The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ALMPRTI

Saturday, September 12, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
70
Points
284
Genius
198
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 70 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • airmail

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • alit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • aria

    noun — A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • aril

    noun — A tissue surrounding the seed in certain fruits such as pomegranates.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • armpit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • atilt

    adjective — At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.

    adverb — At an angle from the vertical or horizontal; at the point of falling over.

    preposition — Diagonally over or across.

    adverb — Tilting or as if tilting (charging with a lance, like a knight on horseback in a joust).

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • atria

    noun — A central room or space in ancient Roman homes, open to the sky in the middle; a similar space in other buildings.

    noun — A square hall lit by daylight from above, into which rooms open at one or more levels.

    noun — A cavity, entrance, or passage.

    noun — Any enclosed sexine and nexine layers, widening toward the interior of the grain.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • atrial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • imam

    noun — (usually capitalized) A Shi'ite Muslim leader.

    noun — One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.

    Appeared in 25 recorded puzzles.

  • impair

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • impala

    noun — An African antelope, Aepyceros melampus, noted for its leaping ability; the male has ridged, curved horns.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • impart

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • impartial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • lair

    noun — A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground.

    noun — A place inhabited by a criminal or criminals, a superhero or a supervillain; a refuge, retreat, haven or hideaway.

    noun — A shed or shelter for domestic animals.

    noun — A bed or resting place.

    noun — A grave; a cemetery plot.

    verb — To rest; to dwell.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • lariat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • liar

    noun — One who tells lies.

    noun — A swabber responsible for cleaning the outside parts of the ship rather than the cabins, a role traditionally assigned to a person caught telling a lie the previous week.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • lilt

    noun — A cheerful or melodious accent when speaking.

    noun — Animated, brisk motion; spirited rhythm; sprightliness.

    noun — A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune.

    verb — To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music.

    verb — To utter with spirit, animation, or gaiety; to sing with spirit and liveliness.

    verb — To sing cheerfully, especially in Gaelic.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • lima

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • limit

    noun — A restriction; a bound beyond which one may not go.

    verb — To restrict; not to allow to go beyond a certain bound, to set boundaries.

    noun — The final, utmost, or furthest point; the border or edge.

    noun — A restriction; a check or curb; a hindrance.

    noun — A value to which a sequence converges. Equivalently, the common value of the upper limit and the lower limit of a sequence: if the upper and lower limits are different, then the sequence has no limit (i.e., does not converge).

    noun — (as "the limit") A person who is exasperating, intolerable, astounding, etc.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • limp

    noun — An irregular, jerky or awkward gait.

    verb — To walk lamely, as if favouring one leg.

    noun — A scraper of board or sheet-iron shaped like half the head of a small cask, used for scraping the ore off the sieve in the operation of hand-jigging.

    verb — To be inadequate or unsatisfactory.

    adjective — Flaccid; flabby, like flesh.

    verb — To happen; befall; chance.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lira

    noun — The basic unit of currency in Turkey.

    noun — The former currency of Italy, Malta, San Marino, Cyprus and the Vatican City, superseded by the euro

    noun — The former currency of Israel, superseded by the sheqel.

    noun — The currency of Lebanon (also pound), Syria (also pound), Jordan (also dinar)

    noun — A Ukrainian folk musical instrument similar to the hurdy-gurdy.

    noun — Any of a set of fine ridges on the shells of some molluscs

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • mail

    noun — A bag or wallet.

    verb — (ditransitive) To send (a letter, parcel, etc.) through the mail.

    noun — Armour consisting of metal rings or plates linked together.

    verb — To arm with mail.

    noun — An old French coin worth half a denier.

    noun — A bag containing letters to be delivered by post.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • maim

    noun — A serious wound

    verb — To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.

    Appeared in 25 recorded puzzles.

  • malaria

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • malarial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • marital

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • martial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • militia

    noun — An army of trained civilians, which may be an official reserve army, called upon in time of need, the entire able-bodied population of a state which may also be called upon, or a private force not under government control.

    noun — The police in the Soviet Union and some related or successor states (e.g. modern Belarus).

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • mill

    noun — A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc.

    verb — (followed by around, about, etc.) To move about in an aimless fashion.

    noun — A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, etc.

    noun — An establishment that handles a certain type of situation or procedure routinely, or produces large quantities of an item without much regard to quality, such as a divorce mill, a puppy mill, etc.

    noun — An institution awarding educational certificates not officially recognised

    noun — The building housing such a grinding apparatus.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • mitral

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • mitt

    noun — An oversized, protective glove such as an oven mitt or a baseball mitt.

    noun — A mitten

    noun — (especially in plural) A hand.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • pail

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • pair

    noun — Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.

    verb — To group into one or more sets of two.

    verb — To impair, to make worse.

    noun — Two people in a relationship, partnership or friendship.

    noun — Used with binary nouns (often in the plural to indicate multiple instances, since such nouns are plural only, except in some technical contexts)

    noun — A couple of working animals attached to work together, as by a yoke.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • palatial

    adjective — On a grand scale; with very rich furnishings.

    adjective — Of or relating to a palace.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • papilla

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • partial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • partita

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • pill

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • pillar

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • pimp

    noun — Someone who solicits customers for prostitution and acts as manager for a group of prostitutes; a pander.

    verb — To act as a procurer of prostitutes; to pander.

    adjective — Excellent, fashionable, stylish

    numeral — Five in Cumbrian and Welsh sheep counting

    noun — A man who can easily attract women.

    verb — To prostitute someone.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • pipit

    noun — Any of various small passerine birds, mainly from the genus Anthus, that are often drab, ground feeding insectivores of open country.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • pita

    noun — A flat bread pouch used for making sandwiches such as gyros or falafels.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • pitapat

    noun — A series of quick tapping sounds

    verb — To make a series of quick tapping sounds; to palpitate

    adverb — With a quick tapping sound

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • plait

    noun — A braid, as of hair or straw; a plat.

    verb — To interweave the strands or locks of; to braid

    noun — A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.

    verb — To fold; to double in narrow folds; to pleat

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • prim

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • primal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • primp

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • rail

    noun — The metal bar that makes the track for a railroad.

    noun — A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing.

    noun — A railroad; a railway, as a means of transportation.

    noun — A horizontal piece of wood that serves to separate sections of a door or window.

    verb — To criticize severely.

    noun — Any of several birds in the family Rallidae.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • raita

    noun — A condiment used as a dip or sauce in the cuisine of southern Asia, made from seasoned yogurt.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • rattail

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • rial

    noun — The official currencies of Iran, Oman, and Yemen.

    noun — An old gold coin of England.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • rill

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • tail

    noun — The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.

    noun — The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything.

    noun — (chiefly in the plural) The side of a coin not bearing the head; normally the side on which the monetary value of the coin is indicated; the reverse.

    noun — The tail-end of an object, e.g. the rear of an aircraft's fuselage, containing the tailfin.

    verb — To follow and observe surreptitiously.

    noun — The latter part of a time period or event, or (collectively) persons or objects represented in this part.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • taillamp

    noun — A taillight.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • tali

    noun — The bone of the ankle.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • tallit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • tamari

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tapir

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tatami

    noun — Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • tiara

    noun — The papal crown.

    noun — An ornamental coronet.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • tilapia

    noun — Any of various edible fish, of the genus Tilapia, native to Africa and the Middle East but naturalized worldwide.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • till

    preposition — Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).

    conjunction — Until, until the time that.

    noun — A cash register.

    noun — A removable box within a cash register containing the money.

    noun — The contents of a cash register, for example at the beginning or end of the day or of a cashier's shift.

    verb — To work or cultivate or plough (soil); to prepare for growing vegetation and crops.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • tilt

    verb — To slope or incline (something); to slant.

    verb — To be at an angle.

    noun — A slope or inclination.

    noun — The inclination of part of the body, such as backbone, pelvis, head, etc.

    verb — To play worse than usual (often as a result of previous bad luck or losses).

    noun — The controlled vertical movement of a camera, or a device to achieve this.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • tipi

    noun — Alternative form of teepee

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • trail

    noun — The track or indication marking the route followed by something that has passed, such as the footprints of animal on land or the contrail of an airplane in the sky.

    verb — To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something).

    noun — A route for travel over land, especially a narrow, unpaved pathway for use by hikers, horseback riders, etc.

    noun — A trailer broadcast on television for a forthcoming film or programme.

    noun — A walk in which all the edges are distinct.

    verb — To drag (something) behind on the ground.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • trait

    noun — An identifying characteristic, habit or trend.

    noun — An uninstantiable collection of methods that provides functionality to a class by using the class’s own interface.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • trial

    noun — An opportunity to test something out; a test.

    verb — To carry out a series of tests on (a new product, procedure etc.) before marketing or implementing it.

    adjective — Pertaining to a trial or test.

    adjective — Characterized by having three (usually equivalent) components.

    noun — Appearance at judicial court in order to be examined.

    noun — A difficult or annoying experience.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • trill

    noun — A rapid alternation between an indicated note and the one above it, in musical notation usually indicated with the letters tr written above the staff.

    verb — To create a trill sound; to utter trills or a trill; to play or sing in tremulous vibrations of sound; to have a trembling sound; to quaver.

    verb — To trickle.

    verb — To twirl.

    noun — A type of consonantal sound that is produced by vibrations of the tongue against the place of articulation: for example, Spanish rr.

    noun — A tremulous high-pitched vocal sound produced by cats.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • trim

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • trip

    noun — A journey; an excursion or jaunt

    verb — To fall over or stumble over an object as a result of striking it with one's foot

    adjective — Of or relating to trips

    noun — A herd or flock of sheep, goats, etc.

    noun — A stumble or misstep

    noun — An error; a failure; a mistake

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ai×1
  • al×1
  • ar×3
  • at×3
  • im×5
  • la×2
  • li×6
  • ma×6
  • mi×4
  • pa×6
  • pi×6
  • pl×1
  • pr×3
  • ra×3
  • ri×2
  • ta×7
  • ti×5
  • tr×6

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
a 3221·· 8
i 1·3··1 5
l 611··· 8
m 4·141· 10
p 63241· 16
r 31·1·· 5
t 76311· 18
Σ 3013121131 70

The numbers

Genius today takes 198 points of 284 available. The average answer runs 5.2 letters.

Total points vs. all 440 recorded puzzles
80th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
97th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19911 recorded answers

430 today34.5% all-time513 today22.9% all-time612 today20.1% all-time711 today12.0% all-time83 today6.2% all-time91 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, September 11, 2026 Tuesday, September 1, 2026
i ● Friday, September 11, 2026 Tuesday, September 8, 2026
l Thursday, September 10, 2026 Monday, August 31, 2026
m Saturday, September 5, 2026 Saturday, September 5, 2026
p Wednesday, September 9, 2026 Monday, September 7, 2026
r Wednesday, September 9, 2026 Wednesday, September 9, 2026
t Tuesday, September 8, 2026 Thursday, September 3, 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. imam 25
  13. maim 25
  14. mini 25
  15. minim 25
  16. cocoon 24
  17. lilt 24
  18. till 24
  19. tilt 24
  20. aria 24
  21. mitt 24
  22. onto 24
  23. toon 24
  24. loon 24
  25. olio 24

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.