The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ABIORVT

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Words
53
Points
245
Genius
171
Pangrams
2

Official answers

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Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • abbot

    noun — The superior or head of an abbey or monastery.

    noun — The pastor and/or administrator of an order, including minor and major orders starting with the minor order of porter.

    noun — A layman who received the abbey's revenues, after the closing of the monasteries.

    noun — (British slang) A brothel-owner's husband or lover.

    noun — (British slang) A ponce; a man employed by a prostitute to find clients, and who may also act as a bodyguard or equivalent to a bouncer.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • abort

    noun — A miscarriage; an untimely birth; an abortion.

    verb — (now rare outside medicine) To miscarry; to bring forth (non-living) offspring prematurely.

    noun — The product of a miscarriage; an aborted offspring; an abortion.

    noun — An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making such a mission.

    noun — The function used to abort a process.

    noun — An event involving the abort of a process.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • airboat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • aorta

    noun — The great artery which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of the body except the lungs; the main trunk of the arterial system.

    noun — The liveliest part of something.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • arbitrator

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • atria

    noun — A central room or space in ancient Roman homes, open to the sky in the middle; a similar space in other buildings.

    noun — A square hall lit by daylight from above, into which rooms open at one or more levels.

    noun — A cavity, entrance, or passage.

    noun — Any enclosed sexine and nexine layers, widening toward the interior of the grain.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • attar

    noun — An essential oil extracted from flowers.

    noun — A perfume made from this oil.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • avatar

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • aviator

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • 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.

  • biota

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • boat

    noun — A craft used for transportation of goods, fishing, racing, recreational cruising, or military use on or in the water, propelled by oars or outboard motor or inboard motor or by wind.

    verb — To travel by boat.

    noun — A full house.

    noun — A vehicle, utensil, or dish somewhat resembling a boat in shape.

    noun — One of two possible conformations of cyclohexane rings (the other being chair), shaped roughly like a boat.

    noun — The refugee boats arriving in Australian waters, and by extension, refugees generally.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • boot

    noun — A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.

    verb — To kick.

    noun — Remedy, amends.

    verb — To avail, benefit, profit.

    noun — The act or process of bootstrapping; the starting or re-starting of a computing device.

    verb — To bootstrap; to start a system, e.g. a computer, by invoking its boot process or bootstrap.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • brat

    noun — A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish.

    noun — Bratwurst

    noun — A thin bed of coal mixed with pyrites or carbonate of lime.

    noun — Acronym of Born, Raised, And Transferred.

    noun — A son or daughter (at any age) of an active military service member.

    noun — A turbot or flatfish

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • iota

    noun — The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet.

    noun — A jot; a very small, insignificant quantity.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • obit

    noun — Death of a person.

    noun — An obituary.

    noun — A mass or other service held for the soul of a dead person.

    noun — A record of a person's death.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • orator

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • oratorio

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • orbit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • rabbit

    noun — A mammal of the family Leporidae, with long ears, long hind legs and a short, fluffy tail.

    verb — To hunt rabbits.

    verb — To talk incessantly and in a childish manner; to babble annoyingly.

    verb — Confound; damn; drat.

    noun — The meat from this animal.

    noun — The fur of a rabbit typically used to imitate another animal's fur.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • raita

    noun — A condiment used as a dip or sauce in the cuisine of southern Asia, made from seasoned yogurt.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • ratatat

    noun — A swiftly repeated knocking sound.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • ratio

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • ribbit

    noun — The vocal sound made by a frog or toad.

    verb — To make the sound of a frog or toad.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • riot

    noun — Wanton or unrestrained behavior; uproar; tumult.

    verb — To create or take part in a riot; to raise an uproar or sedition.

    noun — The tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by an unlawful assembly of three or more persons in the execution of some private object.

    noun — A wide and unconstrained variety.

    noun — Excessive and expensive feasting; wild and loose festivity; revelry.

    verb — To act in an unrestrained or wanton manner; to indulge in excess of feasting, luxury, etc.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • robot

    noun — A machine built to carry out some complex task or group of tasks by physically moving, especially one which can be programmed.

    noun — An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal.

    noun — A person who does not seem to have any emotions.

    noun — A traffic light (from earlier robot policeman).

    noun — A theodolite which follows the movements of a prism and can be used by a one-man crew.

    noun — A style of dance popular in disco in which the dancer imitates the stiff movements of a stereotypical android robot.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • root

    noun — The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction.

    verb — To grow roots; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow.

    noun — An act of sexual intercourse.

    verb — To turn up or dig with the snout.

    verb — (with "for" or "on") To cheer (on); to show support (for) and hope for the success of. (See root for.)

    noun — A root vegetable.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • rotator

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • roti

    noun — A kind of unleavened flatbread commonly consumed in South Asia and the Caribbean.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • rotor

    noun — A rotating part of a mechanical device, for example in an electric motor, generator, alternator or pump.

    noun — The wing of a helicopter or similar aircraft.

    noun — A quantity having magnitude, direction and position.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • taboo

    noun — An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.

    verb — To mark as taboo.

    adjective — Excluded or forbidden from use, approach or mention.

    noun — (in Polynesia) Something which may not be used, approached or mentioned because it is sacred.

    verb — To ban.

    verb — To avoid.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • tabor

    noun — A small drum.

    verb — To make (a sound) with a tabor.

    noun — A military train of men and wagons; an encampment of such resources.

    verb — To strike lightly and frequently.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • taro

    noun — Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.

    noun — Any of several other species with similar corms and growth habit in Colocasia, Alocasia etc.

    noun — Food from a taro plant.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • tarot

    noun — (singular or plural) A card game played in various different variations.

    noun — Any of the set of 78 playing cards (divided into five suits, including one of permanent trumps), often used for mystical divination.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • tart

    adjective — Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.

    noun — A type of small open pie, or piece of pastry, containing jelly or conserve; a sort of fruit pie.

    noun — A prostitute.

    verb — To practice prostitution

    adjective — (of wine) high or too high in acidity.

    adjective — Sharp; keen; severe.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • tartar

    noun — A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate - a source of cream of tartar.

    noun — A fearsome or angrily violent person.

    noun — A hard yellow deposit on the teeth.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • tattoo

    noun — An image made in the skin with ink and a needle.

    verb — To apply a tattoo to (someone or something).

    noun — A signal played five minutes before taps (lights out).

    verb — To tap rhythmically on, to drum.

    noun — A breed of pony from India; a pony of that breed.

    noun — A method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface with a sharp instrument (usually a solenoid-driven needle).

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • tiara

    noun — The papal crown.

    noun — An ornamental coronet.

    Appeared in 17 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.

  • toot

    noun — The noise of a horn or whistle.

    verb — To stand out, or be prominent.

    noun — A toilet.

    noun — (by extension) A fart; flatus.

    noun — Cocaine.

    noun — A portion of cocaine that a person snorts.

    Appeared in 31 recorded puzzles.

  • tori

    noun — A topological space which is a product of two circles.

    noun — One who executes a technique against the training partner, or uke.

    noun — The standard representation of such a space in 3-dimensional Euclidean space: a shape consisting of a ring with a circular cross-section: the shape of an inner tube or hollow doughnut.

    noun — (in combination, n-torus, 4-torus, etc.) The product of the specified number of circles.

    noun — A molding which projects at the base of a column and above the plinth.

    noun — The end of the peduncle or flower stalk to which the floral parts (or in the Asteraceae, the florets of a flower head) are attached; receptacle, thalamus.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • torii

    noun — A traditional Japanese gate at Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • toro

    noun — A traditional Japanese lantern.

    noun — Rapanea salicina, a species of shrub or small tree native to New Zealand.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • tort

    noun — An injury or wrong.

    adjective — Tart; sharp.

    adjective — Stretched tight; taut.

    noun — A tortoise.

    noun — A tortoiseshell (animal with coloured markings on fur).

    noun — A wrongful act, whether intentional or negligent, which causes an injury and can be remedied in civil court, usually through the awarding of damages.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • torta

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • trait

    noun — An identifying characteristic, habit or trend.

    noun — An uninstantiable collection of methods that provides functionality to a class by using the class’s own interface.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • traitor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • trattoria

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • trio

    noun — A group of three people or things.

    noun — A group of three musicians.

    noun — A piece of music written for three musicians.

    noun — A passage in the middle of a minuet, frequently in a different key.

    noun — Any cocktail made with a spirit, a liqueur, and a creamy ingredient.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • trivia

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • trot

    noun — Any of several animals related to Equus ferus caballus.

    noun — Heroin (drug).

    noun — An ugly old woman, a hag.

    verb — To move along briskly; specifically, to move at a pace between a walk and a run.

    noun — A genre of Korean pop music employing repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections.

    noun — A supporter of Trotskyism.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • vibrato

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • vibrator

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

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

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ab×2
  • ai×1
  • ao×1
  • ar×1
  • at×2
  • av×2
  • ba×1
  • bi×1
  • bo×2
  • br×1
  • io×1
  • ob×1
  • or×3
  • ra×4
  • ri×2
  • ro×5
  • ta×7
  • ti×2
  • to×6
  • tr×6
  • vi×2

Words by first letter and length

45678910Σ
a ·512··1 9
b 41····· 5
i 1······ 1
o 111·1·· 4
r 3422··· 11
t 8831·1· 21
v ···11·· 2
Σ 171976211 53

The numbers

Genius today takes 171 points of 245 available. The average answer runs 5.3 letters.

Total points vs. all 424 recorded puzzles
68th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
68th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19153 recorded answers

417 today34.4% all-time519 today22.9% all-time67 today20.0% all-time76 today12.0% all-time82 today6.2% 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 Monday, January 5, 2026 Monday, January 5, 2026
b Friday, January 2, 2026 Monday, December 29, 2025
i Monday, January 5, 2026 Tuesday, December 30, 2025
o Monday, January 5, 2026 Saturday, December 6, 2025
r Sunday, January 4, 2026 Sunday, November 16, 2025
t ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 Wednesday, December 31, 2025
v Friday, December 19, 2025 Friday, December 19, 2025

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 45
  2. naan 34
  3. nana 34
  4. onion 31
  5. toot 31
  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.