The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

FILNTYA

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Words
68
Points
347
Genius
242
Pangrams
3

Official answers

Show the 68 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • affiant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • affinity

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • alfalfa

    noun — A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.

    noun — A type or breed of this plant.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • alit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • allay

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • ally

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • anal

    adjective — Of a person, compulsive and stubborn, obsessed with neatness and accuracy, supposedly from not having progressed beyond the anal stage.

    adjective — Of, related to, intended for or involving the anus.

    adjective — Of the stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is alleged to be concentrated on the anal region.

    noun — Anal sex.

    noun — Any of the anal scales of a reptile.

    adjective — (of a vein) Proximate to the thorax.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • anally

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • annal

    noun — The record of a single event or item.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • anti

    adjective — Opposed to something.

    noun — A person opposed to a concept or principle.

    preposition — Alternative form of anti-

    adjective — That has a torsion angle between 90° and 180°

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • antifa

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • atilt

    adjective — At an angle from the vertical or horizontal.

    adverb — At an angle from the vertical or horizontal; at the point of falling over.

    preposition — Diagonally over or across.

    adverb — Tilting or as if tilting (charging with a lance, like a knight on horseback in a joust).

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • attain

    verb — To gain (an object or desired result).

    verb — To reach or come to, by progression or motion; to arrive at (a place, time, state, etc.).

    verb — To reach in excellence or degree.

    verb — To come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc.

    verb — To get at the knowledge of.

    verb — To reach a person after being behind them.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • fail

    noun — Poor quality; substandard workmanship.

    verb — To be unsuccessful.

    adjective — That is a failure.

    noun — A piece of turf cut from grassland.

    noun — A failure (condition of being unsuccessful)

    noun — A failure (something incapable of success)

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • faint

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • faintly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • fall

    noun — The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.

    verb — (heading) To be moved downwards.

    noun — The chasing of a hunted whale.

    noun — A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.

    noun — The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.

    noun — A loss of greatness or status.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • fanny

    noun — The female genitalia.

    noun — (naval slang) Mess kettle or cooking pot.

    noun — The buttocks; arguably the most nearly polite of several euphemisms.

    noun — Sexual intercourse with a woman.

    noun — Women viewed as sexual objects.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fantail

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fatal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • fatality

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fatally

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fatly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • fatty

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • fiat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • filial

    adjective — Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.

    adjective — Respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents.

    adjective — Of a generation or generations descending from a specific previous one.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • filially

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • final

    noun — A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class.

    adjective — Last; ultimate.

    noun — The last round, game or match in a contest, after which the winner is determined.

    noun — A contest that narrows a field of contestants (finalists) to ranked positions, usually in numbered places (1st place/prize, 2nd place/prize, etc.) or a winner and numbered runners-up (1st runner-up, etc.).

    noun — The final part of a syllable, the combination of medial and rime in phonetics and phonology.

    noun — The tonic or keynote of a Gregorian mode, and hence the final note of any conventional melody played in that mode.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • finality

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • finally

    adverb — At the end or conclusion; ultimately.

    adverb — (sequence) To finish (with); lastly (in the present).

    adverb — (manner) Definitively, comprehensively.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • finial

    noun — The knot or bunch of foliage, or foliated ornament, that forms the upper extremity of a pinnacle in Gothic architecture.

    noun — Any decorative fitting at the peak of a gable, or on the top of a flagpole, fence post or staircase newel post.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • flail

    noun — A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.

    verb — To beat using a flail or similar implement.

    noun — A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.

    verb — To wave or swing vigorously

    verb — To thresh.

    verb — To move like a flail.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • flan

    noun — Baked tart with sweet or savoury filling in an open-topped pastry case. (Compare quiche.)

    noun — A fan of the U.S. TV series Firefly.

    noun — (Belize) A dessert of congealed custard, often topped with caramel, especially popular in Spanish-speaking countries.

    noun — A coin die. (Compare planchet.)

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • flat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • flatly

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • flay

    noun — A fright; a scare.

    verb — To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening).

    verb — To strip skin off

    noun — Fear; a source of fear; a formidable matter; a fearsome or repellent-looking individual.

    verb — To frighten; scare; terrify.

    verb — To be fear-stricken.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • inanity

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • infant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • infantility

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • initial

    adjective — Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.

    noun — In plural, the first letter of each word of a person's full name considered as a unit.

    noun — The first letter of a word or a name.

    verb — To sign one's initial(s), as an abbreviated signature.

    noun — A distinguished initial letter of a chapter or section of a document.

    adjective — Spatially first, placed at the beginning, in the first position; especially said of the first letter of a word.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • initially

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • inlay

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • lain

    verb — To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.

    verb — To be placed or situated.

    verb — To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition.

    verb — Used with with: to have sexual relations with.

    verb — Used with in: to be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist.

    verb — Used with on/upon: to be incumbent (on); to be the responsibility of a person.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • laity

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • lanai

    noun — (Florida) A Hawaiian-style roofed patio.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • lantana

    noun — Any member of the genus Lantana of perennial verbenas with aromatic flower clusters.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • litany

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • naan

    noun — A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.

    Appeared in 30 recorded puzzles.

  • naif

    noun — One who is naive.

    adjective — Naive.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • nail

    noun — The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.

    noun — A spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials. The nail is generally driven through two or more layers of material by means of impacts from a hammer or other device. It is then held in place by friction.

    verb — To fix (an object) to another object using a nail.

    verb — To drive a nail.

    verb — To nail down: to make certain, or confirm.

    verb — To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • nana

    noun — (term of endearment) one's grandmother

    noun — A banana

    noun — A fool

    noun — A nanny

    Appeared in 30 recorded puzzles.

  • nanny

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • natal

    adjective — Of or relating to birth.

    adjective — Of or relating to the buttocks.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • natality

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • natant

    adjective — Floating or swimming (in water)

    adjective — In a horizontal position, as if swimming

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • nattily

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • natty

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • taffy

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • tail

    noun — The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.

    noun — The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything.

    noun — (chiefly in the plural) The side of a coin not bearing the head; normally the side on which the monetary value of the coin is indicated; the reverse.

    noun — The tail-end of an object, e.g. the rear of an aircraft's fuselage, containing the tailfin.

    verb — To follow and observe surreptitiously.

    noun — The latter part of a time period or event, or (collectively) persons or objects represented in this part.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • taint

    verb — To contaminate or corrupt (something) with an external agent, either physically or morally.

    noun — A mark of disgrace, especially on one's character; blemish

    noun — A contamination, decay or putrefaction, especially in food

    verb — To spoil (food) by contamination.

    noun — Infection; corruption; deprivation

    noun — A marker indicating that a variable is unsafe and should be subjected to additional security checks.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • tali

    noun — The bone of the ankle.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • tall

    adjective — (of a person) Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.

    adjective — (of a building, etc.) Having its top a long way up; having a great vertical (and often greater than horizontal) extent; high.

    adjective — (of a story) Hard to believe, such as a tall story or a tall tale.

    adjective — (of a cup of coffee) A cup of coffee smaller than grande, usually 8 ounces.

    noun — (possibly nonstandard) Someone or something that is tall.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • tallit

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • tally

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • tannin

    noun — Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • tatty

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tiffany

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • titan

    noun — Something or someone of very large stature, greatness, or godliness.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

faintly is a perfect pangram — all seven letters, each used exactly once.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • af×2
  • al×4
  • an×5
  • at×2
  • fa×11
  • fi×7
  • fl×5
  • in×6
  • la×4
  • li×1
  • na×10
  • ta×9
  • ti×2

Words by first letter and length

45678911Σ
a 43321·· 13
f 67343·· 23
i ·112·11 6
l 1211··· 5
n 43111·· 10
t 3521··· 11
Σ 18211111511 68

The numbers

Genius today takes 242 points of 347 available. The average answer runs 5.6 letters.

Total points vs. all 387 recorded puzzles
95th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
95th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17524 recorded answers

418 today34.6% all-time521 today22.8% all-time611 today19.9% all-time711 today12.1% all-time85 today6.3% all-time91 today2.6% 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
a ● Monday, January 19, 2026 Thursday, January 8, 2026
f Friday, January 16, 2026 Sunday, January 4, 2026
i Sunday, January 18, 2026 Thursday, January 15, 2026
l Monday, January 19, 2026 Tuesday, December 9, 2025
n Sunday, January 18, 2026 Friday, January 2, 2026
t Sunday, January 18, 2026 Tuesday, January 6, 2026
y Saturday, January 17, 2026 Saturday, January 17, 2026

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.