The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ACILPTN

Friday, June 12, 2026

Words
60
Points
306
Genius
214
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 60 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • antic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • anticipant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • apian

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • applicant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • 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.

  • canal

    noun — An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.

    noun — A tubular channel within the body.

    verb — To dig an artificial waterway in or to (a place), especially for drainage

    verb — To travel along a canal by boat

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • cancan

    noun — A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.

    verb — To dance the cancan.

    noun — (motocross) A trick where one leg is brought over the seat, so that both legs are on one side.

    Appeared in 21 recorded puzzles.

  • canna

    noun — Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.

    noun — A measure of length in Italy, varying from six to seven feet.

    Appeared in 21 recorded puzzles.

  • cant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • cantata

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 12 recorded puzzles.

  • cantina

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • captain

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • catnap

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • catnip

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • clan

    noun — A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief.

    noun — Any group defined by family ties with some sort of political unity.

    noun — A group of players who habitually play on the same team in multiplayer games.

    noun — A traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain

    noun — A badger colony.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • clinic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • clinical

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • clinician

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • inapt

    adjective — Unapt

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • incant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • 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.

  • intact

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 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.

  • 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.

  • lint

    noun — Clinging fuzzy fluff that clings to fabric or accumulates in one's pockets or navel etc.

    verb — To perform a static check on (source code) to detect stylistic or programmatic errors.

    noun — A fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth; used for dressing wounds.

    noun — The fibrous coat of thick hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant.

    noun — Raw cotton ready for baling.

    Appeared in 12 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.

  • 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.

  • natal

    adjective — Of or relating to birth.

    adjective — Of or relating to the buttocks.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • natant

    adjective — Floating or swimming (in water)

    adjective — In a horizontal position, as if swimming

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • niacin

    noun — A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • pain

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • paint

    noun — A substance that is applied as a liquid or paste, and dries into a solid coating that protects or adds color/colour to an object or surface to which it has been applied.

    verb — To apply paint to.

    noun — (in the plural) A set of containers or blocks of paint of different colors/colours, used for painting pictures.

    noun — Makeup.

    verb — To depict or portray.

    verb — To create (an image) with paints.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • panic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • panini

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • pant

    noun — A pair of pants (trousers or underpants).

    verb — To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion or from eagerness or excitement; to respire with heaving of the breast; to gasp.

    noun — A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp.

    noun — Eager longing.

    verb — To long eagerly; to desire earnestly.

    verb — To long for (something); to be eager for (something).

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • patina

    noun — The colour or incrustation which age and wear give to (mainly metallic) objects; especially, the green rust which covers works of art such as ancient bronzes, coins and medals.

    noun — A gloss or superficial layer.

    noun — A green colour, tinted with grey, like that of bronze patina.

    adjective — Of a green colour, tinted with grey, like that of bronze patina.

    noun — A paten, flat type of dish

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • picnic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • pinata

    noun — (Latin American culture) A doll or other decorated container that is filled with candy and hit with a hammer or a stick by blindfolded children during birthday parties or other celebrations until the candy falls out.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • pint

    noun — A unit of volume, equivalent to:

    noun — (metonymy) A glass of beer or cider, served by the pint.

    noun — (metonym) A pint of milk.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • pintail

    noun — A pintail duck, a type of dabbling duck with a characteristic pointed tail.

    noun — A surfboard with a pointed back end.

    noun — A pin-tailed snipe, Gallinago stenura.

    noun — The end of a fastening pin or mandrel on a Huckbolt or pop rivet that is broken off when installation is complete.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • pippin

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • plain

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • plaint

    noun — A complaint.

    noun — A lament or woeful cry.

    noun — An accusation.

    noun — A sad song.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • plan

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • plant

    noun — An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree.

    verb — To place (a seed or plant) in soil or other substrate in order that it may live and grow.

    noun — A factory or other industrial or institutional building or facility.

    noun — An object placed surreptitiously in order to cause suspicion to fall upon a person.

    noun — Anyone assigned to behave as a member of the public during a covert operation (as in a police investigation).

    verb — To place (an object, or sometimes a person), often with the implication of intending deceit.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • plantain

    noun — A plant in the genus Musa, the genus that includes banana, but with lower sugar content than banana.

    noun — The fruit of the plant, usually cooked before eating and used like potatoes.

    noun — A plant of the genus Plantago, with a rosette of sessile leaves about 10 cm long with a narrow part instead of a petiole, and with a spike inflorescence with the flower spacing varying widely among the species. See also psyllium.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • pliant

    adjective — Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to force or pressure without breaking

    adjective — Easily influenced; tractable.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • tactician

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 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.

  • tannic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • tannin

    noun — Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • tinct

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 13 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 16 recorded puzzles.

  • titan

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

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • titanic

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • an×5
  • ap×2
  • at×1
  • ca×9
  • cl×4
  • in×4
  • la×3
  • li×1
  • na×5
  • ni×1
  • pa×6
  • pi×5
  • pl×6
  • ta×4
  • ti×4

Words by first letter and length

45678910Σ
a 231··11 8
c 224311· 13
i ·121··· 4
l 21·1··· 4
n 312···· 6
p 44711·· 17
t 1321·1· 8
Σ 1415187231 60

The numbers

Genius today takes 214 points of 306 available. The average answer runs 5.7 letters.

Total points vs. all 378 recorded puzzles
88th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
83rd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 17142 recorded answers

414 today34.5% all-time515 today22.8% all-time618 today20.0% all-time77 today12.1% all-time82 today6.3% all-time93 today2.5% all-time101 today1.2% 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, June 7, 2026 Wednesday, June 3, 2026
c Wednesday, June 10, 2026 Sunday, June 7, 2026
i Wednesday, June 10, 2026 Monday, June 1, 2026
l Thursday, June 11, 2026 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
n ● Wednesday, June 10, 2026 Thursday, May 7, 2026
p Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Monday, May 18, 2026
t Thursday, June 11, 2026 Monday, May 25, 2026

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.