The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AFORUVL

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Words
41
Points
165
Genius
115
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 41 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • afoul

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • alfalfa

    noun — A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.

    noun — A type or breed of this plant.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • aloof

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • aural

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • auroral

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • fall

    noun — The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.

    verb — (heading) To be moved downwards.

    noun — The chasing of a hunted whale.

    noun — A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.

    noun — The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.

    noun — A loss of greatness or status.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • falloff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • flavor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • flavorful

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • floor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • flora

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • floral

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • flour

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • fluff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • foal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • fool

    noun — A person with poor judgment or little intelligence.

    verb — To trick; to deceive

    verb — To act in an idiotic manner; to act foolishly

    noun — A jester; a person whose role was to entertain a sovereign and the court (or lower personages).

    noun — A type of dessert made of puréed fruit and custard or cream.

    noun — Buddy, dude, man.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • foul

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • full

    adjective — Containing the maximum possible amount that can fit in the space available.

    adverb — Fully; quite; very; thoroughly; completely; exactly; entirely.

    noun — Utmost measure or extent; highest state or degree; the state, position, or moment of fullness; fill.

    verb — (of the moon) To become full or wholly illuminated.

    verb — To baptise.

    verb — To make cloth denser and firmer by soaking, beating and pressing, to waulk, walk

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • furl

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • larva

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • larval

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • lava

    noun — The molten rock ejected by a volcano from its crater or fissured sides.

    noun — Magma.

    noun — A shade of red, named after the volcanic lava.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • loaf

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • loll

    verb — To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease.

    verb — To hang extended from the mouth, like the tongue of an animal heated from exertion.

    verb — To let (the tongue) hang from the mouth in this way.

    Appeared in 30 recorded puzzles.

  • loofa

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • luau

    noun — An elaborate Hawaiian feast featuring traditional foods and entertainment.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • luff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lull

    noun — A period of rest or soothing.

    verb — To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm

    noun — A period of reduced activity; a respite

    noun — A period without waves or wind.

    noun — An extended pause between sets of waves.

    verb — To become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate.

    Appeared in 21 recorded puzzles.

  • lulu

    noun — A remarkable person, object or idea.

    noun — A very attractive or alluring person.

    noun — A very bad mistake or error.

    noun — A fixed allowance paid to a legislator in lieu of reimbursement for actual expenses.

    Appeared in 21 recorded puzzles.

  • offal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • oral

    adjective — Spoken rather than written.

    adjective — Relating to the mouth.

    noun — Oral sex.

    noun — A spoken test or examination, particularly in a language class.

    noun — A physical examination of the mouth.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • oval

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • ovular

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • roll

    noun — The act or result of rolling, or state of being rolled.

    verb — To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on an axis; to impel forward by causing to turn over and over on a supporting surface.

    noun — That which is rolled up.

    noun — A forward or backward roll in gymnastics; going head over heels. A tumble.

    noun — Something which rolls.

    noun — A swagger or rolling gait.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • rural

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • uvula

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • uvular

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • valor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • vulva

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • vulval

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • vulvar

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • af×1
  • al×2
  • au×2
  • fa×2
  • fl×7
  • fo×3
  • fu×2
  • la×3
  • lo×3
  • lu×4
  • of×1
  • or×1
  • ov×2
  • ro×1
  • ru×1
  • uv×2
  • va×1
  • vu×3

Words by first letter and length

45679Σ
a ·3·2· 5
f 64211 14
l 721·· 10
o 211·· 4
r 11··· 2
u ·11·· 2
v ·22·· 4
Σ 1614731 41

The numbers

Genius today takes 115 points of 165 available. The average answer runs 5.0 letters.

Total points vs. all 456 recorded puzzles
32nd percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
40th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 20611 recorded answers

416 today34.4% all-time514 today22.8% all-time67 today20.2% all-time73 today12.1% all-time86.3% all-time91 today2.6% 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
a Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Tuesday, January 20, 2026
f Saturday, January 24, 2026 Sunday, January 4, 2026
l ● Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Tuesday, December 9, 2025
o Monday, January 26, 2026 Wednesday, January 21, 2026
r Sunday, January 25, 2026 Saturday, January 10, 2026
u Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Saturday, December 27, 2025
v Tuesday, January 6, 2026 Friday, December 19, 2025

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 47
  2. naan 38
  3. nana 38
  4. onion 33
  5. toot 33
  6. loll 30
  7. mama 29
  8. mamma 29
  9. acacia 28
  10. acai 28
  11. nene 28
  12. imam 26
  13. maim 26
  14. onto 26
  15. toon 26
  16. mini 26
  17. minim 26
  18. cancan 25
  19. canna 25
  20. cocoon 24
  21. lilt 24
  22. till 24
  23. tilt 24
  24. aria 24
  25. mitt 24

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.