The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ADILUYB

Monday, March 9, 2026

Words
31
Points
129
Genius
90
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 31 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • ably

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • alibi

    noun — The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed

    verb — To provide an excuse for.

    verb — To provide an alibi for.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • audibly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • baba

    noun — A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.

    noun — (esp. among people of East European ancestry) A grandmother.

    noun — An old woman, especially a traditional old woman from an eastern European culture.

    noun — (esp. among people of Indian ancestry) A father.

    noun — (Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism) A holy man, a spiritual leader.

    noun — A baby, child.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • baby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • badly

    adjective — Ill, unwell.

    adverb — In a bad manner.

    adverb — Very much; to a great degree.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bail

    noun — Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.

    noun — Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.

    verb — To exit quickly.

    verb — To fail to meet a commitment.

    noun — A hoop, ring or handle (especially of a kettle or bucket).

    verb — To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • bald

    noun — A mountain summit or crest that lacks forest growth despite a warm climate conducive to such, as is found in many places in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

    verb — To become bald.

    adjective — Having no hair, fur or feathers.

    adjective — (by extension) Denuded of any hair- or fur-like covering.

    adjective — Of tyres: whose surface is worn away.

    adjective — (of a statement or account) Unembellished.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • baldly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • ball

    noun — A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.

    noun — A round or ellipsoidal object.

    verb — To play basketball.

    noun — A very enjoyable time.

    verb — To form or wind into a ball.

    noun — A formal dance.

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • ballad

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • baud

    noun — A unit of data transmission symbol rate; the number of signalling events per second.

    noun — Bps (bits per second), regardless of how many bits are represented by each symbol.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bialy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • biddy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bilabial

    adjective — Articulated with both lips.

    noun — A speech sound articulated with both lips.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • bill

    noun — A piece of paper money; a banknote.

    noun — A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; an invoice.

    verb — To charge; to send a bill to.

    noun — A draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.

    noun — The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a platypus, turtle, or other animal.

    noun — Of a cap or hat: the brim or peak, serving as a shade to keep sun off the face and out of the eyes.

    Appeared in 22 recorded puzzles.

  • billy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • blab

    verb — To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.

    noun — Gossip; prattle.

    noun — One who blabs; a babbler; a telltale; a gossip or gossiper.

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • blabby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • bubba

    noun — Brother; used as term of familiar address.

    noun — A working-class white male from the southern US, stereotyped as loutish.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bubbly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • buddy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • build

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bulb

    noun — Any solid object rounded at one end and tapering on the other, possibly attached to a larger object at the tapered end.

    verb — To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.

    noun — A light bulb.

    noun — The bulb-shaped root portion of a plant such as a tulip, from which the rest of the plant may be regrown.

    noun — A bulbous protuberance at the forefoot of certain vessels to reduce turbulence.

    noun — The medulla oblongata.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bull

    noun — An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen.

    adjective — Large and strong, like a bull.

    noun — The centre of a target, inside the inner and magpie.

    noun — The faeces of a bull.

    verb — To force oneself (in a particular direction).

    noun — A papal bull, an official document or edict from the Pope.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bully

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • daub

    noun — Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction.

    verb — To apply (something) to a surface in hasty or crude strokes.

    noun — A soft coating of mud, plaster etc.

    noun — A crude or amateurish painting.

    verb — To paint (a picture, etc.) in a coarse or unskilful manner.

    verb — To cover with a specious or deceitful exterior; to disguise; to conceal.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • labia

    noun — The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.

    noun — A liplike structure; especially one of the two pairs of folds of skin either side of the vulva.

    noun — The lip of a labiate corolla.

    noun — The lip against which pressured air is driven to produce sound in a recorder and in a pipe organ with flue pipes.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • labial

    adjective — Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.

    adjective — Articulated by the lips, as the consonants b, m and w.

    noun — A consonant articulated by the lips.

    adjective — Of an incisor or canine, on the side facing the lips. See mesial.

    noun — Any of the scales bordering the mouth opening of a reptile.

    noun — An organ pipe having a lip that influences its sound.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • laudably

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • lullaby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

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

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ab×1
  • al×1
  • au×1
  • ba×9
  • bi×5
  • bl×2
  • bu×7
  • da×1
  • la×3
  • lu×1

Words by first letter and length

45678Σ
a 11·1· 3
b 1084·1 23
d 1···· 1
l ·1111 4
Σ 1210522 31

The numbers

Genius today takes 90 points of 129 available. The average answer runs 5.1 letters.

Total points vs. all 429 recorded puzzles
16th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
17th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19363 recorded answers

412 today34.5% all-time510 today23.0% all-time65 today20.0% all-time72 today12.0% 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
a Sunday, March 8, 2026 Tuesday, March 3, 2026
b ● Saturday, March 7, 2026 Sunday, February 1, 2026
d Friday, March 6, 2026 Monday, January 26, 2026
i Sunday, March 8, 2026 Sunday, March 8, 2026
l Friday, March 6, 2026 Sunday, February 22, 2026
u Friday, March 6, 2026 Friday, March 6, 2026
y Monday, March 2, 2026 Saturday, February 7, 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 27
  8. mamma 27
  9. nene 26
  10. acacia 25
  11. acai 25
  12. cocoon 24
  13. onto 24
  14. toon 24
  15. mini 24
  16. minim 24
  17. loon 24
  18. olio 24
  19. aria 23
  20. imam 23
  21. maim 23
  22. mitt 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.