The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AGILNTV

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
29
Points
206
Genius
144
Pangrams
3

Official answers

Show the 29 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • anvil

    noun — A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped.

    verb — To fashion on an anvil (often used figuratively).

    noun — An incus bone in the middle ear.

    noun — A stone or other hard surface used by a bird for breaking the shells of snails.

    noun — The non-moving surface of a micrometer against which the item to be measured is placed.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • avail

    noun — Effect in achieving a goal or aim; purpose, use (now usually in negative constructions).

    verb — To turn to the advantage of.

    noun — Proceeds; profits from business transactions.

    noun — An advertising slot or package.

    noun — A press avail.

    noun — Non-binding notice of availability for work.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • availing

    verb — To turn to the advantage of.

    noun — Effect in achieving a goal or aim; purpose, use

    adjective — Efficacious.

    verb — To be of service to.

    verb — To promote; to assist.

    verb — To be of use or advantage; to answer or serve the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object.

  • avian

    noun — A bird.

    adjective — Characteristic of or pertaining to birds, or to bird-like or flying creatures.

    noun — A bird-like or flying creature.

    noun — (furry fandom) Someone who roleplays or describes themselves as being a bird or bird-like animal character with human characteristics.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • aviating

    verb — To operate an aircraft.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • gallivant

    verb — To roam about for pleasure without any definite plan.

    verb — To flirt, to romance.

  • gallivanting

    verb — To roam about for pleasure without any definite plan.

    noun — Roaming about for pleasure.

    verb — To flirt, to romance.

  • giving

    verb — (ditransitive) To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.

    noun — The act of bestowing as a gift; a conferring or imparting.

    adjective — Having the tendency to give; generous

    verb — (ditransitive) To estimate or predict (a duration or probability) for (something).

    verb — To yield slightly when a force is applied.

    verb — To collapse under pressure or force.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • inviting

    verb — To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.

    noun — Invitation

    adjective — Alluring; tempting; attractive.

    verb — To request formally.

    verb — To encourage.

    verb — To allure; to draw to; to tempt to come; to induce by pleasure or hope; to attract.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • lava

    noun — The molten rock ejected by a volcano from its crater or fissured sides.

    noun — Magma.

    noun — A shade of red, named after the volcanic lava.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • laving

    verb — To pour or throw out, as water; lade out; bail; bail out.

    noun — The act by which something is laved or washed.

    verb — To draw, as water; drink in.

    verb — To give bountifully; lavish.

    verb — To run down or gutter, as a candle.

    verb — To hang or flap down.

  • living

    verb — To be alive; to have life.

    noun — The state of being alive.

    adjective — Having life.

    verb — To have permanent residence somewhere, to inhabit, to reside.

    verb — To survive; to persevere; to continue.

    verb — To cope.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • naval

    adjective — Of or relating to a navy.

    adjective — Of or relating to ships in general.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • navigating

    verb — To plan, control and record the position and course of a vehicle, ship, aircraft, etc., on a journey; to follow a planned course.

    verb — To give directions, as from a map, to someone driving a vehicle.

    verb — To travel over water in a ship; to sail.

    verb — To move between web pages, menus, etc. by means of hyperlinks, mouse clicks, or any other mechanism.

    verb — To find a way through a difficult situation or process.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • titivating

    verb — To make small improvements or alterations to (one's appearance etc.); to add some finishing touches to.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • vagal

    adjective — Of or relating to the vagus nerve.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • vagina

    noun — The passage leading from the opening of the vulva to the cervix of the uterus for copulation and childbirth in female mammals.

    noun — A similar part in some invertebrates.

    noun — A sheath-like structure, such as the leaf of a grass that surrounds a stem.

    noun — The vulva.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • vaginal

    adjective — Of, relating to, or affecting the vagina.

  • vain

    adjective — Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.

    adjective — Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.

    adjective — Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

    adjective — Showy; ostentatious.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • valiant

    noun — A person who acts with valor, showing hero-like characteristics in the midst of danger.

    adjective — Showing courage or determination; brave, heroic.

  • vanilla

    noun — Any tropical, climbing orchid of the genus Vanilla (especially Vanilla planifolia), bearing podlike fruit yielding an extract used in flavoring food or in perfumes.

    adjective — (of flavor, etc.) Of vanilla.

    noun — The fruit or bean of the vanilla plant.

    noun — The extract of the fruit of the vanilla plant.

    noun — The distinctive fragrant flavour/flavor characteristic of vanilla extract.

    noun — Any artificially produced homologue of vanilla extract, principally vanillin produced from lignin from the paper industry or from petrochemicals.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • vanillin

    noun — A chemical compound, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, that is the primary constituent of vanilla.

    noun — Synthetic compound used as a substitute for the extract of the vanilla bean.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • vial

    noun — A glass vessel or bottle, especially a small tube-shaped bottle used to store medicine, perfume or other chemical.

    verb — To put or keep in, or as in, a vial.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • vigil

    noun — An instance of keeping awake during normal sleeping hours, especially to keep watch or pray.

    noun — A period of observation or surveillance at any hour.

    noun — The eve of a religious festival in which staying awake is part of the ritual devotions.

    noun — A quiet demonstration in support of a cause.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • vigilant

    adjective — Watchful, especially for danger or disorder; alert; wary

  • villa

    noun — (plural "villas") A house, often larger and more expensive than average, in the countryside or on the coast, often used as a retreat.

    noun — (plural "villas") A family house, often semi-detached, in a middle class street.

    noun — (plural "villae") A country house, with farm buildings around a courtyard.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • villain

    noun — A vile, wicked person.

    verb — To debase; to degrade.

    noun — A feudal tenant.

    noun — In fiction, a character who has the role of being bad, especially antagonizing the hero.

    noun — Any opponent player, especially a hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: hero.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • vital

    adjective — Relating to, or characteristic of life.

    adjective — Necessary to the continuation of life; being the seat of life; being that on which life depends.

    adjective — Invigorating or life-giving.

    adjective — Necessary to continued existence.

    adjective — Relating to the recording of life events.

    adjective — Very important.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • vitiating

    verb — To spoil, make faulty; to reduce the value, quality, or effectiveness of something

    verb — To debase or morally corrupt

    verb — To violate, to rape

    verb — To make something ineffective, to invalidate

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • an×1
  • av×4
  • ga×2
  • gi×1
  • in×1
  • la×2
  • li×1
  • na×2
  • ti×1
  • va×7
  • vi×7

Words by first letter and length

4567891012Σ
a ·3··2··· 5
g ··1··1·1 3
i ····1··· 1
l 1·2····· 3
n ·1····1· 2
t ······1· 1
v 241421·· 14
Σ 38445221 29

The numbers

Genius today takes 144 points of 206 available. The average answer runs 6.7 letters.

Total points vs. all 385 recorded puzzles
49th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
12th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17461 recorded answers

43 today34.6% all-time58 today22.8% all-time64 today19.9% all-time74 today12.1% all-time85 today6.3% all-time92 today2.6% all-time102 today1.2% all-time110.3% all-time121 today0.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
a Saturday, July 18, 2026 Friday, July 3, 2026
g Sunday, July 12, 2026 Wednesday, July 8, 2026
i Saturday, July 18, 2026 Thursday, June 25, 2026
l Saturday, July 18, 2026 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
n Friday, July 17, 2026 Friday, June 12, 2026
t Saturday, July 18, 2026 Tuesday, July 14, 2026
v ● Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Thursday, July 9, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 42
  2. naan 30
  3. nana 30
  4. onion 29
  5. toot 28
  6. loll 28
  7. mama 25
  8. mamma 25
  9. cocoon 23
  10. acacia 23
  11. acai 23
  12. loon 23
  13. nene 23
  14. bill 22
  15. neon 22
  16. none 22
  17. olio 22
  18. aria 21
  19. onto 21
  20. toon 21
  21. cancan 21
  22. canna 21
  23. lull 20
  24. lulu 20
  25. lilt 20

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.