The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AEGINWK

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
33
Points
163
Genius
114
Pangrams
3

Official answers

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Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • akin

    adjective — (often followed by to) Allied by nature; similar; partaking of the same properties; of the same kind.

    adjective — (of persons) Of the same kin; related by blood.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • awake

    adjective — Not asleep; conscious.

    verb — To become conscious after having slept.

    verb — To cause (somebody) to stop sleeping.

    adjective — (by extension) Alert, aware.

    verb — To excite or to stir up something latent.

    verb — To rouse from a state of inaction or dormancy.

  • awaken

    verb — To become conscious after having slept.

    verb — To cause (somebody) to stop sleeping.

    verb — To excite or to stir up something latent.

    verb — To stop sleeping; awake.

    verb — To cause to become awake.

    verb — To bring into action (something previously dormant); to stimulate.

  • awakening

    noun — The act of awaking, or ceasing to sleep.

    noun — Being roused into action or activity.

    adjective — Rousing from sleep, in a natural or a figurative sense; rousing into activity; exciting

    verb — To bring into action (something previously dormant); to stimulate.

    verb — To cause to become awake.

    verb — To stop sleeping; awake.

  • awaking

    verb — To become conscious after having slept.

    verb — To cause (somebody) to stop sleeping.

    noun — The act of awaking, or ceasing to sleep.

    verb — To excite or to stir up something latent.

    verb — To rouse from a state of inaction or dormancy.

    verb — To come out of a state of inaction or dormancy.

  • eking

    verb — Chiefly in the form eke out: to add to, to augment; to increase; to lengthen.

    noun — The act or process of adding.

    noun — That which is added.

    noun — A supplementary piece of timber used to lengthen another.

  • gawk

    verb — To stare or gape stupidly.

    verb — To stare conspicuously.

    noun — A fool; a simpleton; a stupid or clumsy person.

    noun — A cuckoo.

  • gawking

    verb — To stare or gape stupidly.

    verb — To stare conspicuously.

  • geek

    noun — A person who is intensely interested in a particular field or hobby and often having limited or nonstandard social skills. Often used with an attributive noun.

    noun — (by extension) An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers.

    noun — The subculture of geeks; an esoteric subject of interest that is marginal to the social mainstream; the philosophy, events, and physical artifacts of geeks; geekness.

    noun — An unfashionable or socially undesirable person.

    noun — A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.

    verb — To behave geekishly or in a socially awkward manner, especially when under the influence of drugs or other psycho-active substances, and exhibiting such marked characteristics as hyperactivity, repetitiveness, talkativeness, nervousness, irritability, or paranoia.

  • geeking

    verb — To behave geekishly or in a socially awkward manner, especially when under the influence of drugs or other psycho-active substances, and exhibiting such marked characteristics as hyperactivity, repetitiveness, talkativeness, nervousness, irritability, or paranoia.

    verb — To look; to peep; to stare about intently.

  • inking

    verb — To apply ink to; to cover or smear with ink.

    verb — To sign (a contract or similar document).

    verb — To apply a tattoo to (someone).

    noun — An application of ink.

    noun — Inputting text or drawings into a computer, tablet, or similar apparatus using a stylus.

    verb — (of a squid or octopus) to eject ink (sense 3)

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • keen

    adjective — Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.

    adjective — Having a fine edge or point; sharp.

    adjective — Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.

    adjective — Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.

    adjective — Fierce, intense, vehement.

    adjective — Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • keening

    noun — Intense mournful wailing after a death, often at a funeral or wake

    adjective — Sharp, shrill, especially of a sound.

    verb — To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.

    verb — To utter a keen.

    verb — To mourn.

    noun — (by extension) An unpleasant wailing sound.

  • king

    noun — A male monarch; a man who heads a monarchy. If it's an absolute monarchy, then he is the supreme ruler of his nation.

    noun — A powerful or majorly influential person.

    noun — A component of certain games.

    noun — A king-sized bed.

    noun — Something that has a preeminent position.

    verb — To crown king, to make (a person) king.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • kinging

    verb — To promote a piece of draughts/checkers that has traversed the board to the opposite side, that piece subsequently being permitted to move backwards as well as forwards.

    verb — To assume or pretend preeminence (over); to lord it over.

    verb — To dress and perform as a drag king.

    verb — To crown king, to make (a person) king.

    verb — To rule over as king.

    verb — To perform the duties of a king.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • kink

    noun — A tight curl, twist, or bend in a length of thin material, hair etc.

    noun — A difficulty or flaw that is likely to impede operation, as in a plan or system.

    noun — Peculiarity or deviation in sexual behaviour or taste.

    verb — To form a kink or twist.

    verb — To be formed into a kink or twist.

    noun — An unreasonable notion; a crotchet; a whim; a caprice.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • kinking

    verb — To form a kink or twist.

    verb — To be formed into a kink or twist.

    verb — To laugh loudly.

    verb — To gasp for breath as in a severe fit of coughing.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • kiwi

    noun — A kiwi fruit.

    noun — A flightless bird of the genus Apteryx native to New Zealand.

    noun — A New Zealander.

    noun — A New Zealand dollar.

    noun — A green-yellow colour, like that of kiwi flesh (also called kiwi green).

    noun — A member of the air force who does not fly.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • knee

    noun — In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.

    noun — The part of a garment that covers the knee.

    noun — An act of kneeling, especially to show respect or courtesy.

    verb — To poke or strike with the knee.

    verb — To move on the knees; to use the knees to move.

    noun — A blow made with the knee; a kneeing.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • kneeing

    verb — To poke or strike with the knee.

    verb — To move on the knees; to use the knees to move.

    noun — A blow made with the knee

    verb — To kneel to.

  • knew

    verb — To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of or that.

    verb — To be aware of; to be cognizant of.

    verb — To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.

    verb — To understand or have a grasp of through experience or study.

    verb — To be able to distinguish, to discern, particularly by contrast or comparison; to recognize the nature of.

    verb — To experience.

  • nankeen

    noun — A type of cotton cloth originally from Nanking in China.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • wake

    verb — (often followed by up) To stop sleeping.

    verb — (often followed by up) To make somebody stop sleeping; to rouse from sleep.

    noun — The act of waking, or state of being awake.

    noun — The area behind something, typically a rapidly moving object.

    noun — A period after a person's death before or after the body is buried, cremated, etc.; in some cultures accompanied by a party and/or collectively sorting through the deceased's personal effects.

    noun — The path left behind a ship on the surface of the water.

  • waken

    verb — To wake or rouse from sleep.

    verb — To awaken; to cease to sleep; to be awakened; to stir.

  • wakening

    noun — The act of awaking, or ceasing to sleep.

    verb — To wake or rouse from sleep.

    verb — To awaken; to cease to sleep; to be awakened; to stir.

  • waking

    adjective — Occurring during wakefulness.

    verb — (often followed by up) To stop sleeping.

    verb — (often followed by up) To make somebody stop sleeping; to rouse from sleep.

    noun — The act of becoming awake from sleep, or a period of time spent awake.

    verb — To be or remain awake; not to sleep.

    verb — To be alert; to keep watch

  • weak

    adjective — Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability.

    adjective — Unable to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain.

    adjective — Unable to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable.

    adjective — Dilute, lacking in taste or potency.

    adjective — Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained.

    adjective — Lacking in vigour or expression.

  • weaken

    verb — To make weaker or less strong.

    verb — To become weaker or less strong.

  • weakening

    noun — An instance or process of loss of strength.

    verb — To make weaker or less strong.

    verb — To become weaker or less strong.

    noun — A structural principle of mathematical logic that states that the hypotheses of any derived fact may be freely extended with additional assumptions.

  • week

    noun — Any period of seven consecutive days.

    noun — A period of seven days beginning with Sunday or Monday.

    noun — Seven days after (sometimes before) a specified date.

    noun — A period of five days beginning with Monday.

    noun — A subdivision of the month into longer periods of work days punctuated by shorter weekend periods of days for markets, rest, or religious observation such as a sabbath.

  • wiki

    noun — A collaborative website which can be directly edited merely by using a web browser, often by anyone with access to it.

    verb — To research on Wikipedia or some similar wiki.

    verb — To contribute to a wiki.

    verb — To participate in the wiki-based production of.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • wink

    noun — An act of winking (a blinking of only one eye), or a message sent by winking.

    verb — To blink with only one eye as a message, signal, or suggestion, usually with an implication of conspiracy. (When transitive, the object may be the eye being winked, or the message being conveyed.)

    noun — A brief period of sleep; especially forty winks.

    verb — Usually followed by at: to look the other way, to turn a blind eye.

    verb — To gleam fitfully or intermitently; to twinkle; to flicker.

    verb — To close one's eyes quickly and involuntarily; to blink.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • winking

    verb — To blink with only one eye as a message, signal, or suggestion, usually with an implication of conspiracy. (When transitive, the object may be the eye being winked, or the message being conveyed.)

    noun — The act of someone who winks.

    verb — Usually followed by at: to look the other way, to turn a blind eye.

    verb — To close one's eyes quickly and involuntarily; to blink.

    verb — To gleam fitfully or intermitently; to twinkle; to flicker.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ak×1
  • aw×4
  • ek×1
  • ga×2
  • ge×2
  • in×1
  • ke×2
  • ki×5
  • kn×3
  • na×1
  • wa×4
  • we×4
  • wi×3

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
a 1111·1 5
e ·1···· 1
g 2··2·· 4
i ··1··· 1
k 6··4·· 10
n ···1·· 1
w 512111 11
Σ 1434912 33

The numbers

Genius today takes 114 points of 163 available. The average answer runs 5.6 letters.

Total points vs. all 378 recorded puzzles
29th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
22nd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17142 recorded answers

414 today34.5% all-time53 today22.8% all-time64 today20.0% all-time79 today12.1% all-time81 today6.3% all-time92 today2.5% 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 Saturday, July 11, 2026 Friday, July 3, 2026
e Friday, July 10, 2026 Friday, July 10, 2026
g Wednesday, July 8, 2026 Wednesday, July 8, 2026
i Saturday, July 11, 2026 Thursday, June 25, 2026
k ● Wednesday, June 17, 2026 Sunday, May 24, 2026
n Saturday, July 11, 2026 Friday, June 12, 2026
w Tuesday, June 30, 2026 Saturday, June 27, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 41
  2. naan 30
  3. nana 30
  4. onion 28
  5. toot 27
  6. loll 27
  7. mama 24
  8. mamma 24
  9. cocoon 23
  10. nene 23
  11. acacia 22
  12. acai 22
  13. bill 22
  14. loon 22
  15. aria 21
  16. onto 21
  17. toon 21
  18. cancan 21
  19. canna 21
  20. neon 21
  21. none 21
  22. olio 21
  23. anon 20
  24. lull 19
  25. lulu 19

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.