The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

BEHOUYN

Friday, January 2, 2026

Words
23
Points
79
Genius
55
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 23 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • been

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 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.

  • bone

    noun — A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.

    verb — To prepare (meat, etc) by removing the bone or bones from.

    adjective — Of an off-white colour, like the colour of bone.

    verb — To apprehend, steal.

    verb — To sight along an object or set of objects to check whether they are level or in line.

    noun — A musical instrument in the brass family, having a cylindrical bore, and usually a sliding tube (but sometimes piston valves, and rarely both). Most often refers to the tenor trombone, which is the most common type of trombone and has a fundamental tone of B♭ˌ (contra B♭).

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bonny

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bonobo

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

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bony

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 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.

  • bunny

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • ebon

    noun — (now poetic) Ebony; an ebony tree.

    adjective — Made of ebony.

    adjective — Black in colour.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • ebony

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • enby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • hobnob

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • hone

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • honey

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • honeybee

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • honeybun

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • nene

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • neon

    noun — The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10. The lightest of the noble gases, it is a colourless, odorless inert gas.

    adjective — (of a color) That resembles a neon light; extremely bright; fluorescent

    noun — A form or sample of the element.

    noun — Neon signs or lights, collectively.

    noun — A neon tetra fish.

    Appeared in 22 recorded puzzles.

  • none

    noun — A person without religious affiliation.

    adverb — To no extent, in no way.

    pronoun — Not any of a given number or group.

    noun — Those without any religious affiliation: atheists and others outside any organized religion.

    noun — A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day.

    noun — The middle of the afternoon, normally between 2 and 4 pm.

    Appeared in 22 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.

  • noon

    noun — The ninth hour of the day counted from sunrise; around three o'clock in the afternoon.

    verb — To relax or sleep around midday

    noun — The letter ن in the Arabic script.

    noun — Time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.

    noun — The corresponding time in the middle of the night; midnight.

    noun — The highest point; culmination.

    Appeared in 42 recorded puzzles.

  • noun

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • nubby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • be×1
  • bo×6
  • bu×1
  • eb×2
  • en×1
  • ho×5
  • ne×2
  • no×4
  • nu×1

Words by first letter and length

4568Σ
b 422· 8
e 21·· 3
h 1112 5
n 61·· 7
Σ 13532 23

The numbers

Genius today takes 55 points of 79 available. The average answer runs 4.8 letters.

Total points vs. all 381 recorded puzzles
1st percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
3rd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17278 recorded answers

413 today34.6% all-time55 today22.8% all-time63 today19.9% all-time712.1% all-time82 today6.3% all-time92.6% 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
b Monday, December 29, 2025 Monday, December 29, 2025
e Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Friday, December 5, 2025
h Sunday, December 28, 2025 Wednesday, December 3, 2025
n ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 Thursday, January 1, 2026
o Wednesday, December 31, 2025 Saturday, December 6, 2025
u Wednesday, December 31, 2025 Saturday, December 27, 2025
y Thursday, January 1, 2026 Thursday, December 11, 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.