NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 29, 2026

calendar May 29, 2026 · 7 min read · spelling bee  ·
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Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 29, 2026
Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 29, 2026

Today's NYT Spelling Bee uses center letter A with outer letters E, K, Q, S, U, Y. The puzzle contains 41 words worth 170 points, including 1 pangram. The longest word is 9 letters. To reach Genius you need 119 points; Queen Bee requires all 170 points. Today is not a bingo — at least one letter starts no words. Compared with the eight-year average of about 184 points per puzzle, this is a smaller-than-average day.

Game Summary

Spelling Bee "Hive" Board for May 29, 2026
Center LetterA
Outer Letterse, k, q, s, u, y
# of Pangrams1 (Perfect: 1)
Total Words41 words
Total Points170 points
Genius Level119 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 29, 2026

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.

456789Σ
A532-1-11
E221---5
K111---3
Q132---6
S53221114
U-------
Y2-----2
Σ1612822141

Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints

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

A
AQ×2
AS×7
AU×1
AY×1
E
EA×3
ES×2
K
KA×3
Q
QU×6
S
SA×6
SE×3
SK×2
SQ×3
U
Y
YA×1
YE×1

Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints

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

A
AQU×2
ASE×1
ASK×1
ASS×5
AUK×1
AYE×1
E
EAS×3
ESS×2
K
KAY×3
Q
QUA×5
QUE×1
S
SAK×2
SAS×3
SAY×1
SEA×3
SKU×2
SQU×3
U
Y
YAK×1
YEA×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)
sq..... †SQ7Making a high-pitched squeaking sound.
aq..AQ4The compound water.
aq...AQ5Plural of aqua; blue-green colors.
as..AS4On or at sea.
as..AS4Puts a question or makes a request.
as...AS5An analysis to determine composition or quality.
as....AS6Tests or analyses of a substance.
as...AS5Plural of ass; donkeys.
as....AS6Evaluate or estimate.
as......AS8Evaluates or estimates.
au..AU4Plural of auk; a seabird.
ay..AY4Votes or expressions of agreement.
ea..EA4Freedom from difficulty, effort, or discomfort.
ea...EA5Makes or becomes less difficult or intense.
ea..EA4Not difficult; requiring little effort.
es...ES5A short piece of writing on a subject.
es....ES6Short pieces of writing on subjects.
ka...KA5A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck
ka....KA6Small, narrow boats propelled with double-bladed paddles.
ka..KA4Plural of kay; the letter K or a unit/name called a kay.
qu...QU5Shake or tremble.
qu....QU6Shakes or trembles.
qu...QU5Shaky or trembling.
qu..QU4A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf.
qu...QU5Platforms beside water for loading and unloading ships.
qu....QU6Nauseated or uneasy.
sa..SA4Purpose or benefit; also, Japanese rice wine.
sa...SA5Purposes or benefits.
sa..SA4Impertinent or cheeky talk.
sa....SA6Talks back impertinently.
sa...SA5Lively and boldly impudent.
sa..SA4Expresses in words.
se......SE8An earthquake beneath the sea.
se.......SE9Earthquakes beneath the sea.
se..SE4Large bodies of salt water.
sk..SK4A predatory seabird.
sk...SK5Plural of skua; predatory seabirds.
sq....SQ6Make a short, high-pitched sound.
sq.....SQ7Makes short, high-pitched sounds.
ya..YA4Large, long-haired cattle native to the Himalayas.
ye..YE4Votes or expressions of yes.

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.

  • squeaky†  (SQ7)
  • aqua  (AQ4)
  • aquas  (AQ5)
  • asea  (AS4)
  • asks  (AS4)
  • assay  (AS5)
  • assays  (AS6)
  • asses  (AS5)
  • assess  (AS6)
  • assesses  (AS8)
  • auks  (AU4)
  • ayes  (AY4)
  • ease  (EA4)
  • eases  (EA5)
  • easy  (EA4)
  • essay  (ES5)
  • essays  (ES6)
  • kayak  (KA5)
  • kayaks  (KA6)
  • kays  (KA4)
  • quake  (QU5)
  • quakes  (QU6)
  • quaky  (QU5)
  • quay  (QU4)
  • quays  (QU5)
  • queasy  (QU6)
  • sake  (SA4)
  • sakes  (SA5)
  • sass  (SA4)
  • sasses  (SA6)
  • sassy  (SA5)
  • says  (SA4)
  • seaquake  (SE8)
  • seaquakes  (SE9)
  • seas  (SE4)
  • skua  (SK4)
  • skuas  (SK5)
  • squeak  (SQ6)
  • squeaks  (SQ7)
  • yaks  (YA4)
  • yeas  (YE4)

Answer Definitions

  • squeaky† (adjective): Making a high-pitched squeaking sound.
  • aqua (noun): The compound water.
  • aquas (noun): Plural of aqua; blue-green colors.
  • asea (adverb): On or at sea.
  • asks (verb): Puts a question or makes a request.
  • assay (noun): An analysis to determine composition or quality.
  • assays (noun): Tests or analyses of a substance.
  • asses (noun): Plural of ass; donkeys.
  • assess (verb): Evaluate or estimate.
  • assesses (verb): Evaluates or estimates.
  • auks (noun): Plural of auk; a seabird.
  • ayes (noun): Votes or expressions of agreement.
  • ease (noun): Freedom from difficulty, effort, or discomfort.
  • eases (verb): Makes or becomes less difficult or intense.
  • easy (adjective): Not difficult; requiring little effort.
  • essay (noun): A short piece of writing on a subject.
  • essays (noun): Short pieces of writing on subjects.
  • kayak (noun): A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck
  • kayaks (noun): Small, narrow boats propelled with double-bladed paddles.
  • kays (noun): Plural of kay; the letter K or a unit/name called a kay.
  • quake (verb): Shake or tremble.
  • quakes (verb): Shakes or trembles.
  • quaky (adjective): Shaky or trembling.
  • quay (noun): A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf.
  • quays (noun): Platforms beside water for loading and unloading ships.
  • queasy (adjective): Nauseated or uneasy.
  • sake (noun): Purpose or benefit; also, Japanese rice wine.
  • sakes (noun): Purposes or benefits.
  • sass (noun): Impertinent or cheeky talk.
  • sasses (verb): Talks back impertinently.
  • sassy (adjective): Lively and boldly impudent.
  • says (verb): Expresses in words.
  • seaquake (noun): An earthquake beneath the sea.
  • seaquakes (noun): Earthquakes beneath the sea.
  • seas (noun): Large bodies of salt water.
  • skua (noun): A predatory seabird.
  • skuas (noun): Plural of skua; predatory seabirds.
  • squeak (verb): Make a short, high-pitched sound.
  • squeaks (verb): Makes short, high-pitched sounds.
  • yaks (noun): Large, long-haired cattle native to the Himalayas.
  • yeas (noun): Votes or expressions of yes.