The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

BDELMON

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Words
59
Points
264
Genius
184
Pangrams
2

Official answers

Show the 59 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • been

    noun — A flying insect, of the clade Anthophila within the hymenopteran superfamily Apoidea, known for its organised societies (though only a minority have them), for collecting pollen and (in some species) producing wax and honey.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • bellmen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bend

    noun — A curve.

    verb — To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means.

    noun — Any of the various knots which join the ends of two lines.

    noun — (in the plural, underwater diving, with the) A severe condition caused by excessively quick decompression, causing bubbles of nitrogen to form in the blood; decompression sickness.

    noun — One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base; it generally occupies a fifth part of the shield if uncharged, but if charged one third.

    noun — Turn; purpose; inclination; ends.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • blend

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • blended

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • blond

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • blonde

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bonbon

    noun — A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.

    noun — A small, spherical savory snack or canapé.

    noun — A Christmas cracker.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • bond

    noun — Evidence of a long-term debt, by which the bond issuer (the borrower) is obliged to pay interest when due, and repay the principal at maturity, as specified on the face of the bond certificate. The rights of the holder are specified in the bond indenture, which contains the legal terms and conditions under which the bond was issued. Bonds are available in two forms: registered bonds, and bearer bonds.

    verb — To connect, secure or tie with a bond; to bind.

    noun — A peasant; churl.

    adjective — Subject to the tenure called bondage.

    noun — A documentary obligation to pay a sum or to perform a contract; a debenture.

    noun — A partial payment made to show a provider that the customer is sincere about buying a product or a service. If the product or service is not purchased the customer then forfeits the bond.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bonded

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bone

    noun — A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.

    verb — To prepare (meat, etc) by removing the bone or bones from.

    adjective — Of an off-white colour, like the colour of bone.

    verb — To apprehend, steal.

    verb — To sight along an object or set of objects to check whether they are level or in line.

    noun — A musical instrument in the brass family, having a cylindrical bore, and usually a sliding tube (but sometimes piston valves, and rarely both). Most often refers to the tenor trombone, which is the most common type of trombone and has a fundamental tone of B♭ˌ (contra B♭).

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • boned

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bonobo

    noun — The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • boon

    noun — A prayer; petition.

    adjective — Good; prosperous.

    noun — The woody portion of flax, separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.

    noun — That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift or benefaction.

    noun — A good thing; a blessing or benefit; a thing to be thankful for.

    noun — An unpaid service due by a tenant to his lord.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • debone

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • deboned

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • demon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • done

    verb — (auxiliary) A syntactic marker.

    adjective — (of food) Ready, fully cooked.

    noun — A synthetic opioid analgesic, used to wean addicts off heroin or other opiate based narcotics, and in chronic pain management.

    verb — To perform; to execute.

    verb — To cause, make (someone) (do something).

    verb — To suffice.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • donee

    noun — Someone who receives a gift from a donor.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • donned

    verb — (clothing) To put on, to dress in.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • ebon

    noun — (now poetic) Ebony; an ebony tree.

    adjective — Made of ebony.

    adjective — Black in colour.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • embolden

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • emboldened

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • emend

    verb — To correct and revise (text or a document).

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • emended

    verb — To correct and revise (text or a document).

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • ended

    verb — To come to an end

    adjective — (in combination) Having (a specified kind or number of) ends.

    verb — To finish, terminate.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • ennoble

    verb — To bestow with nobility, honour or grace.

    verb — To perform on a fabric the industrial processes of dry-cleaning, printing and embossing, and sizing and finishing.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • ennobled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • lemon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • lend

    noun — The lumbar region; loin.

    verb — To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.

    noun — (of a person or animal) The loins; flank; buttocks.

    verb — To make a loan.

    verb — To be suitable or applicable, to fit.

    verb — To afford; to grant or furnish in general.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • lone

    adjective — Solitary; having no companion.

    adjective — Isolated or lonely; lacking companionship.

    adjective — Sole; being the only one of a type.

    adjective — Situated by itself or by oneself, with no neighbours.

    adjective — Unfrequented by human beings; solitary.

    adjective — Single; unmarried, or in widowhood.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • loon

    noun — An idler, a lout.

    noun — Any of various birds, of the order Gaviiformes, of North America and Europe that dive for fish and have a short tail, webbed feet and a yodeling cry.

    noun — A boy, a lad.

    noun — A harlot; mistress.

    noun — A simpleton.

    noun — A crazy or deranged person.

    Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.

  • melodeon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • melon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mend

    noun — A place, as in clothing, which has been repaired by mending.

    verb — To repair, as anything that is torn, broken, defaced, decayed, or the like; to restore from partial decay, injury, or defacement.

    noun — The act of repairing.

    verb — To alter for the better; to set right; to reform; hence, to quicken; as, to mend one's manners or pace.

    verb — To help, to advance, to further; to add to.

    verb — To grow better; to advance to a better state; to become improved.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mended

    verb — To repair, as anything that is torn, broken, defaced, decayed, or the like; to restore from partial decay, injury, or defacement.

    verb — To alter for the better; to set right; to reform; hence, to quicken; as, to mend one's manners or pace.

    verb — To help, to advance, to further; to add to.

    verb — To grow better; to advance to a better state; to become improved.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mondo

    noun — A dialogue between master and student designed to obtain an intuitive truth.

    adjective — Big, large; major, significant.

    adverb — Very, extremely, really.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • mono

    noun — A viral infection marked by extreme fatigue, high fever, and swollen lymph nodes.

    noun — A bicycle or motorcycle trick where the front wheel is lifted off the ground while riding

    adjective — Monaural or monophonic; having only a single audio channel.

    adjective — Monochrome.

    noun — An injective homomorphism

    noun — A monogamous person.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • moon

    proper noun — The Earth's moon Luna; the sole natural satellite of the Earth, represented in astronomy and astrology by ☾.

    noun — (by extension of Moon) Any natural satellite of a planet.

    verb — To display one's buttocks to, typically as a jest, insult, or protest.

    proper noun — The god of the Moon in Heathenry.

    proper noun — A surname.

    proper noun — The 54th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • mooned

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • need

    noun — A requirement for something; something needed.

    verb — To have an absolute requirement for.

    noun — Lack of means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution.

    verb — To want strongly; to feel that one must have something.

    verb — (modal verb) To be obliged or required (to do something).

    verb — To be required; to be necessary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • needed

    verb — To have an absolute requirement for.

    adjective — Necessary; being required.

    verb — To want strongly; to feel that one must have something.

    verb — (modal verb) To be obliged or required (to do something).

    verb — To be required; to be necessary.

    verb — To be necessary (to someone).

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • needle

    noun — A fine, sharp implement usually for piercing such as sewing, or knitting, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, etc.

    verb — To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.

    noun — Any slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc.

    noun — A fine measurement indicator on a dial or graph, e.g. a compass needle.

    noun — A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus.

    noun — A needle-like leaf found on some conifers.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • needled

    verb — To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.

    adjective — Covered or armored with needles.

    verb — To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at.

    verb — To form, or be formed, in the shape of a needle.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • nene

    noun — The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state bird of Hawaii in 1957.

    Appeared in 26 recorded puzzles.

  • neon

    noun — The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10. The lightest of the noble gases, it is a colourless, odorless inert gas.

    adjective — (of a color) That resembles a neon light; extremely bright; fluorescent

    noun — A form or sample of the element.

    noun — Neon signs or lights, collectively.

    noun — A neon tetra fish.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • noble

    noun — An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood.

    adjective — Having honorable qualities; having moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character.

    noun — A medieval gold coin of England in the 14th and 15th centuries, usually valued at 6s 8d.

    adjective — Grand; stately; magnificent; splendid.

    adjective — Of exalted rank; of or relating to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth, station, or title; highborn.

    adjective — (of a polyhedron) Both isohedral and isogonal.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • noblemen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • nodded

    verb — To incline the head up and down, as to indicate agreement.

    verb — To briefly incline the head downwards as a cursory greeting.

    verb — To sway, move up and down.

    verb — To gradually fall asleep.

    verb — To signify by a nod.

    verb — To make a mistake by being temporarily inattentive or tired

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • node

    noun — A knot, knob, protuberance or swelling.

    noun — The point where the orbit of a planet, as viewed from the Sun, intersects the ecliptic. The ascending and descending nodes refer respectively to the points where the planet moves from South to North and N to S; their respective symbols are ☊ and ☋.

    noun — A leaf node.

    noun — A computer or other device attached to a network.

    noun — The point at which the lines of a funicular machine meet from different angular directions; — called also knot.

    noun — The point at which a curve crosses itself, being a double point of the curve. See crunode and acnode.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • noel

    noun — Christmas

    noun — A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • none

    noun — A person without religious affiliation.

    adverb — To no extent, in no way.

    pronoun — Not any of a given number or group.

    noun — Those without any religious affiliation: atheists and others outside any organized religion.

    noun — A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day.

    noun — The middle of the afternoon, normally between 2 and 4 pm.

    Appeared in 23 recorded puzzles.

  • noob

    noun — (often pejorative) A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • noodle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • noodled

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • noon

    noun — The ninth hour of the day counted from sunrise; around three o'clock in the afternoon.

    verb — To relax or sleep around midday

    noun — The letter ن in the Arabic script.

    noun — Time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.

    noun — The corresponding time in the middle of the night; midnight.

    noun — The highest point; culmination.

    Appeared in 45 recorded puzzles.

  • odeon

    noun — An ancient Greek or Roman building used for performances of music and poetry.

    noun — A theatre or concert hall.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • olden

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • omen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • be×3
  • bl×4
  • bo×7
  • de×3
  • do×3
  • eb×1
  • em×4
  • en×3
  • le×2
  • lo×2
  • me×4
  • mo×4
  • ne×6
  • no×10
  • od×1
  • ol×1
  • om×1

Words by first letter and length

4567810Σ
b 5342·· 14
d 1221·· 6
e 12·221 8
l 31···· 4
m 322·1· 8
n 81421· 16
o 12···· 3
Σ 221312741 59

The numbers

Genius today takes 184 points of 264 available. The average answer runs 5.4 letters.

Total points vs. all 434 recorded puzzles
74th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
81st percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19635 recorded answers

422 today34.4% all-time513 today22.9% all-time612 today20.1% all-time77 today12.0% all-time84 today6.2% all-time92.6% all-time101 today1.2% all-time110.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
b Friday, September 5, 2025 Tuesday, September 2, 2025
d Sunday, September 7, 2025 Sunday, September 7, 2025
e Saturday, September 6, 2025 Sunday, August 3, 2025
l Monday, September 8, 2025 Wednesday, August 27, 2025
m Monday, September 8, 2025 Tuesday, August 26, 2025
n ● Sunday, September 7, 2025 Friday, August 15, 2025
o Sunday, September 7, 2025 Thursday, September 4, 2025

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. nene 26
  10. acacia 25
  11. acai 25
  12. mini 25
  13. minim 25
  14. cocoon 24
  15. imam 24
  16. maim 24
  17. onto 24
  18. toon 24
  19. loon 24
  20. olio 24
  21. aria 23
  22. mitt 23
  23. cancan 23
  24. canna 23
  25. neon 23

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.