The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

EHILNPO

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Words
60
Points
235
Genius
164
Pangrams
2

Official answers

Show the 60 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • elope

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • hellhole

    noun — A place of intense hatred, misery, or turmoil.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • hellion

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • hello

    noun — "Hello!" or an equivalent greeting.

    verb — To greet with "hello".

    interjection — A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence.

    interjection — A greeting used when answering the telephone.

    interjection — A call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening, or if a telephone conversation may have been disconnected.

    interjection — Used sarcastically to imply that the person addressed or referred to has done something the speaker or writer considers to be foolish.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • hippo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • hole

    noun — A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit; an opening in or through a solid body, a fabric, etc.; a perforation; a rent; a fissure.

    verb — To make holes in (an object or surface).

    adjective — Entire, undivided.

    noun — (heading) In games.

    noun — An excavation pit or trench.

    noun — A weakness; a flaw or ambiguity.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • hone

    noun — A sharpening stone composed of extra-fine grit used for removing the burr or curl from the blade of a razor or some other edge tool.

    verb — To sharpen with a hone; to whet.

    noun — A kind of swelling in the cheek.

    verb — To grumble.

    noun — A machine tool used in the manufacture of precision bores.

    verb — To use a hone to produce a precision bore.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • hoop

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • hoopoe

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • hope

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • leonine

    noun — A 13th-century coin minted in Europe and used in England as a debased form of the sterling silver penny, outlawed under Edward I.

    adjective — Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a lion.

    noun — A kind of Latin verse, generally alternate hexameter and pentameter, rhyming at the middle and end.

    Appeared in 5 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.

  • lipo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 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.

  • 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 29 recorded puzzles.

  • lollipop

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lollop

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 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.

  • loonie

    noun — The Canadian dollar (both the coin and the monetary unit).

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • loop

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • loophole

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • lope

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • neon

    noun — The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10. The lightest of the noble gases, it is a colourless, odorless inert gas.

    adjective — (of a color) That resembles a neon light; extremely bright; fluorescent

    noun — A form or sample of the element.

    noun — Neon signs or lights, collectively.

    noun — A neon tetra fish.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • 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.

  • none

    noun — A person without religious affiliation.

    adverb — To no extent, in no way.

    pronoun — Not any of a given number or group.

    noun — Those without any religious affiliation: atheists and others outside any organized religion.

    noun — A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day.

    noun — The middle of the afternoon, normally between 2 and 4 pm.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • nonillion

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • noon

    noun — The ninth hour of the day counted from sunrise; around three o'clock in the afternoon.

    verb — To relax or sleep around midday

    noun — The letter ن in the Arabic script.

    noun — Time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.

    noun — The corresponding time in the middle of the night; midnight.

    noun — The highest point; culmination.

    Appeared in 44 recorded puzzles.

  • nope

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • oenophile

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • oleo

    noun — Margarine

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

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • 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.

  • ollie

    noun — An aerial maneuver in which one catches air by leaping off the ground with the skateboard and into the air.

    verb — To perform an ollie.

    Appeared in 12 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.

  • online

    verb — To bring (a system, etc.) online; to promote to an active or running state.

    adjective — Of a system: connected (generally electrically) to a larger network.

    adverb — While online; while in a running or active state, or connected to the Internet.

    adjective — Available over, or delivered from, the Internet.

    adjective — Connected to the Internet.

    adjective — Available on a computer system, even if not networked.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • open

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • opine

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • opinion

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • peephole

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • peon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • people

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • phenol

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • phone

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • phono

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • piehole

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • pillion

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • pinhole

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • pinion

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • plop

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • pole

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • polio

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • poll

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • pollen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • polo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • pone

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • pooh

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • pool

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • poop

    noun — Fecal matter, feces.

    verb — To make a short blast on a horn

    noun — A set of data or general information, written or spoken, usually concerning machinery or a process.

    verb — To tire, exhaust. Often used with out.

    noun — The stern of a ship.

    verb — To break seawater with the poop of a vessel, especially the poop deck.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • pope

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • poplin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

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

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • el×1
  • he×3
  • hi×1
  • ho×5
  • le×1
  • li×2
  • lo×10
  • ne×1
  • no×5
  • oe×1
  • ol×3
  • on×2
  • op×3
  • pe×3
  • ph×3
  • pi×4
  • pl×1
  • po×11

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
e ·1···· 1
h 42111· 9
l 8·212· 13
n 5····1 6
o 3311·1 9
p 103531· 22
Σ 3099642 60

The numbers

Genius today takes 164 points of 235 available. The average answer runs 5.2 letters.

Total points vs. all 414 recorded puzzles
64th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
83rd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 18724 recorded answers

430 today34.5% all-time59 today23.0% all-time69 today20.0% all-time76 today12.0% all-time84 today6.2% all-time92 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
e Thursday, April 23, 2026 Saturday, March 21, 2026
h Monday, April 13, 2026 Monday, April 6, 2026
i Friday, April 24, 2026 Thursday, March 26, 2026
l Thursday, April 23, 2026 Monday, April 20, 2026
n Friday, April 24, 2026 Wednesday, April 22, 2026
o ● Friday, April 24, 2026 Thursday, April 2, 2026
p Wednesday, April 15, 2026 Friday, February 27, 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.