The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AKLORWD

Monday, January 19, 2026

Words
31
Points
118
Genius
82
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 31 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • ardor

    noun — Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.

    noun — Spirit; enthusiasm; passion.

    noun — Intense heat.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • award

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • awkward

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • dark

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • dodo

    noun — A large, flightless bird, †Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct (since the 1600s) and was native to Mauritius.

    noun — A person or organisation which is very old or has very old-fashioned views or is not willing to change and adapt.

    noun — Fried plantain.

    Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.

  • doll

    noun — A toy in the form of a human.

    noun — A term of endearment: darling, sweetheart.

    noun — (sometimes offensive) An attractive young woman

    noun — A dollar.

    noun — (now possibly offensive) A good-natured, cooperative or helpful girl.

    noun — The smallest or pet pig in a litter.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • dollar

    noun — Official designation for currency in some parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. Its symbol is $.

    noun — (by extension) Money generally.

    noun — Imported from the United States, and paid for in U.S. dollars. (Note: distinguish "dollar wheat", North American farmers' slogan, meaning a market price of one dollar per bushel.)

    noun — A quarter of a pound or one crown, historically minted as a coin of approximately the same size and composition as a then-contemporary dollar coin of the United States, and worth slightly more.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • dolor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • doodad

    noun — A thing (used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall); especially an unspecified gadget, device, or part.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • door

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • dorado

    noun — Coryphaena hippurus, the mahi-mahi or dolphin, a species of fish with a dorsal fin that runs the length of the body, also known for iridescent coloration.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • dork

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • draw

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • drawl

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • droll

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • drool

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • lard

    noun — Fat from the abdomen of a pig, especially as prepared for use in cooking or pharmacy.

    verb — To garnish or strew, especially with reference to words or phrases in speech and writing.

    verb — To stuff (meat) with bacon or pork before cooking.

    noun — Fatty meat from a pig; bacon, pork.

    verb — To smear with fat or lard.

    verb — To fatten; to enrich.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • load

    noun — A burden; a weight to be carried.

    noun — (often in the plural) A large number or amount.

    noun — A quantity of washing put into a washing machine for a wash cycle.

    verb — To put a load on or in (a means of conveyance or a place of storage).

    verb — To insert (an item or items) into an apparatus so as to ready it for operation, such as a reel of film into a camera, sheets of paper into a printer etc.

    noun — A certain number of articles or quantity of material that can be transported or processed at one time.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lord

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • odor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • radar

    noun — A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of sent radio waves (usually microwaves) reflected from their surfaces

    verb — To scan with radar, or as if with radar.

    noun — A type of system using such method, differentiated by platform, configuration, frequency, power, and other technical attributes.

    noun — A superior ability to detect something.

    noun — An installation of such a system or of the transmitting and receiving apparatus.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • road

    noun — A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.

    noun — A path chosen in life or career.

    adjective — At the venue of the opposing team or competitor; on the road.

    noun — A journey, or stage of a journey.

    noun — A road; or particularly a car, as a means of transportation.

    noun — (often in the plural) A partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor; a roadstead.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • roadwork

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • rood

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • ward

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • warlord

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • wood

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • woodwork

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • word

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • workload

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • world

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ar×1
  • aw×2
  • da×1
  • do×8
  • dr×4
  • la×1
  • lo×2
  • od×1
  • ra×1
  • ro×3
  • wa×2
  • wo×5

Words by first letter and length

45678Σ
a ·2·1· 3
d 643·· 13
l 3···· 3
o 1···· 1
r 21··1 4
w 31·12 7
Σ 158323 31

The numbers

Genius today takes 82 points of 118 available. The average answer runs 5.0 letters.

Total points vs. all 378 recorded puzzles
10th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
17th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17142 recorded answers

415 today34.5% all-time58 today22.8% all-time63 today20.0% all-time72 today12.1% all-time83 today6.3% all-time92.5% 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
a Sunday, January 18, 2026 Thursday, January 8, 2026
d ● Sunday, January 18, 2026 Thursday, December 4, 2025
k Monday, January 5, 2026 Friday, November 14, 2025
l Saturday, January 17, 2026 Tuesday, December 9, 2025
o Saturday, January 17, 2026 Wednesday, January 14, 2026
r Saturday, January 17, 2026 Saturday, January 10, 2026
w Thursday, January 15, 2026 Friday, October 31, 2025

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 41
  2. naan 30
  3. nana 30
  4. onion 28
  5. toot 27
  6. loll 27
  7. mama 24
  8. mamma 24
  9. cocoon 23
  10. nene 23
  11. acacia 22
  12. acai 22
  13. bill 22
  14. loon 22
  15. aria 21
  16. onto 21
  17. toon 21
  18. cancan 21
  19. canna 21
  20. neon 21
  21. none 21
  22. olio 21
  23. anon 20
  24. lull 19
  25. lulu 19

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.