The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ACILNOB

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Words
50
Points
221
Genius
154
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 50 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • abaci

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • aboil

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • albino

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 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.

  • anabolic

    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.

  • baboon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bacilli

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • bacon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 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.

  • 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 18 recorded puzzles.

  • balloon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • banal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • banana

    noun — An elongated curved tropical fruit that grows in bunches and has a creamy flesh and a smooth skin.

    adjective — Curved like a banana, especially of a ball in flight.

    noun — The tropical tree-like plant which bears clusters of bananas. The plant, usually of the genus Musa but sometimes also including plants from Ensete, has large, elongated leaves and is related to the plantain.

    noun — A yellow colour, like that of a banana's skin.

    noun — (mildly) A person of Asian descent, especially a Chinese American, who has assimilated into Western culture or married a Caucasian (from the "yellow" outside and "white" inside). Compare coconut or Oreo.

    noun — A banana equivalent dose.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • banc

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • baobab

    noun — A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • biblical

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • 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.

  • billion

    noun — (modern British & Australian, short scale) a thousand million (logic: 1,000 × 1,000^2): 1 followed by nine zeros, 109; a milliard

    noun — (British & Australian, long scale) A million million (logic: 1,000,000^2): a 1 followed by twelve zeros; 1012

    noun — An unspecified very large number.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bionic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 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 18 recorded puzzles.

  • blin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • blini

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • blob

    noun — A shapeless or amorphous mass; a vague shape or amount, especially of a liquid or semisolid substance; a clump, group or collection that lacks definite shape.

    verb — To drop in the form of a blob or blobs

    noun — Acronym of binary large object. (a data type that allows storage of binary data often of indeterminate length).

    noun — In astronomy, a large cloud of gas. In particular, an extended Lyman-Alpha blob is a huge body of gas that may be the precursor to a galaxy.

    noun — A bubble; a bleb.

    noun — A small freshwater fish (Cottus bairdii); the miller's thumb.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bloc

    noun — A group of voters or politicians who share common goals.

    noun — A group of countries acting together for political or economic goals, an alliance: e.g., the eastern bloc, the western bloc, a trading bloc, the Eurozone, the European Union.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • boba

    noun — Short for boba tea.

    noun — A small edible ball made primarily from tapioca starch; used in bubble tea.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • bobbin

    noun — A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.

    noun — In a sewing machine, the small spool that holds the lower thread.

    noun — The little rounded piece of wood at the end of a latch string, which is pulled to raise the latch.

    noun — (haberdashery) A fine cord or narrow braid.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • bocci

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • boil

    noun — A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection.

    noun — The point at which fluid begins to change to a vapour.

    verb — (of liquids) To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas.

    noun — A dish of boiled food, especially based on seafood.

    noun — The collective noun for a group of hawks.

    verb — To cook in boiling water.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • bola

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • boll

    noun — The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant.

    verb — To form a boll or seed vessel; to go to seed.

    noun — An old dry measure equal to six bushels.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bolo

    noun — A long, heavy, single-edged machete.

    verb — To attack or despatch with a bolo knife.

    noun — A soldier not capable of the minimum standards of marksmanship.

    verb — To fail to meet the minimum standards of marksmanship.

    noun — A string or leather necktie secured with an ornamental slide.

    verb — To dress (somebody) in a bolo.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bonbon

    noun — A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.

    noun — A small, spherical savory snack or canapé.

    noun — A Christmas cracker.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bonobo

    noun — The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • boob

    noun — Idiot, fool.

    verb — To behave stupidly; to act like a boob.

    adjective — Idiotic, foolish.

    noun — A breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent human female.

    noun — A prison; jail.

    verb — To make a mistake

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • booboo

    noun — A mistake or error.

    noun — (by or to young children) A minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.

    noun — (by or to young children) Feces.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • boon

    noun — A prayer; petition.

    adjective — Good; prosperous.

    noun — The woody portion of flax, separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.

    noun — That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift or benefaction.

    noun — A good thing; a blessing or benefit; a thing to be thankful for.

    noun — An unpaid service due by a tenant to his lord.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • cabal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • cabala

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • cabana

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cabin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cannibal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cannonball

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • collab

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 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.

  • lobo

    noun — A wolf.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • nabob

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • noob

    noun — (often pejorative) A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ab×2
  • al×2
  • an×1
  • ba×11
  • bi×5
  • bl×5
  • bo×12
  • ca×6
  • co×1
  • la×2
  • lo×1
  • na×1
  • no×1

Words by first letter and length

4567810Σ
a ·31·1· 5
b 164832· 33
c ·23·11 7
l 111··· 3
n 11···· 2
Σ 181113341 50

The numbers

Genius today takes 154 points of 221 available. The average answer runs 5.4 letters.

Total points vs. all 415 recorded puzzles
56th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
59th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 18766 recorded answers

418 today34.5% all-time511 today23.0% all-time613 today20.0% all-time73 today12.0% all-time84 today6.2% all-time92.6% all-time101 today1.3% all-time110.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
a Saturday, March 28, 2026 Friday, March 27, 2026
b ● Saturday, March 28, 2026 Monday, March 9, 2026
c Monday, March 23, 2026 Thursday, March 12, 2026
i Friday, March 27, 2026 Thursday, March 26, 2026
l Thursday, March 26, 2026 Wednesday, March 25, 2026
n Saturday, March 28, 2026 Saturday, March 28, 2026
o Thursday, March 26, 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.