The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ACEFLTU

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Words
42
Points
196
Genius
137
Pangrams
2

Official answers

Show the 42 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • actual

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • actuate

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • acute

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • calculate

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • caul

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cellule

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • clue

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • cuff

    noun — Glove; mitten

    verb — To furnish with cuffs.

    noun — A blow, especially with the open hand; a box; a slap.

    verb — To hit, as a reproach, particularly with the open palm to the head; to slap.

    noun — The scruff of the neck.

    noun — The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cull

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • cult

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • cute

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • cutlet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cuttle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • effectual

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • effectuate

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • factual

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • fateful

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • faucet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • fault

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • flauta

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • fluctuate

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • flue

    noun — A pipe or duct that carries gaseous combustion products away from the point of combustion (such as a furnace).

    noun — An enclosed passageway in which to direct air or other gaseous current along.

    noun — In an organ flue pipe, the opening between the lower lip and the languet.

    noun — A woolly or downy substance; down, nap; a piece of this.

    adjective — Shallow; flat

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • fluff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • flute

    noun — A woodwind instrument consisting of a tube with a row of holes that produce sound through vibrations caused by air blown across the edge of the holes, often tuned by plugging one or more holes with a finger; the Western concert flute, a transverse side-blown flute of European origin.

    verb — To play on a flute.

    noun — A glass with a long, narrow bowl and a long stem, used for drinking wine, especially champagne.

    noun — A recorder, also a woodwind instrument.

    noun — A long French bread roll, baguette.

    noun — A lengthwise groove, such as one of the lengthwise grooves on a classical column, or a groove on a cutting tool (such as a drill bit, endmill, or reamer), which helps to form both a cutting edge and a channel through which chips can escape

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fuel

    noun — Substance consumed to provide energy through combustion, or through chemical or nuclear reaction.

    verb — To provide with fuel.

    noun — Something that stimulates, encourages or maintains an action.

    verb — To exacerbate, to cause to grow or become greater.

    noun — Substance that provides nourishment for a living organism; food.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • full

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lettuce

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • luau

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

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • luff

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lull

    noun — A period of rest or soothing.

    verb — To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm

    noun — A period of reduced activity; a respite

    noun — A period without waves or wind.

    noun — An extended pause between sets of waves.

    verb — To become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • lulu

    noun — A remarkable person, object or idea.

    noun — A very attractive or alluring person.

    noun — A very bad mistake or error.

    noun — A fixed allowance paid to a legislator in lieu of reimbursement for actual expenses.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • lute

    noun — A fretted stringed instrument of European origin, similar to the guitar, having a bowl-shaped body or soundbox; any of a wide variety of chordophones with a pear-shaped body and a neck whose upper surface is in the same plane as the soundboard, with strings along the neck and parallel to the soundboard.

    noun — Thick sticky clay or cement used to close up a hole or gap, especially to make something air-tight.

    verb — To play on a lute, or as if on a lute.

    noun — A packing ring, as of rubber, for fruit jars, etc.

    noun — (brickmaking) A straight-edged piece of wood for striking off superfluous clay from earth.

    verb — To fix or fasten something with lute.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • luteal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tactful

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tactual

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • taut

    adjective — Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.

    adjective — (of a body, muscles, etc.) Not flabby; firm, toned; (of a person) having a lean, strong body.

    adjective — (of music, writing, etc.) Containing only relevant parts; brief and controlled.

    adjective — (of a sailor, a ship, etc.) Neat and well-disciplined; (by extension) efficient and in order.

    adjective — Experiencing anxiety or stress.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • tuffet

    noun — (furniture) A large cushion which may have an internal frame, used as a low seat or stool.

    noun — A clump of grass or similar vegetation.

    noun — An inflatable cushion serving as landing area for precision accuracy parachuting.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tuft

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tulle

    noun — A kind of silk lace or light netting, used for clothing, veils, etc.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • tutee

    noun — A student of a tutor.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tutu

    noun — A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.

    noun — Any of the genus Coriaria of shrubs and trees found in New Zealand.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • ululate

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ac×3
  • ca×2
  • ce×1
  • cl×1
  • cu×6
  • ef×2
  • fa×4
  • fl×5
  • fu×2
  • le×1
  • lu×6
  • ta×3
  • tu×5
  • ul×1

Words by first letter and length

4567910Σ
a ·111·· 3
c 6·211· 10
e ····11 2
f 33221· 11
l 5·11·· 7
t 3212·· 8
u ···1·· 1
Σ 1767831 42

The numbers

Genius today takes 137 points of 196 available. The average answer runs 5.5 letters.

Total points vs. all 389 recorded puzzles
45th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
43rd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17598 recorded answers

417 today34.6% all-time56 today22.8% all-time67 today19.9% all-time78 today12.1% all-time86.3% all-time93 today2.6% all-time101 today1.3% all-time110.3% all-time120.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
a Saturday, November 1, 2025 Thursday, October 23, 2025
c Friday, October 31, 2025 Tuesday, September 16, 2025
e Monday, November 3, 2025 Friday, September 19, 2025
f Sunday, November 2, 2025 Saturday, October 25, 2025
l Saturday, November 1, 2025 Saturday, November 1, 2025
t Sunday, November 2, 2025 Sunday, November 2, 2025
u ● Monday, November 3, 2025 Thursday, September 25, 2025

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 42
  2. onion 30
  3. naan 30
  4. nana 30
  5. toot 28
  6. loll 28
  7. mama 25
  8. mamma 25
  9. cocoon 23
  10. acacia 23
  11. acai 23
  12. loon 23
  13. nene 23
  14. olio 23
  15. bill 22
  16. neon 22
  17. none 22
  18. lilt 21
  19. till 21
  20. tilt 21
  21. aria 21
  22. onto 21
  23. toon 21
  24. cancan 21
  25. canna 21

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.