The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

GHLMPUA

Monday, September 8, 2025

Words
39
Points
126
Genius
88
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 39 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • alga

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • algal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • alpha

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • alum

    noun — An astringent salt, usually occurring in the form of pale crystals, much used in the dyeing and tanning trade and in certain medicines, and now understood to be a double sulphate of potassium and aluminium (K2SO4·Al2(SO4)3·24H2O).

    verb — To steep in, or otherwise impregnate with, a solution of alum; to treat with alum.

    noun — (shortening) A past attendee or graduate (of either gender) of a college, university or other educational institution.

    noun — Any similar double sulphate in which either or both of the potassium and aluminium is wholly or partly replaced by other univalent or tervalent cations.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • amalgam

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • appall

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • gaga

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • gala

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • gall

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • galumph

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • gamma

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • glam

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • gulag

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • halal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • hall

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • haul

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • hula

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • lama

    noun — A master of Tibetan Buddhism.

    noun — A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • lamp

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • laugh

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • llama

    noun — A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • luau

    noun — An elaborate Hawaiian feast featuring traditional foods and entertainment.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • magma

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • mall

    noun — A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.

    verb — To beat with a mall, or mallet; to beat with something heavy; to bruise

    noun — An enclosed shopping centre.

    noun — An alley where the game of pall mall was played.

    noun — A public walk; a level shaded walk, a promenade.

    noun — A heavy wooden mallet or hammer used in the game of pall mall.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • mama

    noun — (hypocoristic, usually childish) Mother, female parent.

    Appeared in 25 recorded puzzles.

  • mamma

    noun — The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder. (plural: mammae)

    noun — (hypocoristic, usually childish) Mother, female parent.

    noun — An accessory cloud like a mammary in appearance, which can form on the underside of most cloud genera

    Appeared in 25 recorded puzzles.

  • mammal

    noun — An animal of the class Mammalia, characterized by being warm-blooded, having hair and feeding milk to its young.

    noun — A vertebrate with three bones in the inner ear and one in the jaw.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • maul

    noun — A heavy long-handled hammer, used for splitting logs by driving a wedge into them, or in combat.

    verb — To handle someone or something in a rough way.

    noun — A situation where the player carrying the ball, who must be on his feet, is held by one or more opponents, and one or more of the ball carrier's team mates bind onto the ball carrier.

    verb — To savage; to cause serious physical wounds (usually used of an animal).

    verb — To criticise harshly.

    verb — To beat with the heavy hammer called a maul.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • mullah

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • palapa

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • pall

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • palm

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • palp

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • pampa

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • papa

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • papal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • puma

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • pupa

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • pupal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

galumph is a perfect pangram — all seven letters, each used exactly once.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • al×4
  • am×1
  • ap×1
  • ga×5
  • gl×1
  • gu×1
  • ha×3
  • hu×1
  • la×3
  • ll×1
  • lu×1
  • ma×6
  • mu×1
  • pa×7
  • pu×3

Words by first letter and length

4567Σ
a 2211 6
g 42·1 7
h 31·· 4
l 32·· 5
m 322· 7
p 631· 10
Σ 211242 39

The numbers

Genius today takes 88 points of 126 available. The average answer runs 4.7 letters.

Total points vs. all 383 recorded puzzles
14th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
35th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17359 recorded answers

421 today34.7% all-time512 today22.8% all-time64 today19.9% all-time72 today12.1% all-time86.3% all-time92.6% 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 5, 2025 Friday, September 5, 2025
g Sunday, September 7, 2025 Wednesday, September 3, 2025
h Thursday, September 4, 2025 Tuesday, July 22, 2025
l Saturday, September 6, 2025 Wednesday, August 27, 2025
m Sunday, August 31, 2025 Tuesday, August 26, 2025
p Sunday, September 7, 2025 Saturday, August 2, 2025
u Wednesday, September 3, 2025 Tuesday, August 12, 2025

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. loon 23
  11. nene 23
  12. acacia 22
  13. acai 22
  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.