The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ADLMNOI

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Words
65
Points
286
Genius
200
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 65 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • admin

    noun — Administration, or administrative work.

    verb — To serve as an administrator for or of.

    noun — A systems administrator; one who maintains a computer system or network.

    noun — A user of a discussion forum, web site, etc. with privileges allowing them to control or restrict the activity of other uses.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • aioli

    noun — A type of sauce, similar to mayonnaise, made from garlic, egg, lemon juice and olive oil.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • amid

    preposition — In the middle of; in the center of; surrounded by.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • amino

    noun — The amine functional group.

    adjective — Relating to an amine.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • ammonia

    noun — A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste.

    noun — A solution of this compound in water used domestically as a cleaning fluid.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • amnio

    noun — Amniocentesis

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • anima

    noun — The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.

    noun — (Jungian psychology) The inner self (not the external persona) of a person that is in touch with the unconscious as opposed to the persona.

    noun — (Jungian psychology) The unconscious feminine aspect of a person.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • animal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • anion

    noun — A negatively charged ion.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • dial

    noun — A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).

    noun — A clock face.

    verb — To control or select something with a dial, or (figuratively) as if with a dial.

    verb — To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone.

    noun — A sundial.

    noun — A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • diamond

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • dildo

    noun — An artificial phallus (penis) for sexual use.

    noun — An idiot, a bore.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • dill

    noun — Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed.

    verb — To cook or flavor with dill

    verb — To still; to assuage; to calm; to soothe, as one in pain.

    noun — A cucumber pickled with dill flavoring

    noun — A fool.

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • dino

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • domain

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • dominion

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • domino

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • idiom

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • idol

    noun — A cultural icon, or especially popular person.

    noun — (originally Japan) Popular entertainer; usually young, captivating, attractive; and often female, with an image of being close to fans.

    noun — A graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power.

    noun — An eidolon or phantom; something misleading or elusive.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • imam

    noun — (usually capitalized) A Shi'ite Muslim leader.

    noun — One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • inlaid

    adjective — (of a design) Set into a surface in a decorative pattern.

    adjective — (of the surface of an item) Having an inset decorative pattern.

    verb — To place (pieces of a foreign material) within another material to form a decorative design.

    verb — To place an inlay in a tooth.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • inland

    noun — The interior part of a country.

    adverb — Into, or towards, the interior of the land, away from the coast.

    adjective — Within the land; relatively remote from the ocean or from open water; interior

    adjective — Limited to the land, or to inland routes; within the seashore boundary; not passing on, or over, the sea

    adjective — Confined to a country or state; domestic; not foreign.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • laid

    verb — To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.

    verb — To produce and deposit an egg.

    verb — To have sex with.

    verb — To install certain building materials, laying one thing on top of another.

    verb — To prepare (a plan, project etc.); to set out, establish (a law, principle).

    verb — To state; to allege.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • lain

    verb — To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.

    verb — To be placed or situated.

    verb — To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition.

    verb — Used with with: to have sexual relations with.

    verb — Used with in: to be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist.

    verb — Used with on/upon: to be incumbent (on); to be the responsibility of a person.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • lamina

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • laminal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • lanai

    noun — (Florida) A Hawaiian-style roofed patio.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • lanolin

    noun — A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • lima

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • liminal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • limn

    verb — To draw or paint; to delineate.

    verb — To illuminate, as a manuscript; to decorate with gold or some other bright colour.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • limo

    noun — An automobile body with seats and permanent top like a coupe, and with the top projecting over the driver and a projecting front.

    noun — An automobile with such a body.

    noun — A luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur.

    noun — An automobile for transportation to or from an airport, including sedans, vans, and buses.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • lion

    noun — A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe.

    adjective — Of the light brown color that resembles the fur of a lion.

    noun — (by extension) Any of various extant and extinct big cats, especially the mountain lion.

    noun — A Chinese foo dog.

    noun — An individual who shows strength and courage, attributes associated with the lion.

    noun — A famous person regarded with interest and curiosity.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • loin

    noun — The part of the body (of humans and quadrupeds) at each side of the backbone, between the ribs and hips

    noun — Any of several cuts of meat taken from this part of an animal

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • maid

    noun — A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden.

    noun — A female servant or cleaner (short for maidservant).

    noun — A virgin, now female but originally one of either gender.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • mail

    noun — A bag or wallet.

    verb — (ditransitive) To send (a letter, parcel, etc.) through the mail.

    noun — Armour consisting of metal rings or plates linked together.

    verb — To arm with mail.

    noun — An old French coin worth half a denier.

    noun — A bag containing letters to be delivered by post.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • mailman

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • maim

    noun — A serious wound

    verb — To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • main

    verb — Short for mainline.

    adjective — Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.

    adverb — Exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.

    noun — That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross.

    noun — A hand or match in a game of dice.

    noun — A basket for gathering grapes.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • mainland

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • mammalian

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mandolin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • mania

    noun — Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity.

    noun — Excessive or unreasonable desire; insane passion affecting one or many people; fanaticism.

    noun — The state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/or energy levels.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • manila

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • midi

    noun — A native or inhabitant of Berlin.

    noun — A coat or skirt having such a hemline.

    adjective — Having a hemline at mid-calf length.

    noun — A doughnut with a sweet filling.

    noun — A newspaper format with pages normally measuring about 315 by 470 millimetres (12.4 in × 18.5 inches), slightly taller and wider than a tabloid but narrower and shorter than a broadsheet.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • midland

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • mild

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • mill

    noun — A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc.

    verb — (followed by around, about, etc.) To move about in an aimless fashion.

    noun — A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, etc.

    noun — An establishment that handles a certain type of situation or procedure routinely, or produces large quantities of an item without much regard to quality, such as a divorce mill, a puppy mill, etc.

    noun — An institution awarding educational certificates not officially recognised

    noun — The building housing such a grinding apparatus.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • million

    numeral — (long and short scales) The cardinal number 1,000,000: 106; a thousand thousand.

    numeral — An unspecified very large number.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • mind

    noun — The ability for rational thought.

    verb — (originally and chiefly in negative or interrogative constructions) To dislike, to object to; to be bothered by.

    noun — The ability to be aware of things.

    noun — The ability to remember things.

    noun — The ability to focus the thoughts.

    noun — Somebody that embodies certain mental qualities.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • mini

    adjective — Miniature, tiny, small.

    noun — A miniskirt.

    noun — A minicomputer.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • minim

    noun — A half note, drawn as a semibreve with a stem.

    noun — Anything very minute; applied to animalcula and the like.

    noun — A unit of volume, in the Imperial and U.S. customary systems, 1/60 fluid drachm. Approximately equal to 1 drop, 62 μL or 0.9 grain (weight) of water.

    noun — A short vertical stroke used in handwriting.

    noun — A little man or being; a dwarf.

    noun — A small fish; a minnow.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • minima

    noun — The lowest limit.

    noun — The smallest amount.

    noun — A period of minimum brightness or energy intensity (of a star).

    noun — A lower bound of a set which is also an element of that set.

    noun — The smallest member of a batch or sample or the lower bound of a probability distribution.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • minimal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • minion

    noun — The lowest limit.

    noun — A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.

    adjective — Favoured, beloved; "pet".

    noun — The smallest amount.

    noun — A period of minimum brightness or energy intensity (of a star).

    noun — A lower bound of a set which is also an element of that set.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • moil

    noun — Hard work.

    verb — To toil, to work hard.

    noun — The glass circling the tip of a blowpipe or punty, such as the residual glass after detaching a blown vessel, or the lower part of a gather.

    noun — Confusion, turmoil.

    noun — A spot; a defilement.

    verb — To churn continually; to swirl.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • monomania

    noun — Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject.

    noun — A pathological obsession with one person, thing or idea.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • monomial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • naiad

    noun — A female deity (nymph) associated with water, especially a spring, stream, or other fresh water.

    noun — The aquatic larva (nymph) of a dragonfly or damselfly.

    noun — Any of various aquatic plants of the genus Najas.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • nail

    noun — The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.

    noun — A spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials. The nail is generally driven through two or more layers of material by means of impacts from a hammer or other device. It is then held in place by friction.

    verb — To fix (an object) to another object using a nail.

    verb — To drive a nail.

    verb — To nail down: to make certain, or confirm.

    verb — To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • nominal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • nonillion

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • oilman

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • olio

    noun — A medley or mixture; a hotchpotch.

    noun — A collection of various musical, theatrical or other artistic works; a miscellany.

    noun — A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables.

    noun — (by extension) Vaudeville or similar miscellaneous musical or theatrical entertainment skits presented between the main acts of burlesque or minstrel shows.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • onion

    noun — A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.

    noun — The bulb of such a plant.

    noun — The genus as a whole.

    noun — A ball.

    noun — A person from Bermuda or of Bermudian descent.

    Appeared in 31 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ad×1
  • ai×1
  • am×4
  • an×3
  • di×5
  • do×3
  • id×2
  • im×1
  • in×2
  • la×6
  • li×5
  • lo×1
  • ma×10
  • mi×11
  • mo×3
  • na×2
  • no×2
  • oi×1
  • ol×1
  • on×1

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
a 1611·· 9
d 31211· 8
i 212··· 5
l 7113·· 12
m 1023432 24
n 11·1·1 4
o 111··· 3
Σ 2513101043 65

The numbers

Genius today takes 200 points of 286 available. The average answer runs 5.4 letters.

Total points vs. all 411 recorded puzzles
81st percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
91st percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 18583 recorded answers

425 today34.5% all-time513 today23.0% all-time610 today20.0% all-time710 today12.0% all-time84 today6.2% all-time93 today2.6% all-time101.3% 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, March 24, 2026 Sunday, March 22, 2026
d Monday, March 23, 2026 Monday, January 26, 2026
i ● Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Tuesday, March 24, 2026
l Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Wednesday, March 25, 2026
m Friday, March 20, 2026 Friday, March 20, 2026
n Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Thursday, March 19, 2026
o Thursday, March 19, 2026 Thursday, March 5, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 44
  2. naan 33
  3. nana 33
  4. onion 31
  5. toot 29
  6. loll 29
  7. mama 27
  8. mamma 27
  9. nene 25
  10. cocoon 24
  11. acacia 24
  12. acai 24
  13. loon 24
  14. olio 24
  15. imam 23
  16. maim 23
  17. cancan 23
  18. canna 23
  19. mini 23
  20. minim 23
  21. neon 23
  22. none 23
  23. aria 22
  24. mitt 22
  25. bill 22

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.