The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

BEFGINT

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Words
49
Points
278
Genius
194
Pangrams
3

Official answers

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Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • beet

    noun — A beetroot, a swollen root of such a plant.

    noun — Beta vulgaris, a plant with a swollen root which is eaten or used to make sugar.

    verb — To improve; to mend.

    verb — To kindle a fire.

    verb — To rouse.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • befit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • befitting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • beget

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • begetting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • beignet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • benefit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • benefiting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • benefitting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • betting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bite

    verb — To cut into something by clamping the teeth.

    noun — The act of biting.

    noun — The swelling of one's skin caused by an insect's mouthparts or sting.

    noun — A piece of food of a size that would be produced by biting; a mouthful.

    verb — To attack with the teeth.

    verb — (of an insect) To sting.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • biting

    verb — To cut into something by clamping the teeth.

    noun — An instance of something being bitten.

    adjective — Causing a stinging sensation.

    verb — To hold something by clamping one's teeth.

    verb — To attack with the teeth.

    verb — To behave aggressively; to reject advances.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bitten

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • effete

    adjective — Decadent, weak through self-indulgence.

    adjective — (of a person) Affected, overrefined

    adjective — Lacking strength or vitality; feeble, powerless, impotent.

    adjective — Of substances, quantities etc: exhausted, spent, worn-out.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • entente

    noun — An informal alliance or friendly understanding between two states.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • feet

    noun — Specifically, a human foot, which is found below the ankle and is used for standing and walking.

    noun — A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg.

    noun — A unit of measure equal to twelve inches or one third of a yard, equal to exactly 30.48 centimetres.

    noun — The base or bottom of anything.

    noun — A short foot-like projection on the bottom of an object to support it.

    noun — (often used attributively) Travel by walking.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • feint

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • feinting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fete

    noun — A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.

    noun — A feast, celebration or carnival.

    verb — (usually in the passive) To celebrate (a person).

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • feting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fifteen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • finite

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fitting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • gent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • getting

    verb — (ditransitive) To obtain; to acquire.

    noun — The act of obtaining or acquiring; acquisition.

    verb — To receive.

    verb — (in a perfect construction, with present-tense meaning) To have. See usage notes.

    verb — To fetch, bring, take.

    verb — To become, or cause oneself to become.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • gift

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • gifting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • ignite

    verb — To set fire to (something), to light (something)

    verb — To spark off (something), to trigger

    verb — To commence burning.

    verb — To subject to the action of intense heat; to heat strongly; often said of incombustible or infusible substances.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • igniting

    verb — To set fire to (something), to light (something)

    verb — To spark off (something), to trigger

    verb — To commence burning.

    verb — To subject to the action of intense heat; to heat strongly; often said of incombustible or infusible substances.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • infinite

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • intent

    noun — A purpose; something that is intended.

    adjective — Firmly fixed or concentrated on something.

    noun — The state of someone’s mind at the time of committing an offence.

    adjective — Engrossed.

    adjective — Unwavering from a course of action.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • netting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • nineteen

    numeral — The cardinal number occurring after eighteen and before twenty, represented in Roman numerals as XIX and in Arabic numerals as 19. It is the last/largest of the "teens".

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • nite

    noun — The period between sunset and sunrise, when a location faces far away from the sun, thus when the sky is dark.

    noun — (Astronomy) The period of darkness beginning at the end of evening astronomical twilight when the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon, and ending at the beginning of morning astronomical twilight.

    noun — (Legal) Often defined in the legal system as beginning 30 minutes after sunset, and ending 30 minutes before sunrise.

    noun — An evening or night spent at a particular activity.

    noun — A night (and part of the days before and after it) spent in a place away from home, e.g. a hotel.

    noun — Nightfall.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • teeing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • teen

    noun — A teenager.

    adjective — Of or having to do with teenagers; teenage

    noun — Grief; sorrow; trouble.

    verb — To excite; to provoke; to vex; to afflict; to injure.

    verb — (provincial) To hedge or fence in; to enclose.

    noun — Vexation; anger; hate.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • teff

    noun — The fine grain of this plant.

    noun — A love grass, Eragrostis tef, with small seeds, grown as a cereal and for forage in Ethiopia and parts of Arabia.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • tenet

    noun — An opinion, belief, or principle that is held as absolute truth by someone or especially an organization.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • tent

    noun — A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins, canvas, or some strong cloth, stretched and sustained by poles, used for sheltering people from the weather.

    verb — To go camping.

    noun — Attention; regard, care.

    verb — To attend to; to heed

    noun — A roll of lint or linen, or a conical or cylindrical piece of sponge or other absorbent, used chiefly to dilate a natural canal, to keep open the orifice of a wound, or to absorb discharges.

    verb — (sometimes figurative) To probe or to search with a tent; to keep open with a tent.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • tenting

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tiff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • tine

    noun — A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.

    adjective — Small, diminutive

    noun — Trouble; distress; teen.

    verb — To kindle; to set on fire.

    verb — To shut in, or enclose.

    noun — A small branch, especially on an antler or horn.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • tinge

    noun — A small added amount of colour; (by extension) a small added amount of some other thing.

    verb — To add a small amount of colour; to tint; (by extension) to add a small amount of some other thing.

    noun — The degree of vividness of a colour; hue, shade, tint.

    verb — To affect or alter slightly, particularly due to the actual or metaphorical influence of some element or thing.

    verb — To change slightly in shade due to the addition of colour; (by extension) to change slightly in quality due to the addition of some other thing.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tingeing

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tinging

    verb — To add a small amount of colour; to tint; (by extension) to add a small amount of some other thing.

    verb — To make a high sharp sound like a small bell being struck.

    verb — To affect or alter slightly, particularly due to the actual or metaphorical influence of some element or thing.

    verb — To change slightly in shade due to the addition of colour; (by extension) to change slightly in quality due to the addition of some other thing.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tinning

    verb — To place into a tin in order to preserve.

    noun — A covering or lining of tin.

    verb — To cover with tin.

    verb — To coat with solder in preparation for soldering.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • tint

    verb — To shade, to color.

    noun — A slight coloring.

    noun — A pale or faint tinge of any color; especially, a variation of a color obtained by adding white (contrast shade)

    noun — A color considered with reference to other very similar colors.

    noun — A shaded effect in engraving, produced by the juxtaposition of many fine parallel lines.

    Appeared in 22 recorded puzzles.

  • tinting

    verb — To shade, to color.

    noun — The application of a tint or shade of color.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • be×11
  • bi×3
  • ef×1
  • en×1
  • fe×5
  • fi×3
  • ge×2
  • gi×2
  • ig×2
  • in×2
  • ne×1
  • ni×2
  • te×6
  • ti×8

Words by first letter and length

4567891011Σ
b 3223·211 14
e ··11···· 2
f 21221··· 8
g 2··2···· 4
i ··2·2··· 4
n 1··11··· 3
t 62141··· 14
Σ 1458135211 49

The numbers

Genius today takes 194 points of 278 available. The average answer runs 6.1 letters.

Total points vs. all 429 recorded puzzles
79th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
57th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19363 recorded answers

414 today34.5% all-time55 today23.0% all-time68 today20.0% all-time713 today12.0% all-time85 today6.3% all-time92 today2.6% all-time101 today1.2% all-time111 today0.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
b Friday, October 17, 2025 Sunday, October 12, 2025
e Saturday, October 18, 2025 Friday, September 19, 2025
f Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Wednesday, October 1, 2025
g Tuesday, October 14, 2025 Wednesday, September 3, 2025
i Friday, October 17, 2025 Tuesday, September 30, 2025
n Saturday, October 18, 2025 Thursday, October 9, 2025
t ● Thursday, October 16, 2025 Thursday, October 16, 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 27
  8. mamma 27
  9. nene 26
  10. acacia 25
  11. acai 25
  12. cocoon 24
  13. onto 24
  14. toon 24
  15. mini 24
  16. minim 24
  17. loon 24
  18. olio 24
  19. aria 23
  20. imam 23
  21. maim 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.