NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 15, 2024

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 15, 2024

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 15, 2024
Center LetterP
Outer Lettersa, f, i, l, n, t
# of Pangrams2 (Perfect: none)
Total Words43 words
Total Points203 points
Genius Level142 points
Bingo?No

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 May 15, 2024

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-11---2
F2-1-1-4
I-1----1
L-------
N-------
P127752134
T1--1--2
Σ159963143

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A
AP×2
F
FI×1
FL×3
I
IN×1
L
N
P
PA×14
PF×1
PI×10
PL×9
T
TA×1
TI×1

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A
API×1
APP×1
F
FIL×1
FLA×1
FLI×2
I
INA×1
L
N
P
PAI×3
PAL×5
PAN×2
PAP×3
PAT×1
PFF×1
PIL×2
PIN×3
PIP×2
PIT×3
PLA×8
PLI×1
T
TAP×1
TIL×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)
fl...... FL8Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.
pl....... PL9A party bringing a suit in civil law against a defendant; accuser.
ap...AP5Relating to bees.
ap....AP6To fill with horror; to dismay.
fi....FI6The action of holding the tip of a finger against the thumb and then releasing it with a snap; a flick.
fl..FL4Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved.
fl..FL4A maneuver which rotates an object end over end.
in...IN5Unapt
pa..PA4A vessel of wood, tin, plastic, etc., usually cylindrical and having a handle -- used especially for carrying liquids, for example water or milk; a bucket (sometimes with a cover).
pa..PA4An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
pa...PA5A substance that is applied as a liquid or paste, and dries into a solid coating that protects or adds color/colour to an object or surface to which it has been applied.
pa....PA6An open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves.
pa.....PA7Pertaining to the palate.
pa......PA8Of or relating to a palace.
pa..PA4Senses relating to cloth. Fine cloth, especially purple cloth used for robes. A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse. A piece of cardboard, covered with linen and embroidered on one side, used to cover the chalice during the Eucharist. A cloth used for various purposes on the altar in a church, such as a corporal (“cloth on which elements of the Eucharist are placed”) or frontal (“drapery covering the front of an altar”).
pa..PA4Synonym of pedipalp.
pa....PA6A type of grilled sandwich made of a small loaf of bread, cut horizontally, filled with meat such as salami or ham, cheese or other food.
pa..PA4A 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.
pa..PA4Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father.
pa...PA5Having to do with the pope or the papacy.
pa.....PA7A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body. A vascular process of connective tissue extending into and nourishing the root of a hair, feather, or developing tooth. Any of the vascular protuberances of the dermal layer of the skin extending into the epidermal layer and often containing tactile corpuscles. Any of the small protuberances on the upper surface of the tongue often containing taste buds.
pa....PA6A paten, flat type of dish.
pf..PF4Used to signify a sudden ending or disappearance.
pi...PI5A dish made by browning grain, typically rice, in oil and then cooking it with a seasoned broth, to which meat and/or vegetables may be added.
pi..PI4A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
pi....PI6Alternative form of piñata
pi..PI4A unit of volume, equivalent to: one eighth of a gallon, specifically: 20 fluid ounces, approximately 568 millilitres (an imperial pint) : one half quart 16 US fluid ounces [473 millilitres] for liquids (a US liquid pint) or approximately 18.62 fluid ounces [551 millilitres] for dry goods (a US dry pint). 1.696 liters 12 fluid ounces
pi.....PI7A pintail duck, a type of dabbling duck with a characteristic pointed tail. A northern pintail, Anas acuta, a dabbling duck of the northern hemisphere that has a long pointed tail.
pi...PI5Any of various small passerine birds, mainly from the genus Anthus, that are often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
pi....PI6A seed
pi..PI4A flat bread pouch used for making sandwiches such as gyros or falafels.
pi.....PI7Alternative spelling of pit-a-pat
pi.....PI7A potential problem, hazard, or danger that is easily encountered but not immediately obvious.
pl...PL5Flat, level.
pl....PL6A lament or woeful cry.
pl...PL5A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.
pl..PL4A drawing showing technical details of a building, machine, etc., with unwanted details omitted, and often using symbols rather than detailed drawing to represent doors, valves, etc.
pl...PL5An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree.
pl......PL8A plant of the genus Plantago, with a rosette of sessile leaves about 10 cm (4") long with a narrow part instead of a petiole, and with a spike inflorescence with the flower spacing varying widely among the species. See also psyllium.
pl..PL4A plot of land; a lot.
pl....PL6Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to force or pressure without breaking
ta..TA4A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry.
ti.....TI7Any of various edible fish, formerly species of the genus Tilapia, but now placed in other cichlid genera (such as Oreochromis), native to Africa and the Middle East but cultivated worldwide.

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.

  • flippant  (FL8)
  • plaintiff  (PL9)
  • apian  (AP5)
  • appall  (AP6)
  • fillip  (FI6)
  • flap  (FL4)
  • flip  (FL4)
  • inapt  (IN5)
  • pail  (PA4)
  • pain  (PA4)
  • paint  (PA5)
  • palapa  (PA6)
  • palatal  (PA7)
  • palatial  (PA8)
  • pall  (PA4)
  • palp  (PA4)
  • panini  (PA6)
  • pant  (PA4)
  • papa  (PA4)
  • papal  (PA5)
  • papilla  (PA7)
  • patina  (PA6)
  • pfft  (PF4)
  • pilaf  (PI5)
  • pill  (PI4)
  • pinata  (PI6)
  • pint  (PI4)
  • pintail  (PI7)
  • pipit  (PI5)
  • pippin  (PI6)
  • pita  (PI4)
  • pitapat  (PI7)
  • pitfall  (PI7)
  • plain  (PL5)
  • plaint  (PL6)
  • plait  (PL5)
  • plan  (PL4)
  • plant  (PL5)
  • plantain  (PL8)
  • plat  (PL4)
  • pliant  (PL6)
  • tapa  (TA4)
  • tilapia  (TI7)

Answer Definitions

  • flippant (adjective): Showing disrespect through a casual attitude, levity, and a lack of due seriousness; pert.
  • plaintiff (noun): A party bringing a suit in civil law against a defendant; accuser.
  • apian (adjective): Relating to bees.
  • appall (verb): To fill with horror; to dismay.
  • fillip (noun): The action of holding the tip of a finger against the thumb and then releasing it with a snap; a flick.
  • flap (noun): Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved.
  • flip (noun): A maneuver which rotates an object end over end.
  • inapt (adjective): Unapt
  • pail (noun): A vessel of wood, tin, plastic, etc., usually cylindrical and having a handle -- used especially for carrying liquids, for example water or milk; a bucket (sometimes with a cover).
  • pain (noun): An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
  • paint (noun): A substance that is applied as a liquid or paste, and dries into a solid coating that protects or adds color/colour to an object or surface to which it has been applied.
  • palapa (noun): An open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves.
  • palatal (adjective): Pertaining to the palate.
  • palatial (adjective): Of or relating to a palace.
  • pall (noun): Senses relating to cloth. Fine cloth, especially purple cloth used for robes. A heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb; a shroud laid over a corpse. A piece of cardboard, covered with linen and embroidered on one side, used to cover the chalice during the Eucharist. A cloth used for various purposes on the altar in a church, such as a corporal (“cloth on which elements of the Eucharist are placed”) or frontal (“drapery covering the front of an altar”).
  • palp (noun): Synonym of pedipalp.
  • panini (noun): A type of grilled sandwich made of a small loaf of bread, cut horizontally, filled with meat such as salami or ham, cheese or other food.
  • 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.
  • papa (noun): Dad, daddy, father; a familiar or old-fashioned term of address to one’s father.
  • papal (adjective): Having to do with the pope or the papacy.
  • papilla (noun): A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body. A vascular process of connective tissue extending into and nourishing the root of a hair, feather, or developing tooth. Any of the vascular protuberances of the dermal layer of the skin extending into the epidermal layer and often containing tactile corpuscles. Any of the small protuberances on the upper surface of the tongue often containing taste buds.
  • patina (noun): A paten, flat type of dish.
  • pfft (interjection): Used to signify a sudden ending or disappearance.
  • pilaf (noun): A dish made by browning grain, typically rice, in oil and then cooking it with a seasoned broth, to which meat and/or vegetables may be added.
  • pill (noun): A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
  • pinata (noun): Alternative form of piñata
  • pint (noun): A unit of volume, equivalent to: one eighth of a gallon, specifically: 20 fluid ounces, approximately 568 millilitres (an imperial pint) : one half quart 16 US fluid ounces [473 millilitres] for liquids (a US liquid pint) or approximately 18.62 fluid ounces [551 millilitres] for dry goods (a US dry pint). 1.696 liters 12 fluid ounces
  • pintail (noun): A pintail duck, a type of dabbling duck with a characteristic pointed tail. A northern pintail, Anas acuta, a dabbling duck of the northern hemisphere that has a long pointed tail.
  • pipit (noun): Any of various small passerine birds, mainly from the genus Anthus, that are often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
  • pippin (noun): A seed
  • pita (noun): A flat bread pouch used for making sandwiches such as gyros or falafels.
  • pitapat (verb): Alternative spelling of pit-a-pat
  • pitfall (noun): A potential problem, hazard, or danger that is easily encountered but not immediately obvious.
  • plain (adjective): Flat, level.
  • plaint (noun): A lament or woeful cry.
  • plait (noun): A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.
  • plan (noun): A drawing showing technical details of a building, machine, etc., with unwanted details omitted, and often using symbols rather than detailed drawing to represent doors, valves, etc.
  • plant (noun): An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree.
  • plantain (noun): A plant of the genus Plantago, with a rosette of sessile leaves about 10 cm (4") long with a narrow part instead of a petiole, and with a spike inflorescence with the flower spacing varying widely among the species. See also psyllium.
  • plat (noun): A plot of land; a lot.
  • pliant (adjective): Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to force or pressure without breaking
  • tapa (noun): A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry.
  • tilapia (noun): Any of various edible fish, formerly species of the genus Tilapia, but now placed in other cichlid genera (such as Oreochromis), native to Africa and the Middle East but cultivated worldwide.