The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

BEFGINT

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Words
49
Points
278
Genius
194
Pangrams
3

Official answers

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Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • beet

    noun — A beetroot, a swollen root of such a plant.

    noun — Beta vulgaris, a plant with a swollen root which is eaten or used to make sugar.

    verb — To improve; to mend.

    verb — To kindle a fire.

    verb — To rouse.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • befit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • befitting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • beget

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • begetting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • beignet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • benefit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • benefiting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • benefitting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • betting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bite

    verb — To cut into something by clamping the teeth.

    noun — The act of biting.

    noun — The swelling of one's skin caused by an insect's mouthparts or sting.

    noun — A piece of food of a size that would be produced by biting; a mouthful.

    verb — To attack with the teeth.

    verb — (of an insect) To sting.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • biting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bitten

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • effete

    adjective — Decadent, weak through self-indulgence.

    adjective — (of a person) Affected, overrefined

    adjective — Lacking strength or vitality; feeble, powerless, impotent.

    adjective — Of substances, quantities etc: exhausted, spent, worn-out.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • entente

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • feet

    noun — Specifically, a human foot, which is found below the ankle and is used for standing and walking.

    noun — A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg.

    noun — A unit of measure equal to twelve inches or one third of a yard, equal to exactly 30.48 centimetres.

    noun — The base or bottom of anything.

    noun — A short foot-like projection on the bottom of an object to support it.

    noun — (often used attributively) Travel by walking.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • feint

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • feinting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fete

    noun — A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.

    noun — A feast, celebration or carnival.

    verb — (usually in the passive) To celebrate (a person).

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • feting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fifteen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • finite

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fitting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • gent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • getting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • gift

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • gifting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • ignite

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • igniting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • infinite

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • intent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • netting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • nineteen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • nite

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • teeing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • teen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • teff

    noun — The fine grain of this plant.

    noun — A love grass, Eragrostis tef, with small seeds, grown as a cereal and for forage in Ethiopia and parts of Arabia.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • tenet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • tent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • tenting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tiff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • tine

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • tinge

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tingeing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tinging

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tinning

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tint

    verb — To shade, to color.

    noun — A slight coloring.

    noun — A pale or faint tinge of any color; especially, a variation of a color obtained by adding white (contrast shade)

    noun — A color considered with reference to other very similar colors.

    noun — A shaded effect in engraving, produced by the juxtaposition of many fine parallel lines.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • tinting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • be×11
  • bi×3
  • ef×1
  • en×1
  • fe×5
  • fi×3
  • ge×2
  • gi×2
  • ig×2
  • in×2
  • ne×1
  • ni×2
  • te×6
  • ti×8

Words by first letter and length

4567891011Σ
b 3223·211 14
e ··11···· 2
f 21221··· 8
g 2··2···· 4
i ··2·2··· 4
n 1··11··· 3
t 62141··· 14
Σ 1458135211 49

The numbers

Genius today takes 194 points of 278 available. The average answer runs 6.1 letters.

Total points vs. all 378 recorded puzzles
79th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
55th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17142 recorded answers

414 today34.5% all-time55 today22.8% all-time68 today20.0% all-time713 today12.1% all-time85 today6.3% all-time92 today2.5% all-time101 today1.2% all-time111 today0.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
b Friday, October 17, 2025 Sunday, October 12, 2025
e Saturday, October 18, 2025 Friday, September 19, 2025
f Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Wednesday, October 1, 2025
g Tuesday, October 14, 2025 Wednesday, September 3, 2025
i Friday, October 17, 2025 Tuesday, September 30, 2025
n Saturday, October 18, 2025 Thursday, October 9, 2025
t ● Thursday, October 16, 2025 Thursday, October 16, 2025

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 41
  2. naan 30
  3. nana 30
  4. onion 28
  5. toot 27
  6. loll 27
  7. mama 24
  8. mamma 24
  9. cocoon 23
  10. nene 23
  11. acacia 22
  12. acai 22
  13. bill 22
  14. loon 22
  15. aria 21
  16. onto 21
  17. toon 21
  18. cancan 21
  19. canna 21
  20. neon 21
  21. none 21
  22. olio 21
  23. anon 20
  24. lull 19
  25. lulu 19

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.