The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

EIMNPTL

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Words
53
Points
230
Genius
161
Pangram
1

Official answers

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Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • element

    noun — One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.

    noun — A small part of the whole.

    noun — A place or state of being that an individual or object is best suited to.

    noun — (with "the") Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.

    noun — A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.

    noun — A component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • elite

    noun — A special group or social class of people which have a superior intellectual, social or economic status as, the elite of society.

    adjective — Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.

    noun — Someone who is among the best at a certain task.

    adjective — Representing the choicest or most select of a group.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • entitle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • entitlement

    noun — The right to have something, whether actual or perceived.

    noun — Something that one is entitled to.

    noun — A legal obligation on a government to make payments to a person, business, or unit of government that meets the criteria set in law, such as social security in the US.

    noun — Power, authority to do something.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • impel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • implement

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • inlet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • intel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lenient

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lent

    noun — A period of the ecclesiastical year preceding Easter, traditionally involving temporary abstention from certain foods and pleasures.

    verb — To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.

    noun — The second term of the academic year at some British schools.

    verb — To make a loan.

    verb — To be suitable or applicable, to fit.

    verb — To afford; to grant or furnish in general.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • lentil

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lien

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • lilt

    noun — A cheerful or melodious accent when speaking.

    noun — Animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness.

    noun — A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.

    verb — To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.

    verb — To utter with spirit, animation, or gaiety; to sing with spirit and liveliness.

    verb — To sing cheerfully, especially in Gaelic.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • lime

    noun — Any of several green citrus fruit, somewhat smaller and sharper-tasting than a lemon.

    adjective — Lime-green.

    adjective — Containing lime or lime juice.

    adjective — Having the aroma or flavor of lime.

    noun — A brilliant, sometimes yellowish, green colour associated with the fruits of a lime tree.

    noun — Any of the trees that bear limes, especially Key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • limit

    noun — A restriction; a bound beyond which one may not go.

    verb — To restrict; not to allow to go beyond a certain bound, to set boundaries.

    noun — The final, utmost, or furthest point; the border or edge.

    noun — A restriction; a check or curb; a hindrance.

    noun — A value to which a sequence converges. Equivalently, the common value of the upper limit and the lower limit of a sequence: if the upper and lower limits are different, then the sequence has no limit (i.e., does not converge).

    noun — (as "the limit") A person who is exasperating, intolerable, astounding, etc.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • limn

    verb — To draw or paint; to delineate.

    verb — To illuminate, as a manuscript; to decorate with gold or some other bright colour.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • limp

    noun — An irregular, jerky or awkward gait.

    verb — To walk lamely, as if favouring one leg.

    noun — A scraper of board or sheet-iron shaped like half the head of a small cask, used for scraping the ore off the sieve in the operation of hand-jigging.

    verb — To be inadequate or unsatisfactory.

    adjective — Flaccid; flabby, like flesh.

    verb — To happen; befall; chance.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • limpet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • line

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • linemen

    noun — A player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage

    noun — A person who installs and repairs overhead cables (either power or telephone); a linesman

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • linen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • liniment

    noun — A topical medical preparation intended to be rubbed into the skin with friction, as for example to relieve symptoms of arthritis.

    verb — To apply liniment to.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • linnet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lint

    noun — Clinging fuzzy fluff that clings to fabric or accumulates in one's pockets or navel etc.

    verb — To perform a static check on (source code) to detect stylistic or programmatic errors.

    noun — A fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth; used for dressing wounds.

    noun — The fibrous coat of thick hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant.

    noun — Raw cotton ready for baling.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • lintel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lite

    noun — Visible electromagnetic radiation. The human eye can typically detect radiation (light) in the wavelength range of about 400 to 750 nanometers. Nearby shorter and longer wavelength ranges, although not visible, are commonly called ultraviolet and infrared light.

    adjective — Having light; bright; clear; not dark or obscure.

    noun — A stone that is not thrown hard enough.

    adjective — Having little or relatively little actual weight; not cumbrous or unwieldy.

    adjective — Light in composition, notably low in fat, calories etc. Most commonly used commercially.

    noun — A little, bit.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • little

    noun — A small amount.

    adjective — Small in size.

    adverb — Not much.

    pronoun — Not much; not a large amount.

    adjective — Insignificant, trivial.

    adjective — Very young.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • melee

    noun — A noisy, confused or tumultuous fight, argument or scrap.

    noun — Any any confused, disorganised, disordered or chaotic situation.

    noun — A battle fought at close range; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.

    noun — Lively contention or debate, skirmish.

    verb — To physically hit in close quarters, as opposed to shooting, blowing up, or other ranged means of damage. Often refers to the usage of a hand-to-hand weapon.

    noun — A cavalry exercise in which two groups of riders try to cut paper plumes off the helmets of their opponents, the contest continuing until no member of one group retains his plume.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • melt

    verb — To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.

    verb — To dissolve, disperse, vanish.

    verb — To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.

    verb — To be emotionally softened or touched.

    noun — The transition of matter from a solid state to a liquid state.

    noun — Molten material, the product of melting.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • mettle

    noun — A quality of endurance and courage.

    noun — Good temperament and character.

    noun — Metal; a metallic substance.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • mile

    noun — The international mile: a unit of length precisely equal to 1.609344 kilometers established by treaty among Anglophone nations in 1959, divided into 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards.

    noun — One mile per hour, as a measure of speed.

    noun — (travel) An airline mile in a frequent flier program.

    noun — Any of several customary units of length derived from the 1593 English statute mile of 8 furlongs, equivalent to 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards of various precise values.

    noun — Any similarly large distance.

    noun — A race of 1 mile's length; a race of around 1 mile's length (usually 1500 or 1600 meters)

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • mill

    noun — A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc.

    verb — (followed by around, about, etc.) To move about in an aimless fashion.

    noun — A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, etc.

    noun — An establishment that handles a certain type of situation or procedure routinely, or produces large quantities of an item without much regard to quality, such as a divorce mill, a puppy mill, etc.

    noun — An institution awarding educational certificates not officially recognised

    noun — The building housing such a grinding apparatus.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • millet

    noun — Any of a group of various types of grass or its grains used as food, widely cultivated in the developing world.

    noun — A semi-autonomous confessional community under the Ottoman Empire, especially a non-Muslim one.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • nettle

    noun — Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.

    verb — Of the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting, causing a rash in someone.

    noun — Certain plants that have spines or prickles:

    noun — Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:

    noun — Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.

    verb — To pique, irritate, vex or provoke.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • nipple

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • peel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • pellet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • pelt

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • penile

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • pile

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • pill

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • pimple

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • pipeline

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • plie

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • tell

    verb — To convey by speech; to say.

    verb — To narrate.

    verb — To instruct or inform.

    verb — To order; to direct, to say to someone.

    verb — To reveal.

    verb — To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • temple

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tile

    noun — A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile etc.

    verb — To cover with tiles.

    verb — To protect from the intrusion of the uninitiated.

    noun — A rectangular graphic.

    noun — Any of various flat cuboid playing pieces used in certain games, such as dominoes, Scrabble, or mahjong.

    noun — A stiff hat.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • till

    preposition — Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).

    conjunction — Until, until the time that.

    noun — A cash register.

    noun — A removable box within a cash register containing the money.

    noun — The contents of a cash register, for example at the beginning or end of the day or of a cashier's shift.

    verb — To work or cultivate or plough (soil); to prepare for growing vegetation and crops.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • tilt

    verb — To slope or incline (something); to slant.

    verb — To be at an angle.

    noun — A slope or inclination.

    noun — The inclination of part of the body, such as backbone, pelvis, head, etc.

    verb — To play worse than usual (often as a result of previous bad luck or losses).

    noun — The controlled vertical movement of a camera, or a device to achieve this.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • timeline

    noun — A graphical representation of a chronological sequence of events (past or future); a chronology.

    noun — A schedule of activities; a timetable.

    noun — An individual universe or reality, especially a parallel/alternate one in which events differ from actual history, or differ from the established canon of a fictional world.

    verb — To analyse a sequence of events or activities.

    verb — To display such a sequence graphically.

    noun — A metaphorical conception of time as a stream, or flowing body of water.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tipple

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • title

    noun — A prefix (honorific) or suffix (post-nominal) added to a person's name to signify either veneration, official position or a professional or academic qualification. See also

    verb — To assign a title to; to entitle.

    noun — Legal right to ownership of a property; a deed or other certificate proving this.

    noun — In canon law, that by which a beneficiary holds a benefice.

    noun — A church to which a priest was ordained, and where he was to reside.

    noun — The name of a book, film, musical piece, painting, or other work of art.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • tittle

    noun — A small, insignificant amount (of something); a modicum or speck.

    verb — To chatter.

    noun — Any small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark, especially if part of a letter, or if a letter-like abbreviation; in particular, the dots over the Latin letters i and j.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • el×2
  • en×2
  • im×2
  • in×2
  • le×3
  • li×16
  • me×3
  • mi×3
  • ne×1
  • ni×1
  • pe×4
  • pi×4
  • pl×1
  • te×2
  • ti×7

Words by first letter and length

45678911Σ
e ·1·2··1 4
i ·3···1· 4
l 92521·· 19
m 312···· 6
n ··2···· 2
p 5·3·1·· 9
t 413·1·· 9
Σ 218154311 53

The numbers

Genius today takes 161 points of 230 available. The average answer runs 5.4 letters.

Total points vs. all 436 recorded puzzles
61st percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
68th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19742 recorded answers

421 today34.4% all-time58 today22.9% all-time615 today20.1% all-time74 today12.1% all-time83 today6.2% all-time91 today2.6% all-time101.2% all-time111 today0.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
e Wednesday, July 9, 2025 first recorded time
i Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Sunday, July 6, 2025
l ● Saturday, July 5, 2025 Thursday, July 3, 2025
m Sunday, July 6, 2025 first recorded time
n Wednesday, July 9, 2025 first recorded time
p Monday, July 7, 2025 first recorded time
t Wednesday, July 9, 2025 Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 45
  2. naan 35
  3. nana 35
  4. toot 32
  5. onion 31
  6. loll 30
  7. mama 28
  8. mamma 28
  9. acacia 26
  10. acai 26
  11. nene 26
  12. mini 25
  13. minim 25
  14. cocoon 24
  15. imam 24
  16. maim 24
  17. onto 24
  18. toon 24
  19. loon 24
  20. olio 24
  21. lilt 23
  22. till 23
  23. tilt 23
  24. aria 23
  25. mitt 23

Valid words the Bee rejected

Dictionary words the Bee never takes

Legitimate words (per the ENABLE list) that fit the letters but aren't official answers — usually judged too obscure.