The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AGILNRB

Thursday, July 31, 2025

Words
66
Points
378
Genius
264
Pangrams
2

Official answers

Show the 66 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • airbag

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • airball

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • alibi

    noun — The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed

    verb — To provide an excuse for.

    verb — To provide an alibi for.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • baaing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • baba

    noun — A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.

    noun — (esp. among people of East European ancestry) A grandmother.

    noun — An old woman, especially a traditional old woman from an eastern European culture.

    noun — (esp. among people of Indian ancestry) A father.

    noun — (Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism) A holy man, a spiritual leader.

    noun — A baby, child.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • babbling

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bagging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bail

    noun — Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.

    noun — Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.

    verb — To exit quickly.

    verb — To fail to meet a commitment.

    noun — A hoop, ring or handle (especially of a kettle or bucket).

    verb — To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • bailing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • baling

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • ball

    noun — A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.

    noun — A round or ellipsoidal object.

    verb — To play basketball.

    noun — A very enjoyable time.

    verb — To form or wind into a ball.

    noun — A formal dance.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • balling

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • banal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • banana

    noun — An elongated curved tropical fruit that grows in bunches and has a creamy flesh and a smooth skin.

    adjective — Curved like a banana, especially of a ball in flight.

    noun — The tropical tree-like plant which bears clusters of bananas. The plant, usually of the genus Musa but sometimes also including plants from Ensete, has large, elongated leaves and is related to the plantain.

    noun — A yellow colour, like that of a banana's skin.

    noun — (mildly) A person of Asian descent, especially a Chinese American, who has assimilated into Western culture or married a Caucasian (from the "yellow" outside and "white" inside). Compare coconut or Oreo.

    noun — A banana equivalent dose.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • bang

    noun — A sudden percussive noise.

    verb — To make sudden loud noises, and often repeatedly, especially by exploding or hitting something.

    adverb — Right, directly.

    interjection — A sudden percussive sound, such as made by the firing of a gun, slamming of a door, etc.

    noun — Hair hanging over the forehead.

    noun — Brucellosis, a bacterial disease.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • banging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • banning

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • barb

    noun — The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.

    verb — To furnish with barbs, or with that which will hold or hurt like barbs, as an arrow, fishhook, spear, etc.

    noun — The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduced from Barbary into Spain by the Moors.

    noun — A barbiturate.

    noun — A hurtful or disparaging remark.

    noun — A beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • barbarian

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bargain

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bargaining

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • barging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • baring

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • barn

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • barraging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • barring

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bilabial

    adjective — Articulated with both lips.

    noun — A speech sound articulated with both lips.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • bill

    noun — A piece of paper money; a banknote.

    noun — A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; an invoice.

    verb — To charge; to send a bill to.

    noun — A draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.

    noun — The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a platypus, turtle, or other animal.

    noun — Of a cap or hat: the brim or peak, serving as a shade to keep sun off the face and out of the eyes.

    Appeared in 22 recorded puzzles.

  • billing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • binging

    verb — To engage in a short period of excessive consumption, especially of excessive alcohol consumption.

    verb — To go; walk; come; run

    verb — Making the sound of a bounce

    verb — To bounce

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • binning

    verb — To dispose of (something) by putting it into a bin, or as if putting it into a bin.

    noun — A data pre-processing technique in which original data values fall into a small interval ("bin") and are replaced by a value representative of that interval, often the central value. Wp

    verb — To throw away, reject, give up.

    verb — To convert continuous data into discrete groups.

    verb — To place into a bin for storage.

    noun — The process of grouping reads or contigs and assigning them to operational taxonomic units. Wp

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • birria

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • blab

    verb — To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.

    noun — Gossip; prattle.

    noun — One who blabs; a babbler; a telltale; a gossip or gossiper.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • blabbing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • blaring

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • blin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • bling

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • blini

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • brag

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bragging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • brain

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • braining

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bran

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • briar

    noun — Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera.

    noun — The white heath, Erica arborea, a thorny Mediterranean shrub.

    noun — Anything sharp or unpleasant to the feelings.

    noun — A pipe for smoking, made from the roots of that shrub.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • bribing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • brig

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bring

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bringing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • brining

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • gabbing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • gabbling

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • garb

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • garbing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • garbling

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • gibing

    verb — Alternative spelling of gybe

    noun — A gibe.

    verb — Alternative spelling of jibe

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • glib

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • grab

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • grabbing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • labia

    noun — The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.

    noun — A liplike structure; especially one of the two pairs of folds of skin either side of the vulva.

    noun — The lip of a labiate corolla.

    noun — The lip against which pressured air is driven to produce sound in a recorder and in a pipe organ with flue pipes.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • labial

    adjective — Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.

    adjective — Articulated by the lips, as the consonants b, m and w.

    noun — A consonant articulated by the lips.

    adjective — Of an incisor or canine, on the side facing the lips. See mesial.

    noun — Any of the scales bordering the mouth opening of a reptile.

    noun — An organ pipe having a lip that influences its sound.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • librarian

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • nabbing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • nibbling

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • rabbi

    noun — A Jewish scholar or teacher of halacha (Jewish law), capable of making halachic decisions.

    noun — A Jew who is or is qualified to be the leader of a Jewish congregation.

    noun — (police) A senior officer who acts as a mentor.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • ragbag

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • ribbing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

blaring is a perfect pangram — all seven letters, each used exactly once.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ai×2
  • al×1
  • ba×23
  • bi×6
  • bl×6
  • br×11
  • ga×5
  • gi×1
  • gl×1
  • gr×2
  • la×2
  • li×1
  • na×1
  • ni×1
  • ra×2
  • ri×1

Words by first letter and length

45678910Σ
a ·111··· 3
b 126514621 46
g 3·123·· 9
l ·11··1· 3
n ···11·· 2
r ·111··· 3
Σ 1599191031 66

The numbers

Genius today takes 264 points of 378 available. The average answer runs 6.2 letters.

Total points vs. all 422 recorded puzzles
97th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
93rd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19068 recorded answers

415 today34.4% all-time59 today22.9% all-time69 today20.0% all-time719 today12.0% all-time810 today6.2% all-time93 today2.6% all-time101 today1.2% all-time110.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
a Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Saturday, July 19, 2025
b ● Thursday, July 24, 2025 Tuesday, July 1, 2025
g Wednesday, July 30, 2025 first recorded time
i Sunday, July 27, 2025 Friday, July 18, 2025
l Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Saturday, July 26, 2025
n Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Monday, July 28, 2025
r Monday, July 28, 2025 Monday, July 21, 2025

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 45
  2. naan 34
  3. nana 34
  4. onion 31
  5. toot 30
  6. loll 29
  7. mama 27
  8. mamma 27
  9. acacia 25
  10. acai 25
  11. nene 25
  12. cocoon 24
  13. mini 24
  14. minim 24
  15. loon 24
  16. olio 24
  17. aria 23
  18. imam 23
  19. maim 23
  20. mitt 23
  21. onto 23
  22. toon 23
  23. cancan 23
  24. canna 23
  25. neon 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.