The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AFILNUC

Monday, June 29, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
30
Points
152
Genius
106
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 30 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • acacia

    noun — A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.

    noun — (history) A roll or bag, filled with dust, borne by Byzantine emperors, as a memento of mortality. It is represented on medals.

    noun — The thickened or dried juice of several species in Acacieae, in particular Vachellia nilotica (syn. Acacia nilotica), the Egyptian acacia.

    noun — A false acacia; robinia tree, Robinia pseudoacacia.

    noun — Gum arabic; gum acacia.

    noun — Any of several related trees, such as the locust tree.

    Appeared in 26 recorded puzzles.

  • acai

    noun — The fruit of these trees, harvested for its juice.

    noun — Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.

    Appeared in 26 recorded puzzles.

  • calculi

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • calf

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • call

    noun — A telephone conversation.

    verb — (heading) To use one's voice.

    noun — A decision or judgement.

    noun — The characteristic cry of a bird or other animal.

    noun — A cry or shout.

    noun — A short visit, usually for social purposes.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • calla

    noun — The calla lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica.

    noun — A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • canal

    noun — An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.

    noun — A tubular channel within the body.

    verb — To dig an artificial waterway in or to (a place), especially for drainage

    verb — To travel along a canal by boat

    Appeared in 11 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.

  • cannula

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • caul

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cilia

    noun — Hairs or similar protrusions along the margin of a plant organ.

    noun — A hairlike organelle projecting from a eukaryotic cell (such as a unicellular organism or one cell of a multicelled organism). These structures serve either for locomotion by moving or as sensors.

    noun — One of the fine hairs along an insect's wing.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • clan

    noun — A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief.

    noun — Any group defined by family ties with some sort of political unity.

    noun — A group of players who habitually play on the same team in multiplayer games.

    noun — A traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain

    noun — A badger colony.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • cliff

    noun — A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.

    noun — A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff

    noun — A point where something abruptly fails or decreases in value etc.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • clinic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • clinical

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • clinician

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • cuff

    noun — Glove; mitten

    verb — To furnish with cuffs.

    noun — A blow, especially with the open hand; a box; a slap.

    verb — To hit, as a reproach, particularly with the open palm to the head; to slap.

    noun — The scruff of the neck.

    noun — The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cull

    noun — A selection.

    verb — To pick or take someone or something (from a larger group).

    noun — A fool, gullible person; a dupe.

    noun — An organised killing of selected animals.

    noun — (farming) An individual animal selected to be killed, or item of produce to be discarded.

    noun — (seafood industry) A lobster having only one claw.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • facial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • fanciful

    adjective — Imaginative or fantastic.

    adjective — Unreal or imagined.

  • fanfic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • financial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • iliac

    adjective — Of or pertaining to the ilium.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • lacuna

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • laic

    noun — A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.

    adjective — Lay, relating to laypersons, as opposed to clerical.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • laical

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • lilac

    noun — A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink or purple flowers.

    adjective — Having a pale purple colour.

    noun — A flower of the lilac shrub.

    noun — (color) A pale purple color, the color of some lilac flowers.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • niacin

    noun — A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • uncuff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ac×2
  • ca×9
  • ci×1
  • cl×5
  • cu×2
  • fa×3
  • fi×1
  • il×1
  • la×3
  • li×1
  • ni×1
  • un×1

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
a 1·1··· 2
c 652211 17
f ··2·11 4
i ·1···· 1
l 112··· 4
n ··1··· 1
u ··1··· 1
Σ 879222 30

The numbers

Genius today takes 106 points of 152 available. The average answer runs 5.6 letters.

Total points vs. all 436 recorded puzzles
24th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
15th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19742 recorded answers

48 today34.4% all-time57 today22.9% all-time69 today20.1% all-time72 today12.1% all-time82 today6.2% all-time92 today2.6% 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 Friday, June 26, 2026 Tuesday, June 23, 2026
c ● Friday, June 26, 2026 Monday, June 22, 2026
f Thursday, June 25, 2026 Friday, June 5, 2026
i Sunday, June 28, 2026 Thursday, June 25, 2026
l Sunday, June 28, 2026 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
n Sunday, June 28, 2026 Friday, June 12, 2026
u Tuesday, June 23, 2026 Tuesday, May 19, 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 28
  8. mamma 28
  9. acacia 26
  10. acai 26
  11. nene 26
  12. mini 25
  13. minim 25
  14. cocoon 24
  15. imam 24
  16. maim 24
  17. onto 24
  18. toon 24
  19. loon 24
  20. olio 24
  21. lilt 23
  22. till 23
  23. tilt 23
  24. aria 23
  25. mitt 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.