NYT Spelling Bee Answers for December 18, 2023
Game Summary
| Center Letter | T |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, n, o, p, u |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 51 words |
| Total Points | 211 points |
| Genius Level | 148 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 | 3 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 5 |
| C | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | 16 |
| N | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| O | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| P | 5 | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 8 |
| T | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 14 |
| U | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | Σ | 22 | 6 | 13 | 8 | 1 | - | 1 | 51 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×2 AT×1 AU×2 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×5 CO×9 CU×2 |
| N | NA×1 |
| O | OC×2 ON×1 OU×1 |
| P | PA×2 PO×3 PU×3 |
| T | TA×6 TO×6 TU×2 |
| U | UN×3 |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACC×2 ATO×1 AUN×1 AUT×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAN×4 CAT×1 COA×1 COC×1 CON×2 COO×2 COP×1 COT×1 COU×1 CUT×2 |
| N | NAT×1 |
| O | OCC×1 OCT×1 ONT×1 OUT×1 |
| P | PAC×1 PAN×1 PON×1 POT×1 POU×1 PUN×1 PUT×2 |
| T | TAC×2 TAP×1 TAT×1 TAU×2 TOC×1 TOO×2 TOP×1 TOU×2 TUN×1 TUT×1 |
| U | UNA×1 UNC×1 UNT×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) |
|---|---|---|
| oc...... † | OC8 | A person who occupies an office or a position. |
| ac..... | AC7 | A registry of pecuniary transactions; a written or printed statement of business dealings or debts and credits, and also of other things subjected to a reckoning or review. |
| ac........ | AC10 | One who renders account; one accountable. |
| at.. | AT4 | On the top of. |
| au.. | AU4 | The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent. |
| au.. | AU4 | Clipping of automatic. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Can not (be unable to). |
| ca.. | CA4 | An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A division of a political unit. One of the states comprising the Swiss Confederation. A subdivision of an arrondissement of France. A division of Luxembourg, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc. A subdivision of a county, of Quebec, Canada; equivalent to a township. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A brief, light sleep, usually during the daytime. |
| co.. | CO4 | An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms. |
| co..... | CO7 | A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed. |
| co..... | CO7 | To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking. |
| co..... | CO7 | The act of touching physically; being in close association. |
| co... | CO5 | Alternative spelling of co-opt |
| co.. | CO4 | Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead. |
| co.... | CO6 | Alternative spelling of cop-out |
| co.... | CO6 | Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber. |
| co... | CO5 | To recite numbers in sequence. |
| cu.... | CU6 | Alternative form of cut-out |
| cu... | CU5 | Someone who cuts up; someone who acts boisterously or clownishly, for example, by playing practical jokes. |
| na.... | NA6 | floating or swimming (in water) |
| oc.... | OC6 | The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees. |
| on.. | ON4 | Upon; on top of. |
| ou.... | OU6 | Production; quantity produced, created, or completed. |
| pa.. | PA4 | An agreement; a compact; a covenant. |
| pa.. | PA4 | A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp: the panting of animals such as a dog with their tong hung out- as a form of thermoregulation. |
| po..... | PO7 | A flat-bottomed boat used as a support for a temporary bridge. |
| po.... | PO6 | The tuber of a plant, Solanum tuberosum, eaten as a starchy vegetable, particularly in the Americas and Europe; this plant. |
| po.. | PO4 | To push out one's lips. |
| pu.. | PU4 | A pontoon; a narrow shallow boat propelled by a pole. |
| pu.... | PU6 | A play in which a batter is retired |
| pu.. | PU4 | The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft or hard shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables and salsa. |
| ta.. | TA4 | The sense of touch; feeling. |
| ta.. | TA4 | A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry. |
| ta.... | TA6 | An image made in the skin with ink and a needle. |
| ta... | TA5 | to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner. |
| ta.. | TA4 | Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight. |
| to..... | TO7 | A piece of music (usually for a keyboard instrument) designed to emphasise the dexterity of the performer. |
| to.. | TO4 | A cartoon, especially an animated television show. |
| to.. | TO4 | The noise of a horn or whistle. |
| to..... | TO7 | A light overcoat. |
| to.... | TO6 | Any of various neotropical frugivorous birds from the family Ramphastidae, with a large colorful beak. |
| to.. | TO4 | Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way. |
| tu.. | TU4 | Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae. |
| tu.. | TU4 | A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting. |
| un... | UN5 | Not apt, inappropriate, unsuited. |
| un... | UN5 | Not cut. |
| un.. | UN4 | Up to the time or degree that; until. |
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.
- occupant† (OC8)
- account (AC7)
- accountant (AC10)
- atop (AT4)
- aunt (AU4)
- auto (AU4)
- cannot (CA6)
- cant (CA4)
- cantata (CA7)
- canton (CA6)
- catnap (CA6)
- coat (CO4)
- coconut (CO7)
- concoct (CO7)
- contact (CO7)
- coopt (CO5)
- coot (CO4)
- copout (CO6)
- cotton (CO6)
- count (CO5)
- cutout (CU6)
- cutup (CU5)
- natant (NA6)
- octant (OC6)
- onto (ON4)
- output (OU6)
- pact (PA4)
- pant (PA4)
- pontoon (PO7)
- potato (PO6)
- pout (PO4)
- punt (PU4)
- putout (PU6)
- putt (PU4)
- taco (TA4)
- tact (TA4)
- tapa (TA4)
- tattoo (TA6)
- taunt (TA5)
- taut (TA4)
- toccata (TO7)
- toon (TO4)
- toot (TO4)
- topcoat (TO7)
- toucan (TO6)
- tout (TO4)
- tuna (TU4)
- tutu (TU4)
- unapt (UN5)
- uncut (UN5)
- unto (UN4)
Answer Definitions
- occupant† (noun): A person who occupies an office or a position.
- account (noun): A registry of pecuniary transactions; a written or printed statement of business dealings or debts and credits, and also of other things subjected to a reckoning or review.
- accountant (noun): One who renders account; one accountable.
- atop (preposition): On the top of.
- aunt (noun): The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
- auto (adjective): Clipping of automatic.
- cannot (verb): Can not (be unable to).
- cant (noun): An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
- cantata (noun): A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music.
- canton (noun): A division of a political unit. One of the states comprising the Swiss Confederation. A subdivision of an arrondissement of France. A division of Luxembourg, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc. A subdivision of a county, of Quebec, Canada; equivalent to a township.
- catnap (noun): A brief, light sleep, usually during the daytime.
- coat (noun): An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
- coconut (noun): A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
- concoct (verb): To prepare something by mixing various ingredients, especially to prepare food for cooking.
- contact (noun): The act of touching physically; being in close association.
- coopt (verb): Alternative spelling of co-opt
- coot (noun): Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
- copout (noun): Alternative spelling of cop-out
- cotton (noun): Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber.
- count (verb): To recite numbers in sequence.
- cutout (noun): Alternative form of cut-out
- cutup (noun): Someone who cuts up; someone who acts boisterously or clownishly, for example, by playing practical jokes.
- natant (adjective): floating or swimming (in water)
- octant (noun): The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.
- onto (preposition): Upon; on top of.
- output (noun): Production; quantity produced, created, or completed.
- pact (noun): An agreement; a compact; a covenant.
- pant (noun): A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp: the panting of animals such as a dog with their tong hung out- as a form of thermoregulation.
- pontoon (noun): A flat-bottomed boat used as a support for a temporary bridge.
- potato (noun): The tuber of a plant, Solanum tuberosum, eaten as a starchy vegetable, particularly in the Americas and Europe; this plant.
- pout (verb): To push out one's lips.
- punt (noun): A pontoon; a narrow shallow boat propelled by a pole.
- putout (noun): A play in which a batter is retired
- putt (noun): The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
- taco (noun): A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft or hard shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables and salsa.
- tact (noun): The sense of touch; feeling.
- tapa (noun): A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry.
- tattoo (noun): An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.
- taunt (verb): to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.
- taut (adjective): Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
- toccata (noun): A piece of music (usually for a keyboard instrument) designed to emphasise the dexterity of the performer.
- toon (noun): A cartoon, especially an animated television show.
- toot (noun): The noise of a horn or whistle.
- topcoat (noun): A light overcoat.
- toucan (noun): Any of various neotropical frugivorous birds from the family Ramphastidae, with a large colorful beak.
- tout (noun): Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
- tuna (noun): Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae.
- tutu (noun): A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.
- unapt (adjective): Not apt, inappropriate, unsuited.
- uncut (adjective): Not cut.
- unto (conjunction): Up to the time or degree that; until.