The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ALMORUG

Monday, August 10, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
39
Points
146
Genius
102
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 39 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • agar

    noun — A gelatinous material obtained from red algae, especially Gracilaria species, used as a bacterial culture medium, in electrophoresis and as a food additive.

    noun — A culture medium based on this material.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • agog

    adjective — In eager desire, eager, astir.

    adverb — In a state of high anticipation, excitement, or interest.

    adjective — (chiefly of eyes) Wide open.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • agora

    noun — A place for gathering.

    noun — Since 1960, a monetary unit and coin of Israel, the 100th part of a shekel / sheqel.

    noun — A marketplace, especially in Classical Greece.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • alga

    noun — Any of many aquatic photosynthetic organisms, including the seaweeds, whose size ranges from a single cell to giant kelps and whose biochemistry and forms are very diverse, some being eukaryotic.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • algal

    noun — An alga.

    adjective — Pertaining to, or like, algae

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • amalgam

    noun — An alloy containing mercury.

    verb — To amalgamate.

    noun — A combination of different things.

    noun — One of the ingredients in an alloy.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • arugula

    noun — One of three yellowish-flowered Mediterranean herbs of the mustard family with flavoured leaves, often eaten in salads. Has a distinct, peppery flavor:

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • augur

    noun — A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.

    verb — To foretell events; to exhibit signs of future events.

    noun — An official who interpreted omens before the start of public events.

    verb — To anticipate, to foretell, or to indicate a favorable or an unfavorable issue.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • gaga

    adjective — Mentally senile.

    noun — A variant of dodgeball played inside a fenced area, usually a hexagon or octagon.

    adjective — Crazy.

    adjective — Infatuated.

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • gala

    noun — Pomp, show, or festivity.

    adjective — Celebratory; festive.

    noun — A member of an androgynous class of priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

    noun — A showy and festive party.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • gall

    noun — Bile, especially that of an animal; the greenish, profoundly bitter-tasting fluid found in bile ducts and gall bladders, structures associated with the liver.

    verb — To bother or trouble.

    noun — A blister or tumor-like growth found on the surface of plants, caused by burrowing of insect larvae into the living tissues, especially that of the common oak gall wasp Cynips quercusfolii.

    verb — To impregnate with a decoction of gallnuts in dyeing.

    noun — The gall bladder.

    noun — Great misery or physical suffering, likened to the bitterest-tasting of substances.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • gamma

    noun — The third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ), preceded by beta (Β, β) and followed by delta, (Δ, δ).

    noun — A nonlinear operation used to encode and decode luminance or tristimulus values in video or still image systems.

    noun — The Gamma function, symbolized by Γ.

    noun — A constant approximately equal to 0.55721566, symbolized by γ (also known as the Euler–Mascheroni constant).

    noun — A non-SI unit of measure of magnetic flux density, equal to 1 nT.

    noun — (industries) slope of log-log plot of video input and luminance output.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • glam

    noun — Glamour.

    verb — To make glamorous or more glamorous.

    adjective — Glamorous.

    noun — A style of rock music, glam rock, associated with an androgynous yet masculine look and a driving, pounding bluesy form of psychedelic rock; the fashion and culture associated with this genre.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • glamor

    noun — Originally, enchantment; magic charm; especially, the effect of a spell that causes one to see objects in a form that differs from reality, typically to make filthy, ugly, or repulsive things seems beauteous.

    verb — To enchant; to bewitch.

    noun — Alluring beauty or charm (often with sex appeal).

    noun — Any excitement, appeal, or attractiveness associated with a person, place, or thing; that which makes something appealing.

    noun — Any artificial interest in, or association with, an object, or person, through which it or they appear delusively magnified or glorified.

    noun — A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • glamour

    noun — Originally, enchantment; magic charm; especially, the effect of a spell that causes one to see objects in a form that differs from reality, typically to make filthy, ugly, or repulsive things seems beauteous.

    verb — To enchant; to bewitch.

    noun — Alluring beauty or charm (often with sex appeal).

    noun — Any excitement, appeal, or attractiveness associated with a person, place, or thing; that which makes something appealing.

    noun — Any artificial interest in, or association with, an object, or person, through which it or they appear delusively magnified or glorified.

    noun — A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are.

  • glom

    verb — To steal, to grab.

    noun — Short for glomerulus.

    verb — To stare.

    verb — To attach.

  • gloom

    noun — Darkness, dimness or obscurity.

    verb — To be dark or gloomy.

    noun — A melancholic, depressing or despondent atmosphere.

    noun — Cloudiness or heaviness of mind; melancholy; aspect of sorrow; low spirits; dullness.

    noun — A drying oven used in gunpowder manufacture.

    verb — To look or feel sad, sullen or despondent.

  • glug

    noun — The sound made when a significant amount of liquid is poured suddenly out of something, such as a jug or bottle.

    verb — To flow in noisy bursts.

    noun — The amount of liquid issued when the "glug" sound is heard.

    verb — To quickly swallow liquid.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • glum

    adjective — Despondent; moody; sullen

    noun — Sullenness

    verb — To look sullen; to be of a sour countenance; to be glum.

  • goal

    noun — A result that one is attempting to achieve.

    verb — To score a goal.

    noun — In many sports, an area into which the players attempt to put an object.

    noun — The act of placing the object into the goal.

    noun — A point scored in a game as a result of placing the object into the goal.

    noun — A noun or noun phrase that receives the action of a verb. The subject of a passive verb or the direct object of an active verb. Also called a patient, target, or undergoer.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • googol

    numeral — The number 10^{100}, or ten to the power of a hundred.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • gram

    noun — A unit of mass equal to one-thousandth of a kilogram. Symbol: g

    noun — A leguminous plant grown for its seeds, especially the chickpea.

    noun — Grandmother

    adjective — Angry

    noun — A photograph or video shared on this service.

    noun — The seeds of these plants.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • gramma

    noun — Grandmother

    noun — A variety of pumpkin, a cultivar of Cucurbita moschata.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • grammar

    noun — A system of rules and principles for speaking and writing a language.

    verb — To discourse according to the rules of grammar; to use grammar.

    noun — The study of the internal structure of words (morphology) and the use of words in the construction of phrases and sentences (syntax).

    noun — A book describing the rules of grammar of a language.

    noun — A formal system specifying the syntax of a language.

    noun — Actual or presumed prescriptive notions about the correct use of a language.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • grog

    noun — (original meaning) An alcoholic beverage made with rum and water, especially that once issued to sailors of the Royal Navy.

    noun — (by extension) Any alcoholic beverage.

    noun — A glass or serving of an alcoholic beverage.

    noun — An alcoholic beverage made with hot water or tea, sugar and rum, sometimes also with lemon or lime juice and spices, particularly cinnamon.

    noun — A type of pre-fired clay that has been ground and screened to a specific particle size.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • groom

    noun — A man who is about to marry.

    noun — A person who cares for horses.

    verb — To attend to one's appearance and clothing.

    noun — One of several officers of the English royal household, chiefly in the lord chamberlain's department.

    noun — A brushing or cleaning, as of a dog or horse.

    verb — To care for (horses or other animals) by brushing and cleaning them.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • guar

    noun — An annual legume (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), used as a food for cattle and humans.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • gulag

    noun — A prison camp.

    verb — To force into this prison or a similar system.

    noun — The system of all Soviet prison and/or labor camps in use during the Stalinist period.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • gull

    noun — A seabird of the genus Larus or of the family Laridae.

    noun — A cheating trick; a fraud.

    verb — To deceive or cheat.

    noun — Any of various pierid butterflies of the genus Cepora.

    noun — One easily cheated; a dupe.

    noun — (Oxford University slang) A swindler or trickster.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • guru

    noun — A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher.

    noun — (sometimes humorous) An influential advisor or mentor.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • largo

    noun — A very slow tempo

    adjective — Strong and stately

    noun — A musical piece or movement in such a tempo

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • logo

    noun — A visual symbol or emblem that acts as a trademark or a means of identification of a company or organization.

    noun — (by extension) An audio recording for the same purpose; a jingle.

    noun — A single graphic which contains one or more separate elements.

    noun — An ensign, a badge of office, rank, or power.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • logogram

    noun — A character or symbol that represents a word or phrase.

    noun — A kind of word puzzle: a logogriph.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • logroll

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • magma

    noun — The molten matter within the earth, the source of the material of lava flows, dikes of eruptive rocks, etc.

    noun — A basic algebraic structure consisting of a set equipped with a single binary operation.

    noun — Any soft doughy mass.

    noun — The residuum after expressing the juice from fruits.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • mammogram

    noun — An X-ray picture of the breasts (mammaries), used to screen for breast cancer.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • mogul

    noun — A rich or powerful person; a magnate.

    noun — A hump or bump on a skiing piste.

    noun — A larger-sized (39 mm diameter) screw base used for large, high-power light bulbs, known as mogul (screw) base light bulbs.

    noun — A machine that forms shaped candies from syrups or gels.

  • raga

    noun — Any of various melodic forms used in Indian classical music, or a piece of music composed in such a form.

    noun — Passion, love, lust.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • ragu

    noun — An Italian pasta sauce containing ground meat cooked with sautéed vegetables in tomato sauce or some other kind of liquid.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

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

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ag×3
  • al×2
  • am×1
  • ar×1
  • au×1
  • ga×4
  • gl×7
  • go×2
  • gr×5
  • gu×4
  • la×1
  • lo×3
  • ma×2
  • mo×1
  • ra×2

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
a 33·2·· 8
g 13432·· 22
l 11·11· 4
m ·2···1 3
r 2····· 2
Σ 19103511 39

The numbers

Genius today takes 102 points of 146 available. The average answer runs 5.0 letters.

Total points vs. all 408 recorded puzzles
22nd percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
36th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 18455 recorded answers

419 today34.5% all-time510 today22.9% all-time63 today19.9% all-time75 today12.0% all-time81 today6.3% all-time91 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 Sunday, August 9, 2026 Friday, July 3, 2026
g ● Friday, August 7, 2026 Friday, August 7, 2026
l Sunday, August 9, 2026 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
m Saturday, August 8, 2026 Saturday, August 8, 2026
o Sunday, August 9, 2026 Tuesday, August 4, 2026
r Thursday, August 6, 2026 Saturday, August 1, 2026
u Saturday, August 8, 2026 Friday, July 17, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 43
  2. naan 32
  3. nana 32
  4. onion 31
  5. toot 29
  6. loll 29
  7. mama 26
  8. mamma 26
  9. nene 25
  10. acacia 24
  11. acai 24
  12. olio 24
  13. cocoon 23
  14. loon 23
  15. neon 23
  16. none 23
  17. aria 22
  18. imam 22
  19. maim 22
  20. cancan 22
  21. canna 22
  22. bill 22
  23. mini 22
  24. minim 22
  25. lilt 21

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.