The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AELMTYN

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
70
Points
350
Genius
244
Pangrams
2

Official answers

Show the 70 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • amen

    noun — An instance of saying ‘amen’.

    verb — To say amen.

    adverb — At the end of religious prayers: so be it.

    interjection — An expression of strong agreement. Often, though dated, in the phrase "Amen to that".

    noun — A title of Christ; the Faithful One (especially with reference to Revelation 3:14)

    verb — To say amen to; to ratify solemnly.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • anal

    adjective — Of a person, compulsive and stubborn, obsessed with neatness and accuracy, supposedly from not having progressed beyond the anal stage.

    adjective — Of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.

    adjective — Of the stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is alleged to be concentrated on the anal region.

    noun — Anal sex.

    noun — Any of the anal scales of a reptile.

    adjective — (of a vein) Proximate to the thorax.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • anally

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • annal

    noun — The record of a single event or item.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • anneal

    noun — An act of annealing.

    verb — To subject to great heat and then (often slow) cooling, and sometimes reheating and further cooling, for the purpose of rendering less brittle; to temper; to toughen.

    verb — To cool glass slowly, to minimize internal stress.

    verb — To burn colors onto a glass or other surface.

    verb — To make a double-stranded nucleic acid by pairing a single strand with a complementary strand.

    verb — To strengthen or harden.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • ante

    noun — A price or cost, as in up the ante.

    verb — To pay the ante in poker. Often used as ante up.

    noun — In poker and other games, the contribution made by all players to the pot before dealing the cards.

    verb — To make an investment in money, effort, or time before knowing one's chances.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • antenatal

    adjective — Occurring or existing before birth

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • antenna

    noun — A feeler organ on the head of an insect, crab, or other animal.

    noun — An apparatus to receive or transmit electromagnetic waves and convert respectively to or from an electrical signal.

    noun — The faculty of intuitive astuteness.

    noun — A fragment of an oligosaccharide

    noun — The spar to which a lateen sail is attached, which is then hoisted up the mast.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • antennae

    noun — A feeler organ on the head of an insect, crab, or other animal.

    noun — An apparatus to receive or transmit electromagnetic waves and convert respectively to or from an electrical signal.

    noun — The faculty of intuitive astuteness.

    noun — A fragment of an oligosaccharide

    noun — The spar to which a lateen sail is attached, which is then hoisted up the mast.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • eaten

    verb — To ingest; to be ingested.

    adjective — (especially in combination) That has been consumed by eating

    verb — To use up.

    verb — To cause (someone) to worry.

    verb — To take the loss in a transaction.

    verb — To be injured or killed by (something such as a firearm or its projectile), especially in the mouth.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • elan

    noun — Ardor or zeal inspired by passion or enthusiasm.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • element

    noun — One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.

    noun — A small part of the whole.

    noun — A place or state of being that an individual or object is best suited to.

    noun — (with "the") Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.

    noun — A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.

    noun — A component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • elemental

    noun — (theosophy) A creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water or variations of them like ice, lightning, etc. They sometimes have unique proper names and sometimes are referred to as Air, Earth, Fire, or Water.

    adjective — Of, relating to, or being an element (as opposed to a compound).

    adjective — Basic, fundamental or elementary.

    adjective — Of the ancient supposed elements of earth, air, fire and water.

    adjective — (by extension) Of, or relating to a force or nature, especially to severe atmospheric conditions.

  • elementally

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • emanate

    verb — To come from a source; issue from.

    verb — To send or give out; manifest.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • enamel

    noun — An opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects.

    verb — To coat or decorate with enamel.

    noun — A coating that dries to a hard, glossy finish.

    noun — The hard covering on the exposed part of a tooth.

    noun — A cosmetic intended to give the appearance of a smooth and beautiful complexion.

    verb — To variegate with colours, as if with enamel.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • enema

    noun — An injection of fluid into the large intestine by way of the rectum, usually for medical purposes.

    noun — The fluid so injected.

    noun — A device for administering such an injection.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • enemy

    noun — Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards, opposes the interests of, or intends injury to someone else.

    verb — To make an enemy of.

    adjective — Of, relating to, or belonging to an enemy

    noun — A hostile force or nation; a fighting member of such a force or nation.

    noun — Something harmful or threatening to another

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • entente

    noun — An informal alliance or friendly understanding between two states.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • lament

    noun — An expression of grief, suffering, sadness or regret.

    verb — To express grief; to weep or wail; to mourn.

    noun — A song expressing grief.

    verb — To feel great sorrow or regret; to bewail.

  • lane

    noun — (used in street names) A road, street, or similar thoroughfare.

    noun — A narrow passageway between fences, walls, hedges or trees.

    noun — A narrow road, as in the country.

    noun — A lengthwise division of roadway intended for a single line of vehicles.

    noun — A similar division of a racetrack to keep runners apart.

    noun — A course designated for ships or aircrafts.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • lantana

    noun — Any member of the genus Lantana of perennial verbenas with aromatic flower clusters.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • laten

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • latent

    noun — (forensics) The residue left by a person's finger that can be made visible by a process such as powder dusting; a latent fingerprint.

    adjective — Existing or present but concealed or inactive.

    noun — An underlying cause that can be inferred from statistical correlations; factor.

    noun — Anything that is latent.

    adjective — (of a virus) remaining in an inactive or hidden phase; dormant.

    adjective — Lying dormant or hidden until circumstances are suitable for development or manifestation.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • latently

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • layman

    noun — Layperson, someone who is not an ordained cleric or member of the clergy.

    noun — (by extension) Someone who is not a professional in a given field.

    noun — A common person.

    noun — A person who is untrained or lacks knowledge of a subject.

    noun — A generally ignorant person.

    noun — Lay-sister or lay-brother, person received into a convent of monks, following the vows, but not being member of the order.

  • laymen

    noun — Layperson, someone who is not an ordained cleric or member of the clergy.

    noun — (by extension) Someone who is not a professional in a given field.

    noun — A common person.

    noun — A person who is untrained or lacks knowledge of a subject.

    noun — A generally ignorant person.

    noun — Lay-sister or lay-brother, person received into a convent of monks, following the vows, but not being member of the order.

  • lean

    noun — (of an object taller than its width and depth) An inclination away from the vertical.

    verb — To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.

    noun — Meat with no fat on it.

    verb — To thin out (a fuel-air mixture): to reduce the fuel flow into the mixture so that there is more air or oxygen.

    adjective — (of a person or animal) Slim; not fleshy.

    verb — To conceal.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • leanly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • leant

    verb — To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.

    verb — To incline in opinion or desire; to conform in conduct; often with to, toward, etc.

    verb — Followed by against, on, or upon: to rest or rely, for support, comfort, etc.

    verb — To hang outwards.

    verb — To press against.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • lent

    noun — A period of the ecclesiastical year preceding Easter, traditionally involving temporary abstention from certain foods and pleasures.

    verb — To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.

    noun — The second term of the academic year at some British schools.

    verb — To make a loan.

    verb — To be suitable or applicable, to fit.

    verb — To afford; to grant or furnish in general.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • manatee

    noun — Any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of family Trichechidae, found in tropical regions.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • mane

    noun — Longer hair growth on back of neck of an animal, especially a horse or lion

    noun — Long or thick hair of a person's head.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • manly

    adjective — Having the characteristics of a man.

    adjective — Having qualities befitting a man; courageous, resolute, noble.

  • manna

    noun — Food miraculously produced for the Israelites in the desert in the book of Exodus.

    noun — (by extension) Any boon which comes into one's hands by good luck.

    noun — The sugary sap of the manna gum tree which oozes out from holes drilled by insects and falls to the ground around the tree.http//www.museum.vic.gov.au/forest/plants/gum.html

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • manta

    noun — A kind of fabric or blanket used in Latin America and southwestern United States.

    noun — Any of several very large pelagic rays of the genus Manta, with winglike pectoral fins, a long tail, and two fins resembling horns that project from the head.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • mantel

    noun — The shelf above a fireplace which may be also a structural support for the masonry of the chimney.

    verb — To surmount a ledge by pushing down on the ledge to bring up the body.

    noun — A maneuver to surmount a ledge, involving pushing down on the ledge to bring up the body. Also called a mantelshelf.

  • mantle

    noun — The shelf above a fireplace which may be also a structural support for the masonry of the chimney.

    noun — A piece of clothing somewhat like an open robe or cloak, especially that worn by Orthodox bishops. (Compare mantum.)

    verb — To cover or conceal (something); to cloak; to disguise.

    noun — A maneuver to surmount a ledge, involving pushing down on the ledge to bring up the body. Also called a mantelshelf.

    noun — A figurative garment representing authority or status, capable of affording protection.

    noun — Anything that covers or conceals something else; a cloak.

  • many

    noun — A multitude; a great aggregate; a mass of people; the generality; the common herd.

    adjective — A large number of; numerous.

    pronoun — An indefinite large number of people or things.

    noun — A considerable number.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mean

    verb — To lament.

    verb — To intend.

    adjective — Common; general.

    noun — (now chiefly in the plural) A method or course of action used to achieve some result.

    adjective — Having the mean (see noun below) as its value.

    verb — To convey (a meaning).

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • meanly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • meant

    verb — To intend.

    verb — To convey (a meaning).

    verb — To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says).

    verb — To cause or produce (a given result); to bring about (a given result).

    verb — (usually with to) To be of some level of importance.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • meany

    noun — A mean (unkind or miserly) person; a killjoy.

    noun — A villain.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • mental

    adjective — Of or relating to the mind or an intellectual process.

    noun — A plate or scale covering the mentum or chin of a fish or reptile.

    adjective — Of or relating to the chin or median part of the lower jaw, genial.

    adjective — Insane, mad, crazy.

    adjective — Enjoyable or fun, especially in a frenetic way.

    adjective — Of or relating to the chin-like or lip-like structure.

  • mentally

    adverb — In a mental manner; an idea thought out in one's mind, as opposed to an idea spoken orally.

  • mentee

    noun — A person who is being mentored

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • myna

    noun — One of the South and East Asian birds of the starling family Sturnidae.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • naan

    noun — A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.

    Appeared in 32 recorded puzzles.

  • name

    noun — Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing.

    verb — (ditransitive) To give a name to.

    noun — Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking.

    noun — Reputation.

    noun — An abusive or insulting epithet.

    noun — A person (or legal person).

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • namely

    adverb — Specifically; that is to say.

    adverb — Especially, above all.

  • nana

    noun — (term of endearment) one's grandmother

    noun — A banana

    noun — A fool

    noun — A nanny

    Appeared in 32 recorded puzzles.

  • nanny

    noun — A child's nurse.

    verb — To serve as a nanny.

    noun — A grandmother.

    noun — A godmother.

    noun — A female goat.

    verb — To treat like a nanny's charges; to coddle.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • natal

    adjective — Of or relating to birth.

    adjective — Of or relating to the buttocks.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • natant

    adjective — Floating or swimming (in water)

    adjective — In a horizontal position, as if swimming

    Appeared in 19 recorded puzzles.

  • natty

    adjective — Smart and fashionable.

    adjective — Knotty.

    noun — Someone whose muscle gains are natural and not aided by the use of steroids.

    adjective — Natural, as opposed to steroid enhanced.

    noun — A national championship

    adjective — National

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • neat

    noun — An artificial intelligence researcher who believes that solutions should be elegant, clear and provably correct. Compare scruffy.

    adjective — Clean, tidy; free from dirt or impurities.

    noun — A bull or cow.

    adjective — Free from contaminants; unadulterated, undiluted. Particularly of liquor and cocktails; see usage below.

    adjective — Conditions with a liquid reagent or gas performed with no standard solvent or cosolvent.

    adjective — With all deductions or allowances made; net.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • neaten

    verb — To make neat; arrange in an orderly, tidy way; to tidy.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • neatly

    adverb — In a neat manner.

  • nene

    noun — The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957.

    Appeared in 25 recorded puzzles.

  • nettle

    noun — Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.

    verb — Of the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting, causing a rash in someone.

    noun — Certain plants that have spines or prickles:

    noun — Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:

    noun — Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.

    verb — To pique, irritate, vex or provoke.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • netty

    adjective — Neat, well-groomed, natty.

    adjective — Netted: made of or employing a net.

    noun — An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.

    adjective — Netlike.

    noun — Any other place or fixture used for urination and defecation: a lavatory; a toilet.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • talent

    noun — A marked natural ability or skill.

    noun — A unit of weight and money used in ancient times in Greece, the Roman Empire, and the Middle East.

    noun — A desire or inclination for something.

    noun — People of talent, viewed collectively; a talented person.

    noun — The men or (especially) women of a place or area, judged by their attractiveness.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • teen

    noun — A teenager.

    adjective — Of or having to do with teenagers; teenage

    noun — Grief; sorrow; trouble.

    verb — To excite; to provoke; to vex; to afflict; to injure.

    verb — (provincial) To hedge or fence in; to enclose.

    noun — Vexation; anger; hate.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • teeny

    adjective — Very small; tiny.

    adjective — Fretful; peevish; cross

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tenant

    noun — One who pays a fee (rent) in return for the use of land, buildings, or other property owned by others.

    verb — To hold as, or be, a tenant.

    noun — One who has possession of any place.

    noun — One who holds a property by any kind of right, including ownership.

    noun — Any of a number of customers serviced through the same instance of an application.

    verb — To inhabit.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tenement

    noun — A building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one.

    noun — Any form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned.

    noun — Dwelling; abode; habitation.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • tenet

    noun — An opinion, belief, or principle that is held as absolute truth by someone or especially an organization.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • tent

    noun — A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins, canvas, or some strong cloth, stretched and sustained by poles, used for sheltering people from the weather.

    verb — To go camping.

    noun — Attention; regard, care.

    verb — To attend to; to heed

    noun — A roll of lint or linen, or a conical or cylindrical piece of sponge or other absorbent, used chiefly to dilate a natural canal, to keep open the orifice of a wound, or to absorb discharges.

    verb — (sometimes figurative) To probe or to search with a tent; to keep open with a tent.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • yenta

    noun — A woman who meddles in the business of others; a busybody; a female gossipmonger.

    noun — (Jewish) A matchmaker; a woman who specializes in finding spouses.

  • yente

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • am×1
  • an×8
  • ea×1
  • el×4
  • em×1
  • en×4
  • la×8
  • le×4
  • ma×8
  • me×7
  • my×1
  • na×8
  • ne×6
  • ta×1
  • te×6
  • ye×2

Words by first letter and length

45678911Σ
a 312111· 9
e 1313·11 10
l 32511·· 12
m 45511·· 16
n 545···· 14
t 222·1·· 7
y ·2····· 2
Σ 1819206421 70

The numbers

Genius today takes 244 points of 350 available. The average answer runs 5.6 letters.

Total points vs. all 409 recorded puzzles
95th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
97th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 18482 recorded answers

418 today34.5% all-time519 today22.9% all-time620 today19.9% all-time76 today12.0% all-time84 today6.3% all-time92 today2.6% all-time101.3% all-time111 today0.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
a Monday, August 10, 2026 Friday, July 3, 2026
e Sunday, August 9, 2026 Friday, July 10, 2026
l Monday, August 10, 2026 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
m Monday, August 10, 2026 Saturday, August 8, 2026
n ● Friday, August 7, 2026 Sunday, August 2, 2026
t Sunday, August 9, 2026 Wednesday, July 22, 2026
y Wednesday, August 5, 2026 Wednesday, August 5, 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.