The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ELNOTUM

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Words
54
Points
225
Genius
157
Pangram
1

Official answers

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Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • element

    noun — One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.

    noun — A small part of the whole.

    noun — A place or state of being that an individual or object is best suited to.

    noun — (with "the") Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.

    noun — A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.

    noun — A component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • emolument

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • emote

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lemon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • loom

    noun — A utensil; tool; a weapon; (usually in compound) an article in general.

    noun — Loon (bird of order Gaviiformes)

    noun — A distorted appearance of something as seen indistinctly or from afar.

    verb — To appear indistinctly, eg. when seen on the horizon or through the murk.

    noun — A frame or machine of wood or other material, in which a weaver forms cloth out of thread; a machine for interweaving yarn or threads into a fabric, as in knitting or lace making.

    noun — The part of an oar which is between the grip or handle and the blade, the shaft.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lumen

    noun — In the International System of Units, the derived unit of luminous flux; the light that is emitted in a solid angle of one steradian from a source of one candela. Symbol: lm.

    noun — The cavity or channel within a tube or tubular organ.

    noun — The cavity bounded by a plant cell wall.

    noun — The bore of a tube such as a hollow needle or catheter.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • meet

    verb — To make contact (with) while in proximity.

    verb — To make physical or perceptual contact.

    verb — To satisfy; to comply with.

    noun — A meeting.

    noun — A sports competition, especially for track and field (a track meet) or swimming (a swim meet).

    verb — (Of groups) To come together.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • melee

    noun — A noisy, confused or tumultuous fight, argument or scrap.

    noun — Any any confused, disorganised, disordered or chaotic situation.

    noun — A battle fought at close range; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.

    noun — Lively contention or debate, skirmish.

    verb — To physically hit in close quarters, as opposed to shooting, blowing up, or other ranged means of damage. Often refers to the usage of a hand-to-hand weapon.

    noun — A cavalry exercise in which two groups of riders try to cut paper plumes off the helmets of their opponents, the contest continuing until no member of one group retains his plume.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • melon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • melt

    verb — To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.

    verb — To dissolve, disperse, vanish.

    verb — To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.

    verb — To be emotionally softened or touched.

    noun — The transition of matter from a solid state to a liquid state.

    noun — Molten material, the product of melting.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • meme

    noun — Something, usually humorous, which is copied and circulated online with slight adaptations, including quizzes, basic pictures, video templates etc.

    noun — A myth circulating as truth; something ineffective presented as effective, or similar.

    noun — Any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another in a comparable way to the transmission of genes.

    verb — To turn into a meme; to use a meme, especially to achieve something in real life.

    verb — To create and use humorous memes.

    verb — To joke around.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • memento

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • memo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • mentee

    noun — A person who is being mentored

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • menu

    noun — The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.

    noun — A list of dishes offered in a restaurant.

    noun — A list from which the user may select an operation to be performed, often done with a keyboard, mouse, or controller under a graphical user interface

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mete

    verb — (usually with “out”) To dispense, measure (out), allot (especially punishment, reward etc.).

    verb — To measure.

    adjective — Suitable; right; proper.

    noun — A boundary or other limit; a boundary-marker; mere.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • mettle

    noun — A quality of endurance and courage.

    noun — Good temperament and character.

    noun — Metal; a metallic substance.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • mole

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • moll

    noun — A female companion of a gangster, especially a former or current prostitute.

    adjective — Minor; in the minor mode

    noun — A prostitute or woman with loose sexual morals.

    noun — Bitch, slut; an insulting epithet applied to a female.

    noun — A girlfriend of a bikie.

    noun — A girlfriend of a surfie; blends with pejorative sense.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • molt

    noun — The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.

    verb — To shed or lose a covering of hair or fur, feathers, skin, horns, etc, and replace it with a fresh one.

    verb — To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.

    noun — The skin or feathers cast off during the process of moulting.

    verb — To shed in such a manner.

    verb — To dissolve, disperse, vanish.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • molten

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • moment

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • momentum

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • mono

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • monotone

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • monte

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • monument

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • moon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • moot

    noun — A moot court.

    adjective — Subject to discussion (originally at a moot); arguable, debatable, unsolved or impossible to solve.

    noun — A whisper, or an insinuation, also gossip or rumors.

    verb — To bring up as a subject for debate, to propose.

    noun — Vagina.

    noun — The stump of a tree; the roots and bottom end of a felled tree.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • mote

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • motel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • motet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • mottle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • motto

    noun — A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.

    noun — A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim.

    noun — A paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • moue

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • mount

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mule

    noun — The generally sterile male or female hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.

    verb — To smuggle (illegal drugs).

    noun — A shoe that has no fitting or strap around the heel, but which covers the foot.

    noun — The generally sterile hybrid offspring of any two species of animals.

    noun — A hybrid plant.

    noun — A stubborn person.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • mull

    noun — A thin, soft muslin.

    verb — (usually with over) To work (over) mentally; to cogitate; to ruminate.

    noun — A promontory.

    noun — Dirt; rubbish

    noun — Marijuana that has been chopped to prepare it for smoking.

    noun — A stew of meat, broth, milk, butter, vegetables, and seasonings, thickened with soda crackers.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • mullet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mute

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • mutt

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • mutton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • muumuu

    noun — A long loose-fitting dress made of lightweight fabric printed with bright, stylized Hawaiian themes (such as flowers and palm branches).

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • omelet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • omelette

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • omen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • teem

    verb — To be prolific; to abound; to be rife.

    verb — To be stocked to overflowing.

    verb — To pour (especially with rain)

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • tenement

    noun — A building that is rented to multiple tenants, especially a low-rent, run-down one.

    noun — Any form of property that is held by one person from another, rather than being owned.

    noun — Dwelling; abode; habitation.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • tome

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • totem

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tumult

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • unmet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • unmount

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • unmute

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • el×1
  • em×2
  • le×1
  • lo×1
  • lu×1
  • me×11
  • mo×19
  • mu×7
  • om×3
  • te×2
  • to×2
  • tu×1
  • un×3

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
e ·1·1·1 3
l 12···· 3
m 187813· 37
o 1·1·1· 3
t 211·1· 5
u ·111·· 3
Σ 221211351 54

The numbers

Genius today takes 157 points of 225 available. The average answer runs 5.3 letters.

Total points vs. all 383 recorded puzzles
59th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
70th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17359 recorded answers

422 today34.7% all-time512 today22.8% all-time611 today19.9% all-time73 today12.1% all-time85 today6.3% 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
e Friday, October 10, 2025 Friday, September 19, 2025
l Friday, October 10, 2025 Friday, October 10, 2025
m ● Friday, October 3, 2025 Wednesday, September 24, 2025
n Thursday, October 9, 2025 Thursday, October 9, 2025
o Thursday, October 9, 2025 Sunday, September 28, 2025
t Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Thursday, October 2, 2025
u Friday, October 10, 2025 Thursday, September 25, 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.