The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

BEMNOTL

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Words
52
Points
202
Genius
141
Pangram
1

Official answers

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Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • beetle

    noun — Any of numerous species of insect in the order Coleoptera characterized by a pair of hard, shell-like front wings which cover and protect a pair of rear wings when at rest.

    noun — A small car, the Volkswagen Beetle (original version made 1938–2003, similar models made 1997–2010 and since 2011)

    adjective — Protruding, jutting, overhanging. (As in beetle brows.)

    noun — A game of chance in which players attempt to complete a drawing of a beetle, different dice rolls allowing them to add the various body parts.

    verb — To move away quickly, to scurry away.

    verb — To loom over; to extend or jut.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • bell

    noun — A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.

    noun — The sounding of a bell as a signal.

    noun — A signal at a school that tells the students when a class is starting or ending.

    noun — A telephone call.

    noun — An instrument situated on a bicycle's handlebar, used by the cyclist to warn of his or her presence.

    noun — Anything shaped like a bell, such as the cup or corolla of a flower.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • belle

    noun — An attractive woman.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bellmen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • belt

    noun — A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.

    noun — A band used as a restraint for safety purposes, such as a seat belt.

    noun — (usually capitalized) A geographical region known for a particular product, feature or demographic (Corn Belt, Bible Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt).

    verb — To scream or sing in a loud manner.

    verb — To hit someone or something.

    verb — To hit a pitched ball a long distance, usually for a home run.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • betel

    noun — Either of two plants often used in combination:

    noun — A quid (chewing preparation) containing these and other plant materials; paan.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • blob

    noun — A shapeless or amorphous mass; a vague shape or amount, especially of a liquid or semisolid substance; a clump, group or collection that lacks definite shape.

    verb — To drop in the form of a blob or blobs

    noun — Acronym of binary large object. (a data type that allows storage of binary data often of indeterminate length).

    noun — In astronomy, a large cloud of gas. In particular, an extended Lyman-Alpha blob is a huge body of gas that may be the precursor to a galaxy.

    noun — A bubble; a bleb.

    noun — A small freshwater fish (Cottus bairdii); the miller's thumb.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bloom

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • blot

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • blotto

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bobble

    noun — Elasticated band used for securing hair (for instance in a ponytail), a hair tie

    noun — A furry ball attached on top of a hat.

    noun — A pill (a ball formed on the surface of the fabric, as on laundered clothes).

    verb — To make a mistake in.

    verb — To bob up and down.

    noun — A wobbling motion.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • boll

    noun — The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant.

    verb — To form a boll or seed vessel; to go to seed.

    noun — An old dry measure equal to six bushels.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bolo

    noun — A long, heavy, single-edged machete.

    verb — To attack or despatch with a bolo knife.

    noun — A soldier not capable of the minimum standards of marksmanship.

    verb — To fail to meet the minimum standards of marksmanship.

    noun — A string or leather necktie secured with an ornamental slide.

    verb — To dress (somebody) in a bolo.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • bolt

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • boomlet

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bottle

    noun — A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids.

    noun — The contents of such a container.

    noun — Intoxicating liquor; alcohol.

    noun — A container with a rubber nipple used for giving liquids to infants, a baby bottle.

    noun — Nerve, courage.

    verb — To seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later consumption. Also fig.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • 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.

  • emblem

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 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.

  • ennoblement

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • lemon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • lent

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • lento

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lobe

    noun — Any projection or division, especially one of a somewhat rounded form.

    noun — A clear division of an organ that can be determined at the gross anatomy level, especially one of the parts of the brain, liver or lung.

    noun — A semicircular pattern left on the ice as the skater travels across it.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lobo

    noun — A wolf.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • loll

    verb — To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease.

    verb — To hang extended from the mouth, like the tongue of an animal heated from exertion.

    verb — To let (the tongue) hang from the mouth in this way.

    Appeared in 28 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 23 recorded puzzles.

  • loot

    noun — A kind of scoop or ladle, chiefly used to remove the scum from brine-pans in saltworks.

    noun — The act of plundering.

    verb — To steal, especially as part of war, riot or other group violence.

    noun — Plunder, booty, especially from a ransacked city.

    noun — Any prize or profit received for free, especially Christmas presents

    noun — Items dropped by defeated enemies.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • lotto

    noun — A game of chance similar to bingo

    noun — A lottery

    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.

  • 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.

  • motel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mottle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • nettle

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 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.

  • 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.

  • oleo

    noun — Margarine

    noun — The various fats and oils that go into the making of margarine.

    Appeared in 19 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.

  • tell

    verb — To convey by speech; to say.

    verb — To narrate.

    verb — To instruct or inform.

    verb — To order; to direct, to say to someone.

    verb — To reveal.

    verb — To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • toll

    noun — Loss or damage incurred through a disaster.

    verb — To impose a fee for the use of.

    noun — The act or sound of tolling

    verb — To ring (a bell) slowly and repeatedly.

    verb — To draw; pull; tug; drag.

    verb — To take away; to vacate; to annul.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • tool

    noun — A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.

    verb — To work on or shape with tools, e.g., hand-tooled leather.

    noun — Equipment used in a profession, e.g., tools of the trade.

    noun — Something to perform an operation; an instrument; a means.

    noun — A piece of software used to develop software or hardware, or to perform low-level operations.

    noun — A person or group which is used or controlled, usually unwittingly, by another person or group.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • tootle

    verb — To go (somewhere); to amble aimlessly.

    verb — To make a soft toot sound.

    verb — To play (a musical instrument) making such a sound.

    noun — A soft toot sound.

    noun — A trip or excursion.

    verb — To transport (someone somewhere).

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • be×6
  • bl×4
  • bo×6
  • el×1
  • em×1
  • en×2
  • le×3
  • lo×8
  • me×4
  • mo×6
  • ne×1
  • no×3
  • ol×1
  • om×2
  • te×1
  • to×3

Words by first letter and length

4567811Σ
b 7342·· 16
e ··12·1 4
l 83···· 11
m 433··· 10
n 111·1· 4
o 1·1·1· 3
t 3·1··· 4
Σ 241011421 52

The numbers

Genius today takes 141 points of 202 available. The average answer runs 5.1 letters.

Total points vs. all 381 recorded puzzles
47th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
65th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17278 recorded answers

424 today34.6% all-time510 today22.8% all-time611 today19.9% all-time74 today12.1% all-time82 today6.3% all-time92.6% all-time101.2% 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 Wednesday, November 19, 2025 Sunday, October 12, 2025
e Thursday, November 20, 2025 Thursday, November 20, 2025
l ● Sunday, November 16, 2025 Saturday, November 1, 2025
m Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Tuesday, November 18, 2025
n Saturday, November 22, 2025 Monday, November 17, 2025
o Saturday, November 22, 2025 Saturday, November 22, 2025
t Saturday, November 22, 2025 Friday, November 7, 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. lilt 20
  24. till 20
  25. tilt 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.