The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

DENOUVL

Friday, February 13, 2026

Words
59
Points
272
Genius
190
Pangrams
2

Official answers

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Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • dell

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • delude

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • deluded

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • delve

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • delved

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • devolve

    verb — To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone.

    verb — To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone.

    verb — To degenerate; to break down.

    verb — To be inherited by someone else; to pass down upon the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder.

    verb — To roll (something) down; to unroll.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • devolved

    verb — To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone.

    verb — To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone.

    verb — To degenerate; to break down.

    verb — To be inherited by someone else; to pass down upon the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder.

    verb — To roll (something) down; to unroll.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • dole

    verb — To distribute in small amounts; to share out small portions of a meager resource.

    noun — Payment by the state to the unemployed.

    noun — Money or other goods given as charity.

    noun — Distribution; dealing; apportionment.

    noun — A boundary; a landmark.

    noun — Sorrow or grief; dolour.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • doled

    verb — To distribute in small amounts; to share out small portions of a meager resource.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • doll

    noun — A toy in the form of a human.

    noun — A term of endearment: darling, sweetheart.

    noun — (sometimes offensive) An attractive young woman

    noun — A dollar.

    noun — (now possibly offensive) A good-natured, cooperative or helpful girl.

    noun — The smallest or pet pig in a litter.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • dolled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • doodle

    verb — To draw or scribble aimlessly.

    noun — A small mindless sketch, etc.

    noun — Any crossbreed of a poodle with a different breed of dog.

    noun — A fool, a simpleton, a mindless person.

    noun — (sometimes childish) Penis.

    verb — To drone like a bagpipe.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • doodled

    verb — To draw or scribble aimlessly.

    verb — To drone like a bagpipe.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • duel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • dueled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • dull

    verb — To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp.

    adjective — Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.

    verb — To soften, moderate or blunt; to make dull, stupid, or sluggish; to stupefy.

    verb — To lose a sharp edge; to become dull.

    verb — To render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish.

    adjective — Boring; not exciting or interesting.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • dulled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • eleven

    noun — A cricket team of eleven players. Hence first eleven - the team of best cricket players (at a school), second eleven - the "B" team, etc.

    numeral — The cardinal number occurring after ten and before twelve. Represented as 11 in Arabic digits.

    noun — A football team of eleven players; the starting lineup.

    noun — Used instead of ! to amplify an exclamation, imitating someone who forgets to press the shift key while typing exclamation points.

    noun — A number off the charts of a hypothetical scale of one to ten.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • elude

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • eluded

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • evolve

    verb — To change; transform.

    verb — Of a population, to change genetic composition over successive generations through the process of evolution.

    verb — To come into being; develop.

    verb — To cause something to change or transform.

    verb — To move in regular procession through a system.

    verb — To give off (gas, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide during a reaction).

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • evolved

    verb — To change; transform.

    verb — Of a population, to change genetic composition over successive generations through the process of evolution.

    adjective — Having arisen through a process of evolution or iterative development.

    verb — To come into being; develop.

    verb — To cause something to change or transform.

    verb — To move in regular procession through a system.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • lede

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • lend

    noun — The lumbar region; loin.

    verb — To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.

    noun — (of a person or animal) The loins; flank; buttocks.

    verb — To make a loan.

    verb — To be suitable or applicable, to fit.

    verb — To afford; to grant or furnish in general.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • levee

    noun — An embankment to prevent inundation; as, the levees along the Mississippi.

    verb — To keep within a channel by means of levees.

    noun — The act of rising; getting up, especially in the morning after rest.

    verb — To attend the levee or levees of.

    noun — The steep bank of a river.

    noun — The border of an irrigated field.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • level

    noun — A tool for finding whether a surface is level, or for creating a horizontal or vertical line of reference.

    verb — To adjust so as to make as flat or perpendicular to the ground as possible.

    adjective — The same height at all places; parallel to a flat ground.

    noun — A distance relative to a given reference elevation.

    noun — Degree or amount.

    noun — Achievement or qualification.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • leveled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lode

    noun — A vein of metallic ore that lies within definite boundaries, or within a fissure.

    noun — (by extension) A rich source of supply.

    noun — A way or path; a road.

    noun — A watercourse.

    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.

  • lolled

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

    verb — To laugh out loud.

    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 3 recorded puzzles.

  • lone

    adjective — Solitary; having no companion.

    adjective — Isolated or lonely; lacking companionship.

    adjective — Sole; being the only one of a type.

    adjective — Situated by itself or by oneself, with no neighbours.

    adjective — Unfrequented by human beings; solitary.

    adjective — Single; unmarried, or in widowhood.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • loon

    noun — An idler, a lout.

    noun — Any of various birds, of the order Gaviiformes, of North America and Europe that dive for fish and have a short tail, webbed feet and a yodeling cry.

    noun — A boy, a lad.

    noun — A harlot; mistress.

    noun — A simpleton.

    noun — A crazy or deranged person.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • loud

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • louden

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • loudened

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • love

    noun — Strong affection.

    verb — (usually transitive, sometimes intransitive, stative) To have a strong affection for (someone or something).

    noun — A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.

    noun — A thing, activity etc which is the object of one's deep liking or enthusiasm.

    verb — To be strongly inclined towards something; an emphatic form of like.

    verb — (usually transitive, sometimes intransitive) To care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • loved

    verb — (usually transitive, sometimes intransitive, stative) To have a strong affection for (someone or something).

    adjective — Being the object of love.

    verb — To be strongly inclined towards something; an emphatic form of like.

    verb — (usually transitive, sometimes intransitive) To care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).

    verb — To derive delight from a fact or situation.

    verb — To need, thrive on.

    Appeared in 3 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.

  • lulled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 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.

  • lune

    noun — A fit of lunacy or madness; a period of frenzy; a crazy or unreasonable freak.

    noun — A concave figure formed by the intersection of the arcs of two circles on a plane, or on a sphere the intersection between two great semicircles.

    noun — (hawking) A leash for a hawk.

    noun — Anything crescent-shaped.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • needle

    noun — A fine, sharp implement usually for piercing such as sewing, or knitting, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, etc.

    verb — To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.

    noun — Any slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc.

    noun — A fine measurement indicator on a dial or graph, e.g. a compass needle.

    noun — A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus.

    noun — A needle-like leaf found on some conifers.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • needled

    verb — To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.

    adjective — Covered or armored with needles.

    verb — To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at.

    verb — To form, or be formed, in the shape of a needle.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • nodule

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • noel

    noun — Christmas

    noun — A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • noodle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • noodled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • nouvelle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • novel

    adjective — Newly made, formed or evolved; having no precedent; of recent origin; new.

    noun — A work of prose fiction, longer than a novella.

    noun — A novelty; something new.

    noun — A new legal constitution in ancient Rome.

    adjective — Original, especially in an interesting way; new and striking; not of the typical or ordinary type.

    noun — A fable; a short tale, especially one of many making up a larger work.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • null

    noun — A non-existent or empty value or set of values.

    verb — To nullify; to annul.

    adjective — Having no validity; "null and void"

    noun — Zero quantity of expressions; nothing.

    noun — Something that has no force or meaning.

    noun — The ASCII or Unicode character (␀), represented by a zero value, that indicates no character and is sometimes used as a string terminator.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • olden

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • oleo

    noun — Margarine

    noun — The various fats and oils that go into the making of margarine.

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • ovule

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • unevolved

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • unlevel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • unloved

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • veld

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • venule

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • vole

    noun — Any of a large number of species of small rodents of the subfamily Arvicolinae of the family Cricetidae which are not lemmings or muskrats.

    noun — A deal in a card game, écarté, that draws all the tricks.

    verb — To win all the tricks by a vole.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

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

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • de×7
  • do×6
  • du×4
  • el×3
  • ev×2
  • le×5
  • lo×10
  • lu×4
  • ne×2
  • no×6
  • nu×1
  • ol×2
  • ov×1
  • un×3
  • ve×2
  • vo×1

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
d 52631· 17
e ·131·· 5
l 113311· 19
n 21321· 9
o 12···· 3
u ···2·1 3
v 2·1··· 3
Σ 21916931 59

The numbers

Genius today takes 190 points of 272 available. The average answer runs 5.4 letters.

Total points vs. all 438 recorded puzzles
77th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
81st percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19815 recorded answers

421 today34.4% all-time59 today22.9% all-time616 today20.1% all-time79 today12.0% all-time83 today6.2% 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
d Thursday, February 5, 2026 Monday, January 26, 2026
e Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Friday, February 6, 2026
l ● Monday, February 9, 2026 Friday, January 30, 2026
n Thursday, February 12, 2026 Thursday, February 12, 2026
o Thursday, February 12, 2026 Thursday, February 5, 2026
u Sunday, February 8, 2026 Saturday, December 27, 2025
v Wednesday, February 4, 2026 Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 45
  2. naan 35
  3. nana 35
  4. toot 32
  5. onion 31
  6. loll 30
  7. mama 28
  8. mamma 28
  9. acacia 26
  10. acai 26
  11. nene 26
  12. mini 25
  13. minim 25
  14. cocoon 24
  15. imam 24
  16. maim 24
  17. onto 24
  18. toon 24
  19. loon 24
  20. olio 24
  21. lilt 23
  22. till 23
  23. tilt 23
  24. aria 23
  25. mitt 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.