The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ACIKLOT

Monday, February 9, 2026

Words
58
Points
220
Genius
154
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 58 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • alit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • allot

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • alto

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • atilt

    adjective — At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.

    adverb — At an angle from the vertical or horizontal; at the point of falling over.

    preposition — Diagonally over or across.

    adverb — Tilting or as if tilting (charging with a lance, like a knight on horseback in a joust).

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • atoll

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • attack

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • attic

    noun — The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • cacti

    noun — Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.

    noun — Any succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem bearing spines but no leaves, such as euphorbs.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • catcall

    noun — A shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from a crowd or audience; a jeer, a boo.

    verb — To make such an exclamation.

    noun — In the Eiffel programming language, a run-time error caused by use of the wrong data type.

    noun — A shout, whistle, or comment of a sexual nature, usually made toward a passing woman.

    noun — A whistle blown by a theatre-goer to express disapproval.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • cattail

    noun — Any of several perennial herbs, of the genus Typha, that have long flat leaves, and grow in marshy places

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • clot

    noun — A thrombus, solidified mass of blood.

    verb — To form a clot or mass.

    noun — A solidified mass of any liquid.

    noun — A silly person.

    verb — To cause to clot or form into a mass.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • coat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • coati

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • coattail

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cockatoo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cocktail

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • coital

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • colt

    noun — A young male horse.

    verb — To horse; to get with young.

    noun — A young crane (bird).

    noun — A youthful or inexperienced person; a novice.

    noun — A short piece of rope once used by petty officers as an instrument of punishment.

    noun — A young camel or donkey.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • coot

    noun — Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.

    noun — A foolish or eccentric fellow

    noun — (with the) A success; something excellent.

    noun — Body louse (Pediculus humanus).

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • illicit

    noun — A banned or unlawful item.

    adjective — Not approved by law, but not invalid.

    adjective — Breaking social norms.

    adjective — Unlawful.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • iota

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • italic

    noun — A typeface in which the letters slant to the right.

    adjective — (of a typeface or font) Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.

    noun — An oblique handwriting style, such as used by Italian calligraphers of the Renaissance.

    adjective — (of a typeface or font) Having letters that slant or lean to the right; oblique.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • kilt

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • lactic

    adjective — Of, relating to, or derived from milk

    adjective — (of fermentation) That produces lactic acid

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • licit

    adjective — Not forbidden by formal or informal rules.

    adjective — Explicitly established or constituted by law.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • lilt

    noun — A cheerful or melodious accent when speaking.

    noun — Animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness.

    noun — A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.

    verb — To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.

    verb — To utter with spirit, animation, or gaiety; to sing with spirit and liveliness.

    verb — To sing cheerfully, especially in Gaelic.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • loot

    noun — A kind of scoop or ladle, chiefly used to remove the scum from brine-pans in saltworks.

    noun — The act of plundering.

    verb — To steal, especially as part of war, riot or other group violence.

    noun — Plunder, booty, especially from a ransacked city.

    noun — Any prize or profit received for free, especially Christmas presents

    noun — Items dropped by defeated enemies.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • lotto

    noun — A game of chance similar to bingo

    noun — A lottery

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • octal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tacit

    adjective — Expressed in silence; implied, but not made explicit; silent.

    adjective — Not derived from formal principles of reasoning; based on induction rather than deduction.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • tack

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • taco

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tact

    noun — The sense of touch; feeling.

    verb — To use a tact (a kind of verbal operant; see noun sense).

    noun — A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.

    noun — The stroke in beating time.

    noun — Sensitive mental touch; special skill or faculty; keen perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances; the ability to say the right thing.

    noun — A verbal operant which is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus (such as an object, event, or property of an object) and is maintained by nonspecific social reinforcement (praise).

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • tactic

    noun — A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.

    adjective — Tactical; of or relating to the art of military and naval tactics.

    noun — A maneuver used against an enemy.

    noun — A sequence of moves that limits the opponent's options and results in an immediate and tangible advantage, typically in the form of material.

    adjective — Describing a polymer whose repeat units are identical.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • tactical

    noun — A combinator of proof tactics.

    adjective — Of, or relating to tactics

    noun — A private war reenactment event involving mock battles or skirmishes.

    adjective — Of, or relating to military operations that are smaller or more local than strategic ones

    adjective — Adroit, skilful or ingenious

    adjective — Having a military appearance, typically with accessories such as a bipod, adjustable stock, detachable magazine or black coloration

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • tail

    noun — The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.

    noun — The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything.

    noun — (chiefly in the plural) The side of a coin not bearing the head; normally the side on which the monetary value of the coin is indicated; the reverse.

    noun — The tail-end of an object, e.g. the rear of an aircraft's fuselage, containing the tailfin.

    verb — To follow and observe surreptitiously.

    noun — The latter part of a time period or event, or (collectively) persons or objects represented in this part.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • tailcoat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • talc

    noun — Originally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern times (see below). Also an item made of such a mineral and depending for its function on the special nature of the mineral (see next). Mediaeval writers adopted the term from the Arabic.

    verb — To apply talc to.

    noun — A microscope slide made of a plate of mica, generally in use from the start of modern microscopy until the early nineteenth century, after which glass slides became the standard medium.

    noun — A soft mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, that has a soapy feel and a greenish, whitish, or grayish color, and usually occurs in foliated masses.

    noun — Talcum powder.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • tali

    noun — The bone of the ankle.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • talk

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tall

    adjective — (of a person) Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.

    adjective — (of a building, etc.) Having its top a long way up; having a great vertical (and often greater than horizontal) extent; high.

    adjective — (of a story) Hard to believe, such as a tall story or a tall tale.

    adjective — (of a cup of coffee) A cup of coffee smaller than grande, usually 8 ounces.

    noun — (possibly nonstandard) Someone or something that is tall.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • tallit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • tattoo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • tick

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • ticktock

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tiki

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tikka

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • till

    preposition — Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).

    conjunction — Until, until the time that.

    noun — A cash register.

    noun — A removable box within a cash register containing the money.

    noun — The contents of a cash register, for example at the beginning or end of the day or of a cashier's shift.

    verb — To work or cultivate or plough (soil); to prepare for growing vegetation and crops.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • tilt

    verb — To slope or incline (something); to slant.

    verb — To be at an angle.

    noun — A slope or inclination.

    noun — The inclination of part of the body, such as backbone, pelvis, head, etc.

    verb — To play worse than usual (often as a result of previous bad luck or losses).

    noun — The controlled vertical movement of a camera, or a device to achieve this.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • toccata

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tock

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • toil

    noun — Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.

    verb — To labour; work.

    noun — Trouble, strife.

    noun — (usually in plural) A net or snare; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey.

    verb — To struggle.

    verb — To work (something); often with out.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • toll

    noun — Loss or damage incurred through a disaster.

    verb — To impose a fee for the use of.

    noun — The act or sound of tolling

    verb — To ring (a bell) slowly and repeatedly.

    verb — To draw; pull; tug; drag.

    verb — To take away; to vacate; to annul.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • took

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tool

    noun — A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.

    verb — To work on or shape with tools, e.g., hand-tooled leather.

    noun — Equipment used in a profession, e.g., tools of the trade.

    noun — Something to perform an operation; an instrument; a means.

    noun — A piece of software used to develop software or hardware, or to perform low-level operations.

    noun — A person or group which is used or controlled, usually unwittingly, by another person or group.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • toolkit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • 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 28 recorded puzzles.

  • total

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • al×3
  • at×4
  • ca×3
  • cl×1
  • co×8
  • il×1
  • io×1
  • it×1
  • ki×1
  • la×1
  • li×2
  • lo×2
  • oc×1
  • ta×14
  • ti×6
  • to×9

Words by first letter and length

45678Σ
a 241·· 7
c 42123 12
i 1·11· 3
k 1···· 1
l 221·· 5
o ·1··· 1
t 183323 29
Σ 2812756 58

The numbers

Genius today takes 154 points of 220 available. The average answer runs 5.1 letters.

Total points vs. all 384 recorded puzzles
55th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
80th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17432 recorded answers

428 today34.6% all-time512 today22.8% all-time67 today20.0% all-time75 today12.1% all-time86 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
a Saturday, February 7, 2026 Tuesday, January 20, 2026
c Friday, February 6, 2026 Sunday, January 18, 2026
i Sunday, February 8, 2026 Sunday, February 8, 2026
k Friday, January 23, 2026 Friday, January 23, 2026
l Sunday, February 8, 2026 Friday, January 30, 2026
o Saturday, February 7, 2026 Thursday, February 5, 2026
t ● Sunday, February 8, 2026 Thursday, January 29, 2026

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. acacia 23
  11. acai 23
  12. loon 23
  13. nene 23
  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. lull 20
  24. lulu 20
  25. lilt 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.