NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 5, 2023
Game Summary
| Center Letter | E |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, j, k, l, p |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 39 words |
| Total Points | 106 points |
| Genius Level | 74 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 | Σ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | - | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| C | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| E | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| J | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| K | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| L | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| P | 10 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 14 | Σ | 27 | 5 | 5 | - | 1 | 1 | 39 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AL×1 AP×5 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×3 CE×1 |
| E | EP×1 |
| J | JA×2 JE×2 |
| K | KA×1 KE×3 |
| L | LA×3 LE×3 |
| P | PA×4 PE×8 PL×2 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ALL×1 APA×1 APP×4 |
|---|---|
| C | CAC×1 CAK×1 CAP×1 CEL×1 |
| E | EPE×1 |
| J | JAK×1 JAP×1 JEE×1 JEL×1 |
| K | KAL×1 KEE×2 KEL×1 |
| L | LAC×1 LAK×1 LAP×1 LEA×2 LEE×1 |
| P | PAC×1 PAE×1 PAL×2 PEA×3 PEC×1 PEE×3 PEK×1 PLA×1 PLE×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) |
|---|---|---|
| ap....... † | AP9 | An alcoholic drink similar to apple brandy and calvados, made by freeze-distilling ("jacking") apple cider. |
| al.... | AL6 | One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position, or locus, on a chromosome. |
| ap... | AP5 | Quickly, rapidly, with speed. |
| ap.... | AP6 | An application to a superior court or judge for a decision or order by an inferior court or judge to be reviewed and overturned. The legal document or form by which such an application is made; also, the court case in which the application is argued. A person's legal right to apply to court for such a review. |
| ap...... | AP8 | A respondent. |
| ap... | AP5 | A common, round fruit produced by the tree Malus domestica, cultivated in temperate climates. |
| ca.... | CA6 | The cry of a hen or goose, especially when laying an egg. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing. |
| ca.. | CA4 | A piece or point of land, extending beyond the adjacent coast into a sea or lake; a promontory; a headland. |
| ce.. | CE4 | A single-room dwelling for a hermit. |
| ep.. | EP4 | A sharp-pointed dueling sword with a bell-shaped guard, used (with the end blunted) in sport fencing. |
| ja.. | JA4 | Adequate; satisfactory; acceptable. |
| ja.. | JA4 | A joke or quip. |
| je.. | JE4 | Pertaining to utility or general purpose. |
| je.. | JE4 | a jelly or gel |
| ka.. | KA4 | An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) |
| ke.. | KE4 | A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern. |
| ke.. | KE4 | To continue in (a course or mode of action); not to intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain. |
| ke.. | KE4 | Any of several large brown algae seaweeds (order Laminariales). |
| la.. | LA4 | A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread. |
| la.. | LA4 | A large, landlocked stretch of water or similar liquid. |
| la... | LA5 | Each of the two triangular pieces of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat that are folded back below the throat, leaving a triangular opening between. |
| le.. | LE4 | A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape. |
| le.. | LE4 | To jump. |
| le.. | LE4 | The vegetable Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum, having edible leaves and an onion-like bulb but with a milder flavour than the onion. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Step. A step taken with the foot. The distance covered in a step (or sometimes two), either vaguely or according to various specific set measurements. |
| pa.... | PA6 | A savory Valencian dish made of rice, cooked in a frying pan with vegetables and meat or shellfish. |
| pa.... | PA6 | Official residence of a head of state or other dignitary, especially in a monarchical or imperial governmental system. |
| pa.. | PA4 | Light in color. |
| pe... | PE5 | A state of tranquility, quiet, and harmony; absence of violence. For instance, a state free from civil disturbance. |
| pe.. | PE4 | A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap. |
| pe.. | PE4 | A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc. |
| pe.. | PE4 | To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird). |
| pe.. | PE4 | To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep. |
| pe.. | PE4 | To remove the skin or outer covering of. |
| pe.. | PE4 | A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird. |
| pe.. | PE4 | Alternative letter-case form of Peke (“Pekinese dog”) |
| pl... | PL5 | An area; somewhere within an area. An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard. A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name. |
| pl.. | PL4 | An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty. |
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.
- applejack† (AP9)
- allele (AL6)
- apace (AP5)
- appeal (AP6)
- appellee (AP8)
- apple (AP5)
- cackle (CA6)
- cake (CA4)
- cape (CA4)
- cell (CE4)
- epee (EP4)
- jake (JA4)
- jape (JA4)
- jeep (JE4)
- jell (JE4)
- kale (KA4)
- keel (KE4)
- keep (KE4)
- kelp (KE4)
- lace (LA4)
- lake (LA4)
- lapel (LA5)
- leak (LE4)
- leap (LE4)
- leek (LE4)
- pace (PA4)
- paella (PA6)
- palace (PA6)
- pale (PA4)
- peace (PE5)
- peak (PE4)
- peal (PE4)
- peck (PE4)
- peek (PE4)
- peel (PE4)
- peep (PE4)
- peke (PE4)
- place (PL5)
- plea (PL4)
Answer Definitions
- applejack† (noun): An alcoholic drink similar to apple brandy and calvados, made by freeze-distilling ("jacking") apple cider.
- allele (noun): One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position, or locus, on a chromosome.
- apace (adverb): Quickly, rapidly, with speed.
- appeal (noun): An application to a superior court or judge for a decision or order by an inferior court or judge to be reviewed and overturned. The legal document or form by which such an application is made; also, the court case in which the application is argued. A person's legal right to apply to court for such a review.
- appellee (noun): A respondent.
- apple (noun): A common, round fruit produced by the tree Malus domestica, cultivated in temperate climates.
- cackle (noun): The cry of a hen or goose, especially when laying an egg.
- cake (noun): A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.
- cape (noun): A piece or point of land, extending beyond the adjacent coast into a sea or lake; a promontory; a headland.
- cell (noun): A single-room dwelling for a hermit.
- epee (noun): A sharp-pointed dueling sword with a bell-shaped guard, used (with the end blunted) in sport fencing.
- jake (adjective): Adequate; satisfactory; acceptable.
- jape (noun): A joke or quip.
- jeep (adjective): Pertaining to utility or general purpose.
- jell (noun): a jelly or gel
- kale (noun): An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)
- keel (noun): A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.
- keep (verb): To continue in (a course or mode of action); not to intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
- kelp (noun): Any of several large brown algae seaweeds (order Laminariales).
- lace (noun): A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread.
- lake (noun): A large, landlocked stretch of water or similar liquid.
- lapel (noun): Each of the two triangular pieces of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat that are folded back below the throat, leaving a triangular opening between.
- leak (noun): A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape.
- leap (verb): To jump.
- leek (noun): The vegetable Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum, having edible leaves and an onion-like bulb but with a milder flavour than the onion.
- pace (noun): Step. A step taken with the foot. The distance covered in a step (or sometimes two), either vaguely or according to various specific set measurements.
- paella (noun): A savory Valencian dish made of rice, cooked in a frying pan with vegetables and meat or shellfish.
- palace (noun): Official residence of a head of state or other dignitary, especially in a monarchical or imperial governmental system.
- pale (adjective): Light in color.
- peace (noun): A state of tranquility, quiet, and harmony; absence of violence. For instance, a state free from civil disturbance.
- peak (noun): A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap.
- peal (noun): A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.
- peck (verb): To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird).
- peek (verb): To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep.
- peel (verb): To remove the skin or outer covering of.
- peep (noun): A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
- peke (noun): Alternative letter-case form of Peke (“Pekinese dog”)
- place (noun): An area; somewhere within an area. An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard. A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name.
- plea (noun): An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.