The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ACINOTB

Saturday, September 13, 2025

Words
41
Points
220
Genius
154
Pangrams
3

Official answers

Show the 41 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • abaci

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • abbot

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • abiotic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • anabiotic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • antibiotic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • 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 18 recorded puzzles.

  • baboon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bacon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bait

    noun — Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net.

    noun — Anything which allures; something used to lure or entice someone or something into doing something

    verb — To attract with bait; to entice.

    verb — To intentionally annoy, torment, or threaten by constant rebukes or threats; to harass.

    noun — Food containing poison or a harmful additive to kill animals that are pests.

    verb — To affix bait to a trap or a fishing hook or fishing line.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • banana

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • banc

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • baobab

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • baton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bionic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • biota

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • biotic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • biotin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • boat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • boba

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • bobbin

    noun — A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.

    noun — In a sewing machine, the small spool that holds the lower thread.

    noun — The little rounded piece of wood at the end of a latch string, which is pulled to raise the latch.

    noun — (haberdashery) A fine cord or narrow braid.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • bobcat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bocci

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bonbon

    noun — A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.

    noun — A small, spherical savory snack or canapé.

    noun — A Christmas cracker.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bonito

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bonobo

    noun — The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • boob

    noun — Idiot, fool.

    verb — To behave stupidly; to act like a boob.

    adjective — Idiotic, foolish.

    noun — A breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent human female.

    noun — A prison; jail.

    verb — To make a mistake

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • booboo

    noun — A mistake or error.

    noun — (by or to young children) A minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.

    noun — (by or to young children) Feces.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • boon

    noun — A prayer; petition.

    adjective — Good; prosperous.

    noun — The woody portion of flax, separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.

    noun — That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift or benefaction.

    noun — A good thing; a blessing or benefit; a thing to be thankful for.

    noun — An unpaid service due by a tenant to his lord.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • boot

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • botanic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cabana

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cabin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • ciabatta

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • nabob

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • nanobot

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • noob

    noun — (often pejorative) A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • obit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • obtain

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • taboo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tibia

    noun — The inner and usually the larger of the two bones of the leg or hind limb below the knee, the shinbone

    noun — The second segment from the end of an insect's leg, between the femur and tarsus.

    noun — The third segment from the end of an arachnid's leg, between the patella and metatarsus.

    noun — A musical instrument of the flute kind, originally made of the leg bone of an animal.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • tobacco

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

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

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ab×3
  • an×2
  • ba×8
  • bi×4
  • bo×13
  • ca×2
  • ci×1
  • na×2
  • no×1
  • ob×2
  • ta×1
  • ti×1
  • to×1

Words by first letter and length

45678910Σ
a ·2·1·11 5
b 84121··· 25
c ·11·1·· 3
n 11·1··· 3
o 1·1···· 2
t ·2·1··· 3
Σ 1010144111 41

The numbers

Genius today takes 154 points of 220 available. The average answer runs 5.6 letters.

Total points vs. all 381 recorded puzzles
55th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
39th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17278 recorded answers

410 today34.6% all-time510 today22.8% all-time614 today19.9% all-time74 today12.1% all-time81 today6.3% all-time91 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 Thursday, September 11, 2025 Monday, September 8, 2025
b ● Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Tuesday, September 2, 2025
c Friday, September 12, 2025 Thursday, September 11, 2025
i Friday, September 12, 2025 Friday, September 12, 2025
n Friday, September 12, 2025 Tuesday, September 9, 2025
o Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Thursday, September 4, 2025
t Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Monday, August 25, 2025

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. loon 23
  11. nene 23
  12. acacia 22
  13. acai 22
  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. lilt 20
  24. till 20
  25. tilt 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.