

  • hawthorn†  (HA8)
  • annotator  (AN9)
  • aorta  (AO5)
  • arhat  (AR5)
  • arrant  (AR6)
  • arrow  (AR5)
  • arrowroot  (AR9)
  • athwart  (AT7)
  • attar  (AT5)
  • harrow  (HA6)
  • hart  (HA4)
  • hoar  (HO4)
  • honor  (HO5)
  • hoorah  (HO6)
  • hora  (HO4)
  • horn  (HO4)
  • horror  (HO6)
  • narrator  (NA8)
  • narrow  (NA6)
  • nonart  (NO6)
  • north  (NO5)
  • notator  (NO7)
  • orator  (OR6)
  • rant  (RA4)
  • ratatat  (RA7)
  • rattan  (RA6)
  • roan  (RO4)
  • roar  (RO4)
  • root  (RO4)
  • rotator  (RO7)
  • rotor  (RO5)
  • rowan  (RO5)
  • tantara  (TA7)
  • tantra  (TA6)
  • taro  (TA4)
  • tarot  (TA5)
  • tart  (TA4)
  • tartan  (TA6)
  • tartar  (TA6)
  • thorn  (TH5)
  • throat  (TH6)
  • throw  (TH5)
  • thrown  (TH6)
  • thwart  (TH6)
  • torah  (TO5)
  • torn  (TO4)
  • toro  (TO4)
  • tort  (TO4)
  • trot  (TR4)
  • troth  (TR5)
  • warn  (WA4)
  • warrant  (WA7)
  • warrantor  (WA9)
  • wart  (WA4)
  • worn  (WO4)
  • wort  (WO4)
  • worth  (WO5)
  • wrath  (WR5)
  • wroth  (WR5)

Answer Definitions

  • hawthorn† (noun): Any of various shrubs and small trees of the genus Crataegus having small, apple-like fruits and thorny branches
  • annotator (noun): One who annotates.
  • aorta (noun): The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.
  • arhat (noun): One who has attained enlightenment; a Buddhist saint.
  • arrant (adjective): Complete; downright; utter.
  • arrow (noun): A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow.
  • arrowroot (noun): Maranta arundinacea from the Marantaceae family, a large perennial herb native to the Caribbean area with green leaves about 15 centimeters long.
  • athwart (adverb): From side to side, often in an oblique manner; across or over.
  • attar (noun): An essential oil extracted from flowers.
  • harrow (noun): A device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.
  • hart (noun): A male deer, especially the male of the red deer after his fifth year.
  • hoar (noun): A white or greyish-white colour.
  • honor (noun): recognition of importance or value; respect; veneration
  • hoorah (interjection): Alternative form of hurrah
  • hora (noun): A circle dance popular in the Balkans, Israel and Yiddish culture worldwide.
  • horn (noun): A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of certain animals, usually paired.
  • horror (noun): An intense distressing emotion of fear or repugnance.
  • narrator (noun): One who narrates or tells stories.
  • narrow (adjective): Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
  • nonart (noun): That which is not art
  • north (noun): One of the four major compass points, specifically 0°, directed toward the North Pole, and conventionally upwards on a map (or even, sometimes used instead of the relative directional term up), abbreviated as N.
  • notator (noun): One who notates; a writer of notation.
  • orator (noun): Someone who orates or delivers an oration.
  • rant (verb): To speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger.
  • ratatat (noun): A swiftly repeated knocking sound.
  • rattan (noun): Any of several species of climbing palm of the genus Calamus.
  • roan (adjective): Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in
  • roar (verb): To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.
  • root (noun): The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction.
  • rotator (noun): One who or that which rotates.
  • rotor (noun): A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.
  • rowan (noun): Sorbus aucuparia, the European rowan.
  • tantara (noun): a flourish on a trumpet
  • tantra (noun): A Hindu or Buddhist religious or esoteric text.
  • taro (noun): Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
  • tarot (noun): A card game played in various different variations.
  • tart (adjective): Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
  • tartan (noun): A kind of woven woollen cloth with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles, associated with Scottish Highlanders, different clans and some Scottish families and institutions having their own distinctive patterns.
  • tartar (noun): A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar.
  • thorn (noun): A sharp protective spine of a plant.
  • throat (noun): The front part of the neck.
  • throw (verb): To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly through the air.
  • thrown (verb): past participle of throw
  • thwart (adjective): Placed or situated across something else; cross, oblique, transverse.
  • torah (noun): the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible
  • torn (verb): past participle of tear (rip, rend, speed).
  • toro (noun): A traditional Japanese lantern.
  • tort (noun): An injury or wrong.
  • trot (noun): An ugly old woman, a hag.
  • troth (noun): An oath, pledge, or promise. A pledge or promise to marry someone. The state of being thus pledged; betrothal, engagement.
  • warn (verb): To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially: To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc.
  • warrant (noun): Authorization or certification; a sanction, as given by a superior.
  • warrantor (noun): One making a warrant to the benefit of a warrantee.
  • wart (noun): A type of deformed growth occurring on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
  • worn (adjective): Damaged and shabby as a result of much use.
  • wort (noun): A plant; herb; vegetable.
  • worth (adjective): Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for.
  • wrath (noun): Great anger.
  • wroth (adjective): Full of anger; wrathful.