The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

GINOPRD

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Words
49
Points
255
Genius
178
Pangrams
3

Official answers

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Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • digging

    verb — To move hard-packed earth out of the way, especially downward to make a hole with a shovel. Or to drill, or the like, through rocks, roads, or the like. More generally, to make any similar hole by moving material out of the way.

    verb — To understand or show interest in.

    noun — The action performed by a person or thing that digs.

    verb — To get by digging; to take from the ground; often with up.

    verb — To take ore from its bed, in distinction from making excavations in search of ore.

    verb — To work like a digger; to study ploddingly and laboriously.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • ding

    noun — Very minor damage, a small dent or chip.

    verb — To hit or strike.

    noun — The high-pitched resonant sound of a bell.

    verb — To make high-pitched sound like a bell.

    noun — An ancient Chinese vessel with legs and a lid.

    noun — A rejection.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • dinging

    verb — To hit or strike.

    verb — To make high-pitched sound like a bell.

    verb — To dash; to throw violently.

    verb — To inflict minor damage upon, especially by hitting or striking.

    verb — To fire or reject.

    verb — To deduct, as points, from another, in the manner of a penalty; to penalize.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • dingo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • dining

    verb — To eat; to eat dinner or supper.

    noun — Eating dinner as a social function.

    verb — To give a dinner to; to furnish with the chief meal; to feed.

    verb — To dine upon; to have to eat.

    noun — Entertaining someone to dinner.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • dino

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • dipping

    verb — To lower into a liquid.

    noun — An act or process of immersing.

    verb — To immerse oneself; to become plunged in a liquid; to sink.

    verb — (of a value or rate) To decrease slightly.

    verb — To lower a light's beam.

    verb — To lower (a flag), particularly a national ensign, to a partially hoisted position in order to render or to return a salute. While lowered, the flag is said to be “at the dip.” A flag being carried on a staff may be dipped by leaning it forward at an approximate angle of 45 degrees.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • dodging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • dodo

    noun — A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius.

    noun — A person or organisation which is very old or has very old-fashioned views or is not willing to change and adapt.

    noun — Fried plantain.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • dogging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • doggo

    noun — A dog.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • doing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • dong

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • donning

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • donor

    noun — One who makes a donation.

    noun — A group or molecule that donates either a radical, electrons or a moiety in a chemical reaction. Compare acceptor.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • door

    noun — A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key.

    verb — To cause a collision by opening the door of a vehicle in front of an oncoming cyclist or pedestrian.

    noun — Any flap, etc. that opens like a door.

    noun — (immigration) An entry point.

    noun — A means of approach or access.

    noun — A barrier.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • doping

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • drip

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • dripping

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • droid

    noun — A robot, especially one made with some physical resemblance to a human.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • droning

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • droop

    noun — Something which is limp or sagging

    verb — To hang downward; to sag.

    noun — A condition or posture of drooping

    verb — To slowly become limp; to bend gradually.

    verb — To lose all energy, enthusiasm or happiness; to flag.

    verb — To allow to droop or sink.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • drooping

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • drop

    noun — A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape via surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.

    verb — To fall in droplets (of a liquid).

    noun — A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.

    noun — (now especially with "the") Alcoholic spirits in general.

    noun — That which resembles or hangs like a liquid globule: a hanging diamond ornament or earring, a glass pendant on a chandelier, etc.

    noun — A thing which drops or hangs down:

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • dropping

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • gird

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • girding

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • good

    adjective — (of people)

    interjection — That is good; an elliptical exclamation of satisfaction or commendation.

    adverb — Well; satisfactorily or thoroughly.

    noun — The forces or behaviours that are the enemy of evil. Usually consists of helping others and general benevolence.

    verb — To thrive; fatten; prosper; improve.

    verb — To furnish with dung; manure; fatten with manure; fertilise.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • grid

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • gridiron

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • grind

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • grinding

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • indigo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • indoor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • nodding

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • odor

    noun — Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.

    noun — A strong, pervasive quality.

    noun — Esteem.

    noun — Something which produces a scent; incense, a perfume.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • opioid

    noun — A substance that has effects similar to opium.

    noun — Any of the natural substances, such as an endorphin, released in the body in response to pain.

    noun — Any of a group of synthetic compounds that exhibit similarities to the opium alkaloids that occur in nature.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • pidgin

    noun — An amalgamation of two disparate languages, used by two populations having no common language as a lingua franca to communicate with each other, lacking formalized grammar and having a small, utilitarian vocabulary and no native speakers.

    noun — A person's business, occupation, work, or trade.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • pond

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • priding

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • prod

    noun — A device (now often electrical) used to goad livestock into moving.

    verb — To poke, to push, to touch.

    noun — A production.

    noun — A prick or stab with such a pointed instrument.

    noun — A poke.

    noun — A light kind of crossbow; a prodd.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • prodding

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • ridding

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • ridging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • riding

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • rigid

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • rind

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • rondo

    noun — A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains.

    noun — A small, disk-shaped piece of food, especially a single-serving dessert or small piece of candy.

    noun — A dark-skinned grape, a hybrid of Vitis vinifera with Vitis amurensis and others.

    noun — A game resembling keep-away, used to train soccer players: one group is tasked with completing a number of passes while the other group tries to take possession of the ball.

    noun — A gambling game played with small balls on a table.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • rood

    noun — A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.

    noun — A measure of land area, equal to a quarter of an acre.

    noun — A measure of five and a half yards in length.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • di×7
  • do×10
  • dr×8
  • gi×2
  • go×1
  • gr×4
  • in×2
  • no×1
  • od×1
  • op×1
  • pi×1
  • po×1
  • pr×3
  • ri×5
  • ro×2

Words by first letter and length

45678Σ
d 76273 25
g 31·12 7
i ··2·· 2
n ···1· 1
o 1·1·· 2
p 2·111 5
r 2212· 7
Σ 1597126 49

The numbers

Genius today takes 178 points of 255 available. The average answer runs 5.7 letters.

Total points vs. all 421 recorded puzzles
71st percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
57th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19028 recorded answers

415 today34.4% all-time59 today23.0% all-time67 today20.0% all-time712 today12.0% all-time86 today6.2% all-time92.6% all-time101.3% all-time110.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
d ● Saturday, September 6, 2025 Monday, August 11, 2025
g Wednesday, September 3, 2025 Wednesday, September 3, 2025
i Monday, September 1, 2025 Monday, August 18, 2025
n Friday, September 5, 2025 Friday, August 15, 2025
o Saturday, September 6, 2025 Thursday, September 4, 2025
p Saturday, September 6, 2025 Saturday, August 2, 2025
r Wednesday, September 3, 2025 Saturday, August 16, 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.