The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ANORTUC

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Words
69
Points
383
Genius
268
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 69 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • account

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • accountant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • acorn

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • actor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • actuator

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • arcana

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • arco

    adverb — A note in string instrument musical notation indicating that the bow is to be used in the usual way, usually following a passage that is played pizzicato.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • attract

    verb — To pull toward without touching.

    verb — To arouse interest.

    verb — To draw by moral, emotional or sexual influence; to engage or fix, as the mind, attention, etc.; to invite or allure.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • attractant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • attractor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • autocrat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • cacao

    noun — A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.

    noun — This tree's seed, the cocoa bean.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • cancan

    noun — A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.

    verb — To dance the cancan.

    noun — (motocross) A trick where one leg is brought over the seat, so that both legs are on one side.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • canna

    noun — Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.

    noun — A measure of length in Italy, varying from six to seven feet.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • cannon

    noun — A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.

    verb — To bombard with cannons.

    noun — A generally accepted principle; a rule.

    noun — A clergy member serving a cathedral or collegiate church.

    noun — A Near Eastern and Caucasian musical instrument related to the zither, dulcimer, or harp having either 26 strings and a single bridge, or twice that number and two bridges.

    noun — Any similar device for shooting material out of a tube.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • cannot

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • canon

    noun — A generally accepted principle; a rule.

    noun — A clergy member serving a cathedral or collegiate church.

    noun — A Near Eastern and Caucasian musical instrument related to the zither, dulcimer, or harp having either 26 strings and a single bridge, or twice that number and two bridges.

    noun — A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.

    noun — The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic.

    noun — A eucharistic prayer, particularly the Roman Canon.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • cant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • cantata

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • canton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cantor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • carat

    noun — A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 200 milligrams.

    noun — Any of several units of weight, varying from 189 to 212 mg, the weight of a carob seed.

    noun — A measure of the purity of gold, pure gold being 24 carats.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • carrot

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cart

    noun — A small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, more often used for transporting goods than passengers.

    verb — To carry goods.

    noun — A tape cartridge used for pre-recorded material such as jingles and advertisements.

    noun — A small motor vehicle resembling a car; a go-cart.

    noun — A shopping cart.

    verb — To carry or convey in a cart.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • carton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cartoon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cataract

    noun — A waterspout

    noun — A large waterfall; steep rapids in a river.

    noun — A flood of water

    noun — An overwhelming downpour or rush

    noun — A clouding of the lens in the eye leading to a decrease in vision.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • coat

    noun — An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.Wp

    verb — To cover with a coating of some material.

    noun — A covering of material, such as paint.Wp

    noun — The fur or feathers covering an animal's skin.Wp

    noun — Canvas painted with thick tar and secured round a mast or bowsprit to prevent water running down the sides into the hold (now made of rubber or leather).

    noun — A petticoat.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • coca

    noun — Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.

    noun — A pastry typically made and consumed in the Spanish Mediterranean coast.

    noun — The dried leaf of one of these plants, the South American shrub (Erythroxylum coca), widely cultivated in Andean countries, which is the source of cocaine.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • cocoa

    noun — The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.

    adjective — Of a light to medium brown colour, like that of cocoa powder.

    noun — Coconut palm.

    noun — An unsweetened brown powder made from roasted, ground cocoa beans, used in making chocolate, and in cooking.

    noun — A hot drink made with milk, cocoa powder, and sugar.

    noun — A serving of this drink.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • coconut

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cocoon

    noun — The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.

    verb — To envelop in a protective case

    noun — Any similar protective case, whether real or metaphorical.

    verb — To withdraw into such a case.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • concoct

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • concur

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • contact

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • contort

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • contour

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • contract

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • contractor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • coot

    noun — Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.

    noun — A foolish or eccentric fellow

    noun — (with the) A success; something excellent.

    noun — Body louse (Pediculus humanus).

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • corn

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • corona

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cotton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • count

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • court

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • croc

    noun — A crocodile.

    noun — A plastic slip-on shoe.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • croon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • crouton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • curacao

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • curator

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • currant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • curt

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cutout

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • narc

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • narco

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • occur

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • octant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • orca

    noun — A sea mammal (Orcinus orca) related to dolphins and porpoises, commonly called the killer whale.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • raccoon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • rancor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • rococo

    noun — A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.

    adjective — Of or relating to the rococo style.

    adjective — Over-elaborate or complicated; opulent.

    adjective — Old-fashioned.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • taco

    noun — A Mexican snack food; a small tortilla (soft or hard shelled), with typically some type of meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables (usually tomatoes and lettuce, as served in the United States, and cilantro, onion, and avocado, as served in México) and salsa.

    verb — To fold or cause to buckle in half, similar to the way a taco is folded.

    noun — The vulva.

    noun — A yellow stain on a shirt armpit caused by sweat or deodorant.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • tact

    noun — The sense of touch; feeling.

    verb — To use a tact (a kind of verbal operant; see noun sense).

    noun — A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.

    noun — The stroke in beating time.

    noun — Sensitive mental touch; special skill or faculty; keen perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances; the ability to say the right thing.

    noun — A verbal operant which is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus (such as an object, event, or property of an object) and is maintained by nonspecific social reinforcement (praise).

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • toccata

    noun — A piece of music (usually for a keyboard instrument) designed to emphasise the dexterity of the performer.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • toucan

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tract

    noun — An area or expanse.

    verb — To pursue, follow; to track.

    noun — A series of connected body organs, as in the digestive tract.

    noun — A small booklet such as a pamphlet, often for promotional or informational uses.

    noun — A brief treatise or discourse on a subject.

    noun — A commentator's view or perspective on a subject.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • tractor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • turncoat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • uncut

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ac×5
  • ar×2
  • at×3
  • au×1
  • ca×16
  • co×18
  • cr×3
  • cu×5
  • na×2
  • oc×2
  • or×1
  • ra×2
  • ro×1
  • ta×2
  • to×2
  • tr×2
  • tu×1
  • un×1

Words by first letter and length

45678910Σ
a 1212212 11
c 8812112·1 42
n 11····· 2
o 111···· 3
r ··21··· 3
t 21121·· 7
u ·1····· 1
Σ 13141716513 69

The numbers

Genius today takes 268 points of 383 available. The average answer runs 6.0 letters.

Total points vs. all 412 recorded puzzles
98th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
96th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 18634 recorded answers

413 today34.5% all-time514 today23.0% all-time617 today20.0% all-time716 today12.0% all-time85 today6.2% all-time91 today2.6% all-time103 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 Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Thursday, April 23, 2026
c ● Friday, May 1, 2026 Tuesday, April 28, 2026
n Saturday, May 2, 2026 Wednesday, April 22, 2026
o Saturday, May 2, 2026 Saturday, April 25, 2026
r Sunday, April 26, 2026 Sunday, April 26, 2026
t Thursday, April 30, 2026 Wednesday, April 8, 2026
u Thursday, April 30, 2026 Thursday, April 30, 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.