The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AEINTYC

Monday, September 1, 2025

Words
46
Points
236
Genius
165
Pangram
1

Official answers

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Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • acacia

    noun — A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.

    noun — (history) A roll or bag, filled with dust, borne by Byzantine emperors, as a memento of mortality. It is represented on medals.

    noun — The thickened or dried juice of several species in Acacieae, in particular Vachellia nilotica (syn. Acacia nilotica), the Egyptian acacia.

    noun — A false acacia; robinia tree, Robinia pseudoacacia.

    noun — Gum arabic; gum acacia.

    noun — Any of several related trees, such as the locust tree.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • acai

    noun — The fruit of these trees, harvested for its juice.

    noun — Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • accent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • acetate

    noun — Any salt or ester of acetic acid.

    noun — Cellulose acetate.

    noun — A transparent sheet used for overlays.

    noun — Ellipsis of acetate disc: a disc of aluminium covered in a wax used to make demonstration copies of a phonograph record.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • acetic

    adjective — Of, pertaining to, or producing vinegar

    adjective — Of or pertaining to acetic acid or its derivatives

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • acne

    noun — A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.

    noun — A pattern of blemishes in an area of skin resulting from the skin condition.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • ancient

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • antic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • attic

    noun — The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • cacti

    noun — Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.

    noun — Any succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem bearing spines but no leaves, such as euphorbs.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • cancan

    noun — A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.

    verb — To dance the cancan.

    noun — (motocross) A trick where one leg is brought over the seat, so that both legs are on one side.

    Appeared in 21 recorded puzzles.

  • cane

    noun — A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof

    noun — The stem of such a plant adapted for use as a tool

    verb — To strike or beat with a cane or similar implement

    noun — A rod-shaped tool or device, somewhat like a cane

    noun — Split rattan, as used in wickerwork, basketry and the like

    verb — To make or furnish with cane or rattan.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • canine

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • canna

    noun — Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.

    noun — A measure of length in Italy, varying from six to seven feet.

    Appeared in 21 recorded puzzles.

  • canny

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • cant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • cantata

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • canteen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • cantina

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • catty

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • cayenne

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • cent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • cetacean

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • cite

    verb — To quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.

    noun — A citation

    verb — To list the source(s) from which one took information, words or literary or verbal context.

    verb — To summon officially or authoritatively to appear in court.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • city

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • cyan

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • cynic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • enact

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • entice

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • incant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • incite

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • intact

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • niacin

    noun — A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • nice

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • nicety

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • niece

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • tacet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tacit

    adjective — Expressed in silence; implied, but not made explicit; silent.

    adjective — Not derived from formal principles of reasoning; based on induction rather than deduction.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • tact

    noun — The sense of touch; feeling.

    verb — To use a tact (a kind of verbal operant; see noun sense).

    noun — A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.

    noun — The stroke in beating time.

    noun — Sensitive mental touch; special skill or faculty; keen perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances; the ability to say the right thing.

    noun — A verbal operant which is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus (such as an object, event, or property of an object) and is maintained by nonspecific social reinforcement (praise).

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • tactic

    noun — A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.

    adjective — Tactical; of or relating to the art of military and naval tactics.

    noun — A maneuver used against an enemy.

    noun — A sequence of moves that limits the opponent's options and results in an immediate and tangible advantage, typically in the form of material.

    adjective — Describing a polymer whose repeat units are identical.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • tactician

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • tannic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • tenacity

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tenancy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tinct

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • titanic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ac×6
  • an×2
  • at×1
  • ca×12
  • ce×2
  • ci×2
  • cy×2
  • en×2
  • in×3
  • ni×4
  • ta×6
  • te×2
  • ti×2

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
a 2232·· 9
c 65241· 18
e ·11··· 2
i ··3··· 3
n 112··· 4
t 132211 10
Σ 101213821 46

The numbers

Genius today takes 165 points of 236 available. The average answer runs 5.6 letters.

Total points vs. all 384 recorded puzzles
65th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
50th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17432 recorded answers

410 today34.6% all-time512 today22.8% all-time613 today20.0% all-time78 today12.1% all-time82 today6.3% all-time91 today2.6% all-time101.2% all-time110.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
a Saturday, August 30, 2025 Saturday, August 30, 2025
c ● Sunday, August 31, 2025 Sunday, August 31, 2025
e Saturday, August 30, 2025 Sunday, August 3, 2025
i Sunday, August 31, 2025 Monday, August 18, 2025
n Saturday, August 30, 2025 Friday, August 15, 2025
t Thursday, August 28, 2025 Monday, August 25, 2025
y Wednesday, August 27, 2025 first recorded time

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 42
  2. naan 30
  3. nana 30
  4. onion 29
  5. toot 28
  6. loll 28
  7. mama 25
  8. mamma 25
  9. cocoon 23
  10. acacia 23
  11. acai 23
  12. loon 23
  13. nene 23
  14. bill 22
  15. neon 22
  16. none 22
  17. olio 22
  18. aria 21
  19. onto 21
  20. toon 21
  21. cancan 21
  22. canna 21
  23. lull 20
  24. lulu 20
  25. lilt 20

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.