The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AILRTYB

Sunday, August 24, 2025

Words
49
Points
306
Genius
214
Pangrams
6

Official answers

Show the 49 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • ability

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • ably

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • airball

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • alibi

    noun — The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed

    verb — To provide an excuse for.

    verb — To provide an alibi for.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • arability

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • arbitrarily

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • arbitrary

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • baba

    noun — A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.

    noun — (esp. among people of East European ancestry) A grandmother.

    noun — An old woman, especially a traditional old woman from an eastern European culture.

    noun — (esp. among people of Indian ancestry) A father.

    noun — (Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism) A holy man, a spiritual leader.

    noun — A baby, child.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • baby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bail

    noun — Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.

    noun — Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.

    verb — To exit quickly.

    verb — To fail to meet a commitment.

    noun — A hoop, ring or handle (especially of a kettle or bucket).

    verb — To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • bait

    noun — Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net.

    noun — Anything which allures; something used to lure or entice someone or something into doing something

    verb — To attract with bait; to entice.

    verb — To intentionally annoy, torment, or threaten by constant rebukes or threats; to harass.

    noun — Food containing poison or a harmful additive to kill animals that are pests.

    verb — To affix bait to a trap or a fishing hook or fishing line.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • ball

    noun — A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.

    noun — A round or ellipsoidal object.

    verb — To play basketball.

    noun — A very enjoyable time.

    verb — To form or wind into a ball.

    noun — A formal dance.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • barb

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • barbarity

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • battily

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • batty

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bialy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • bilabial

    adjective — Articulated with both lips.

    noun — A speech sound articulated with both lips.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • biliary

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bill

    noun — A piece of paper money; a banknote.

    noun — A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; an invoice.

    verb — To charge; to send a bill to.

    noun — A draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.

    noun — The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a platypus, turtle, or other animal.

    noun — Of a cap or hat: the brim or peak, serving as a shade to keep sun off the face and out of the eyes.

    Appeared in 22 recorded puzzles.

  • billy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • birria

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • blab

    verb — To tell tales; to gossip without reserve or discretion.

    noun — Gossip; prattle.

    noun — One who blabs; a babbler; a telltale; a gossip or gossiper.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • blabby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • blat

    verb — To make a senseless noise.

    verb — To cry, as a calf or sheep; to bleat.

    verb — To produce an overrich or overblown sound on a brass instrument such as a trumpet, trombone, or tuba.

    verb — To talk inconsiderately.

    noun — Connections; relationships; one's social or business network (in Russian or Soviet society).

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • brat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bratty

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bray

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • briar

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • briary

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • irritability

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • irritably

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • labia

    noun — The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.

    noun — A liplike structure; especially one of the two pairs of folds of skin either side of the vulva.

    noun — The lip of a labiate corolla.

    noun — The lip against which pressured air is driven to produce sound in a recorder and in a pipe organ with flue pipes.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • labial

    adjective — Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.

    adjective — Articulated by the lips, as the consonants b, m and w.

    noun — A consonant articulated by the lips.

    adjective — Of an incisor or canine, on the side facing the lips. See mesial.

    noun — Any of the scales bordering the mouth opening of a reptile.

    noun — An organ pipe having a lip that influences its sound.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • lability

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • liability

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • library

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • rabbi

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • rabbit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • ratability

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • ribbit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • ribby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • tabby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tabla

    noun — A pair of tuned hand drums, used in various musical genres of the Indian subcontinent, that are similar to bongos.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tibia

    noun — The inner and usually the larger of the two bones of the leg or hind limb below the knee, the shinbone

    noun — The second segment from the end of an insect's leg, between the femur and tarsus.

    noun — The third segment from the end of an arachnid's leg, between the patella and metatarsus.

    noun — A musical instrument of the flute kind, originally made of the leg bone of an animal.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • tibial

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tribal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tribally

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • trilby

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ab×2
  • ai×1
  • al×1
  • ar×3
  • ba×9
  • bi×6
  • bl×3
  • br×5
  • ir×2
  • la×3
  • li×2
  • ra×3
  • ri×2
  • ta×2
  • ti×2
  • tr×3

Words by first letter and length

456789101112Σ
a 11·2·2·1· 7
b 1144211··· 23
i ·····1··1 2
l ·11111··· 5
r ·22···1·· 5
t ·33·1···· 7
Σ 121110535111 49

The numbers

Genius today takes 214 points of 306 available. The average answer runs 6.1 letters.

Total points vs. all 378 recorded puzzles
88th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
55th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17142 recorded answers

412 today34.5% all-time511 today22.8% all-time610 today20.0% all-time75 today12.1% all-time83 today6.3% all-time95 today2.5% all-time101 today1.2% all-time111 today0.3% all-time121 today0.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
a Wednesday, August 20, 2025 Saturday, July 19, 2025
b ● Monday, August 18, 2025 Thursday, July 31, 2025
i Saturday, August 23, 2025 Monday, August 18, 2025
l Thursday, August 21, 2025 Thursday, August 21, 2025
r Friday, August 22, 2025 Saturday, August 16, 2025
t Wednesday, August 20, 2025 Friday, August 8, 2025
y Wednesday, August 13, 2025 first recorded time

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.