NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 10, 2023

Dec 10, 2023 · 12 min read · spelling bee ·

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Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for December 10, 2023

Game Summary

Center Letter	A
Outer Letters	c, h, l, n, o, y
# of Pangrams	1 (Perfect: 1)
Total Words	58 words
Total Points	253 points
Genius Level	177 points
Bingo?	Yes

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	5	7	2	1	-	-	15
C	7	8	6	1	1	1	24
H	2	1	-	1	-	-	4
L	2	4	-	2	-	-	8
N	2	2	-	-	1	-	5
O	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Y	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Σ	18	24	8	5	2	1	58

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A	AC×2 AH×1 AL×5 AN×7
C	CA×12 CH×2 CL×3 CO×6 CY×1
H	HA×4
L	LA×1 LL×1 LO×6
N	NA×4 NO×1
O	ON×1
Y	YA×1

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A	ACH×2 AHO×1 ALC×1 ALL×3 ALO×1 ANA×2 ANC×1 ANN×2 ANO×1 ANY×1
C	CAC×1 CAL×3 CAN×8 CHA×2 CLA×2 CLO×1 COA×2 COC×2 COL×2 CYA×1
H	HAL×4
L	LAC×1 LLA×1 LOA×2 LOC×2 LOY×2
N	NAA×1 NAC×1 NAN×2 NON×1
O	ONL×1
Y	YAH×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)
ha..... ^†	HA7	A kingfisher said in classical mythology to nest on the sea, thereby calming the waters. The dead body of such a bird, said in Tudor times to act as a weather vane when hung from a beam.
ac...	AC5	The sound of a sneeze.
ac..	AC4	Suffering from aches, sore.
ah..	AH4	Used to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention.
al.....	AL7	Any of a class of organic compounds (such as ethanol) containing a hydroxyl functional group (-OH).
al...	AL5	To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.
al...	AL5	A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal.
al..	AL4	To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty.
al...	AL5	Good wishes, love.
an..	AN4	of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
an....	AN6	Involving the anus.
an...	AN5	A broad, flat, dried poblano pepper, often ground into a powder.
an...	AN5	The record of a single event or item.
an...	AN5	To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds.
an..	AN4	Straight away; at once.
an....	AN6	anyhow
ca...	CA5	A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.
ca..	CA4	A telephone conversation; a phone call.
ca...	CA5	A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
ca......	CA8	Any of various tropical plants grown in the Americas, especially of the genera Amaranthus and Xanthosoma, cultivated for their edible leaves.
ca...	CA5	An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.
ca....	CA6	A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
ca...	CA5	Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
ca....	CA6	A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.
ca...	CA5	Careful, prudent, cautious.
ca....	CA6	Any of a number of cultivars of rapeseed (Brassica napus) and closely related field mustard (Brassica rapa), which have a lower erucic acid and glucosinolate content than traditional rapeseed.
ca...	CA5	A generally accepted principle; a rule.
ca....	CA6	A valley, especially a long, narrow, steep valley, cut in rock by a river.
ch.....	CH7	A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.
ch....	CH6	uncertain, risky, hazardous
cl..	CL4	A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known.
cl..	CL4	A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
cl....	CL6	A sewer.
co...	CO5	A wheeled vehicle, generally drawn by horse power.
co..	CO4	A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
co..	CO4	Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.
co...	CO5	The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.
co..	CO4	The kola plant, genus Cola, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts.
co.......	CO9	A traditional Irish dish made from mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale, with scallions, butter, salt and pepper added.
cy..	CY4	A vibrant pale greenish-blue colour between blue and green in the visible spectrum; the complementary colour of red; the colour obtained by subtracting red from white light.
ha...	HA5	Permissible, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do.
ha..	HA4	A corridor; a hallway.
ha..	HA4	A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
la..	LA4	Made of lace or decorated with it.
ll...	LL5	A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America.
lo...	LO5	A bottom-feeding freshwater fish in the superfamily or suborder Cobitoidea. Any true loach, of the family Cobitidae. A similar fish in one of three other families of Cypriniformes: Botiidae, Balitoridae, and Gyrinocheilidae.
lo..	LO4	An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
lo...	LO5	From or in a nearby location.
lo.....	LO7	With respect to place; in place.
lo...	LO5	Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
lo.....	LO7	In a loyal manner, faithfully.
na..	NA4	A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
na...	NA5	A single tortilla chip from a dish of nachos.
na..	NA4	A banana.
na...	NA5	A child's nurse.
no......	NO8	Not local; not specific to a location
on...	ON5	To lay or place something on a surface.
ya...	YA5	A rough, coarse, loud or uncouth person

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.

halcyon^† (HA7)
achoo (AC5)
achy (AC4)
ahoy (AH4)
alcohol (AL7)
allay (AL5)
alloy (AL5)
ally (AL4)
aloha (AL5)
anal (AN4)
anally (AN6)
ancho (AN5)
annal (AN5)
annoy (AN5)
anon (AN4)
anyhoo (AN6)
cacao (CA5)
call (CA4)
calla (CA5)
callaloo (CA8)
canal (CA5)
cancan (CA6)
canna (CA5)
cannon (CA6)
canny (CA5)
canola (CA6)
canon (CA5)
canyon (CA6)
challah (CH7)
chancy (CH6)
clan (CL4)
clay (CL4)
cloaca (CL6)
coach (CO5)
coal (CO4)
coca (CO4)
cocoa (CO5)
cola (CO4)
colcannon (CO9)
cyan (CY4)
halal (HA5)
hall (HA4)
halo (HA4)
lacy (LA4)
llano (LL5)
loach (LO5)
loan (LO4)
local (LO5)
locally (LO7)
loyal (LO5)
loyally (LO7)
naan (NA4)
nacho (NA5)
nana (NA4)
nanny (NA5)
nonlocal (NO8)
onlay (ON5)
yahoo (YA5)

Answer Definitions

halcyon^† (noun): A kingfisher said in classical mythology to nest on the sea, thereby calming the waters. The dead body of such a bird, said in Tudor times to act as a weather vane when hung from a beam.
achoo (interjection): The sound of a sneeze.
achy (adjective): Suffering from aches, sore.
ahoy (interjection): Used to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention.
alcohol (noun): Any of a class of organic compounds (such as ethanol) containing a hydroxyl functional group (-OH).
allay (verb): To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.
alloy (noun): A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal.
ally (verb): To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty.
aloha (noun): Good wishes, love.
anal (adjective): of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.
anally (adverb): Involving the anus.
ancho (noun): A broad, flat, dried poblano pepper, often ground into a powder.
annal (noun): The record of a single event or item.
annoy (verb): To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds.
anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
anyhoo (adverb): anyhow
cacao (noun): A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.
call (noun): A telephone conversation; a phone call.
calla (noun): A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
callaloo (noun): Any of various tropical plants grown in the Americas, especially of the genera Amaranthus and Xanthosoma, cultivated for their edible leaves.
canal (noun): An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.
cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
cannon (noun): A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.
canny (adjective): Careful, prudent, cautious.
canola (noun): Any of a number of cultivars of rapeseed (Brassica napus) and closely related field mustard (Brassica rapa), which have a lower erucic acid and glucosinolate content than traditional rapeseed.
canon (noun): A generally accepted principle; a rule.
canyon (noun): A valley, especially a long, narrow, steep valley, cut in rock by a river.
challah (noun): A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.
chancy (adjective): uncertain, risky, hazardous
clan (noun): A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known.
clay (noun): A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
cloaca (noun): A sewer.
coach (noun): A wheeled vehicle, generally drawn by horse power.
coal (noun): A black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
coca (noun): Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.
cocoa (noun): The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.
cola (noun): The kola plant, genus Cola, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts.
colcannon (noun): A traditional Irish dish made from mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale, with scallions, butter, salt and pepper added.
cyan (noun): A vibrant pale greenish-blue colour between blue and green in the visible spectrum; the complementary colour of red; the colour obtained by subtracting red from white light.
halal (adjective): Permissible, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do.
hall (noun): A corridor; a hallway.
halo (noun): A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
lacy (adjective): Made of lace or decorated with it.
llano (noun): A plain or steppe in parts of Latin America.
loach (noun): A bottom-feeding freshwater fish in the superfamily or suborder Cobitoidea. Any true loach, of the family Cobitidae. A similar fish in one of three other families of Cypriniformes: Botiidae, Balitoridae, and Gyrinocheilidae.
loan (noun): An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
local (adjective): From or in a nearby location.
locally (adverb): With respect to place; in place.
loyal (adjective): Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
loyally (adverb): In a loyal manner, faithfully.
naan (noun): A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
nacho (noun): A single tortilla chip from a dish of nachos.
nana (noun): A banana.
nanny (noun): A child's nurse.
nonlocal (adjective): Not local; not specific to a location
onlay (verb): To lay or place something on a surface.
yahoo (noun): A rough, coarse, loud or uncouth person

	4</th><th>5</th><th>6</th><th>7</th><th>8</th><th>9	Σ
A	5	7	2	1	-	-	15
C	7	8	6	1	1	1	24
H	2	1	-	1	-	-	4
L	2	4	-	2	-	-	8
N	2	2	-	-	1	-	5
O	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Y	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Σ	18	24	8	5	2	1	58

	4</th><th>5</th><th>6</th><th>7</th><th>8</th><th>9	Σ
A	5	7	2	1	-	-	15
C	7	8	6	1	1	1	24
H	2	1	-	1	-	-	4
L	2	4	-	2	-	-	8
N	2	2	-	-	1	-	5
O	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Y	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Σ	18	24	8	5	2	1	58