The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

GINOTUB

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
40
Points
218
Genius
152
Pangrams
2

Official answers

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Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • bigot

    noun — One who is narrow-mindedly devoted to one's own ideas and groups, and intolerant of (people of) differing ideas, races, genders, religions, politics, etc.

    noun — One who is overly pious in matters of religion, often hypocritically or else superstitiously so.

  • binging

    verb — To engage in a short period of excessive consumption, especially of excessive alcohol consumption.

    verb — To go; walk; come; run

    verb — Making the sound of a bounce

    verb — To bounce

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bingo

    noun — A game of chance for two or more players, who mark off numbers on a grid as they are announced by the caller; the game is won by the first person to call out "bingo!" or "house!" after crossing off all numbers on the grid or in one line of the grid.

    verb — To play the game of bingo.

    adjective — Just sufficient to return to base (or, alternatively, to divert to an alternative airfield). (also written Bingo or BINGO)

    interjection — Used by players of bingo to claim a win.

    noun — Brandy.

    noun — A win in such a game.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • binning

    verb — To dispose of (something) by putting it into a bin, or as if putting it into a bin.

    noun — A data pre-processing technique in which original data values fall into a small interval ("bin") and are replaced by a value representative of that interval, often the central value. Wp

    verb — To throw away, reject, give up.

    verb — To convert continuous data into discrete groups.

    verb — To place into a bin for storage.

    noun — The process of grouping reads or contigs and assigning them to operational taxonomic units. Wp

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • biotin

    noun — A sulfur-containing member of the vitamin B complex, 5-[(3aS,4S,6aR)-2-oxohexahydro-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazol-4-yl]pentanoic acid, found in liver, egg yolk, milk and yeast, essential to the activity of multiple enzyme systems.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • biting

    verb — To cut into something by clamping the teeth.

    noun — An instance of something being bitten.

    adjective — Causing a stinging sensation.

    verb — To hold something by clamping one's teeth.

    verb — To attack with the teeth.

    verb — To behave aggressively; to reject advances.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bobbin

    noun — A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.

    noun — In a sewing machine, the small spool that holds the lower thread.

    noun — The little rounded piece of wood at the end of a latch string, which is pulled to raise the latch.

    noun — (haberdashery) A fine cord or narrow braid.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • bobbing

    verb — To move gently and vertically, in either a single motion or repeatedly up and down, at or near the surface of a body of water, or similar medium.

    verb — To cut (hair) into a bob haircut.

    noun — The motion of something that bobs.

    verb — To move (something) as though it were bobbing in water.

    verb — To curtsy.

    verb — To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bogging

    verb — (now often with "down") To sink or submerge someone or something into bogland.

    verb — To provoke, to bug.

    verb — (usually with "off") To go away.

    adjective — Stinking; disgusting.

    verb — To prevent or slow someone or something from making progress.

    verb — (now often with "down") To sink and stick in bogland.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • boing

    noun — The sound made by an elastic object (such as a spring) when bouncing; the sound of a bounce.

    verb — To make a boing sound or bouncing motion.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bonbon

    noun — A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.

    noun — A small, spherical savory snack or canapé.

    noun — A Christmas cracker.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • bong

    noun — The clang of a large bell.

    verb — To pull a bell.

    noun — A vessel, usually made of glass or ceramic and filled with water, used in smoking various substances; especially marijuana or pot.

    noun — A very wide piton.

    noun — (thieves' cant) A purse.

    noun — An Australian Aboriginal person.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bongo

    noun — A striped bovine mammal found in Africa, Tragelaphus eurycerus.

    noun — Either of a pair of small drums of Cuban origin, played by beating with the hands.

    verb — To play the bongo drums.

    verb — Of the heart, etc.: to beat with an irregular rhythm.

    verb — To hit something rhythmically with the hands.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • boning

    verb — To prepare (meat, etc) by removing the bone or bones from.

    verb — To apprehend, steal.

    verb — To sight along an object or set of objects to check whether they are level or in line.

    noun — The removal of bones from a carcass; filleting.

    verb — To fertilize with bone.

    verb — To put whalebone into.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • bonito

    noun — Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda, that are related to and resemble the tuna.

    noun — A large tropical fish, the skipjack tuna, allied to the tunny, Katsuwonus pelamis.

    noun — The medregal (Seriola fasciata), an edible fish of the southern of the United States and the West Indies.

    noun — The cobia or crab eater (Rachycentron canadum), an edible fish of warm waters globally.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • bonobo

    noun — The pygmy chimpanzee, Pan paniscus, from Africa south of the Congo river.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • boob

    noun — Idiot, fool.

    verb — To behave stupidly; to act like a boob.

    adjective — Idiotic, foolish.

    noun — A breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent human female.

    noun — A prison; jail.

    verb — To make a mistake

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • booboo

    noun — A mistake or error.

    noun — (by or to young children) A minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.

    noun — (by or to young children) Feces.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • booing

    verb — To shout extended boos derisively.

    noun — A disapproving exclamation by a member of an audience.

    verb — To shout extended boos at, as a form of derision.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • boon

    noun — A prayer; petition.

    adjective — Good; prosperous.

    noun — The woody portion of flax, separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.

    noun — That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift or benefaction.

    noun — A good thing; a blessing or benefit; a thing to be thankful for.

    noun — An unpaid service due by a tenant to his lord.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • boot

    noun — A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.

    verb — To kick.

    noun — Remedy, amends.

    verb — To avail, benefit, profit.

    noun — The act or process of bootstrapping; the starting or re-starting of a computing device.

    verb — To bootstrap; to start a system, e.g. a computer, by invoking its boot process or bootstrap.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • booting

    verb — To kick.

    verb — To avail, benefit, profit.

    verb — To bootstrap; to start a system, e.g. a computer, by invoking its boot process or bootstrap.

    noun — A kicking, as with a booted foot.

    verb — To put boots on, especially for riding.

    verb — To apply corporal punishment (compare slippering).

  • bout

    noun — A period of something, usually painful or unpleasant.

    verb — To contest a bout.

    preposition — In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.

    noun — A boxing match.

    noun — An assault (a fencing encounter) at which the score is kept.

    noun — A roller derby match.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • bugging

    verb — To annoy.

    noun — Electronic surveillance.

    verb — To install an electronic listening device or devices in.

  • bung

    noun — A stopper, alternative to a cork, often made of rubber used to prevent fluid passing through the neck of a bottle, vat, a hole in a vessel etc.

    verb — To plug, as with a bung.

    adjective — Broken, not in working order.

    noun — (thieves' cant) A purse.

    noun — A cecum or anus, especially of a slaughter animal.

    noun — A bribe.

  • bunion

    noun — A bump or bulge on the first joint of the big toe caused by the swelling of a sac of fluid under the skin.

    noun — (by extension) Hallux valgus, deviation of the big toe from its normal position towards the other toes, the prime cause for the swelling of its first joint.

  • bunt

    noun — The middle part, cavity, or belly of a sail; the part of a furled sail which is at the center of the yard.

    verb — To push with the horns; to butt.

    noun — A push or shove; a butt.

    noun — A ball that has been intentionally hit softly so as to be difficult to field, sometimes with a hands-spread batting stance or with a close-hand, choked-up hand position. No swinging action is involved.

    noun — The act of bunting.

    noun — The second half of an outside loop, from level flight to inverted flight.

  • bunting

    noun — Strips of material used as festive decoration, especially in the colours of the national flag.

    noun — Any of various songbirds, mostly of the genus Emberiza, having short bills and brown or gray plumage.

    noun — A warm, hooded infant garment, as outerwear or sleepwear, similar to a sleeper or sleepsack; especially as baby bunting or bunting bag.

    verb — To push with the horns; to butt.

    noun — A pushing action.

    noun — A thin cloth of woven wool from which flags are made; it is light enough to spread in a gentle wind but resistant to fraying in a strong wind.

  • butt

    noun — The larger or thicker end of something; the blunt end, in distinction from the sharp or narrow end

    verb — To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut.

    noun — A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head; a head butt.

    verb — To strike bluntly, particularly with the head.

    noun — (English units) An English measure of capacity for liquids, containing 126 wine gallons which is one-half tun; equivalent to the pipe.

    noun — Any of various flatfish such as sole, plaice or turbot

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • butting

    verb — To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut.

    verb — To strike bluntly, particularly with the head.

    noun — An abuttal; a boundary.

    verb — Use the word "but".

    verb — To strike bluntly with the head.

  • button

    noun — One who adjusts, especially for the insurance industry's employment title "loss adjuster" (or "claims adjuster" in the United States).

    noun — A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener.

    noun — In a violin-family instrument, the carved wooden plug which sits in the bottom block of the instrument.

    verb — To fasten with a button.

    noun — A mechanical device meant to be pressed with a finger in order to open or close an electric circuit or to activate a mechanism.

    noun — An on-screen control that can be selected as an activator of an attached function.

  • buttoning

    verb — To fasten with a button.

    noun — A fastening with buttons.

    verb — To be fastened by a button or buttons.

    verb — To stop talking.

  • gibbon

    noun — A small ape of the family Hylobatidae with long limbs, which it uses to travel through rainforests by swinging from branch to branch.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • gibing

    verb — Alternative spelling of gybe

    noun — A gibe.

    verb — Alternative spelling of jibe

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • noob

    noun — (often pejorative) A newb or newbie; refers to the idea that someone is new to a game, concept, or idea; implying a lack of experience. Also, in some areas the word noob can mean someone is obsessed with things.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

  • nubbin

    noun — A stub, especially a stub of undeveloped corn or fruit or nipple.

    noun — A small protuberance, bud, bump or knob.

    noun — The clitoris.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • obit

    noun — Death of a person.

    noun — An obituary.

    noun — A mass or other service held for the soul of a dead person.

    noun — A record of a person's death.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • tubing

    verb — To supply with, or enclose in, a tube.

    noun — Tubes, considered as a group

    verb — To ride an inner tube.

    verb — To intubate.

    noun — A length of tube, or a system of tubes

    noun — The recreation of riding down a river on an inner tube

  • unbutton

    verb — To open (something) by undoing its buttons.

    verb — To come open by having its buttons unfastened.

  • unbuttoning

    verb — To open (something) by undoing its buttons.

    noun — An act of unfastening buttons.

    verb — To come open by having its buttons unfastened.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • bi×6
  • bo×17
  • bu×9
  • gi×2
  • no×1
  • nu×1
  • ob×1
  • tu×1
  • un×2

Words by first letter and length

45678911Σ
b 84118·1· 32
g ··2···· 2
n 1·1···· 2
o 1······ 1
t ··1···· 1
u ····1·1 2
Σ 104158111 40

The numbers

Genius today takes 152 points of 218 available. The average answer runs 5.8 letters.

Total points vs. all 424 recorded puzzles
56th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
38th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 19153 recorded answers

410 today34.4% all-time54 today22.9% all-time615 today20.0% all-time78 today12.0% all-time81 today6.2% 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
b ● Sunday, August 23, 2026 Tuesday, August 18, 2026
g Friday, August 21, 2026 Monday, August 10, 2026
i Sunday, August 23, 2026 Saturday, August 22, 2026
n Monday, August 24, 2026 Monday, August 24, 2026
o Monday, August 24, 2026 Monday, August 17, 2026
t Monday, August 24, 2026 Thursday, August 20, 2026
u Sunday, August 23, 2026 Friday, August 21, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 45
  2. naan 34
  3. nana 34
  4. onion 31
  5. toot 31
  6. loll 29
  7. mama 27
  8. mamma 27
  9. acacia 25
  10. acai 25
  11. nene 25
  12. cocoon 24
  13. mini 24
  14. minim 24
  15. loon 24
  16. olio 24
  17. aria 23
  18. imam 23
  19. maim 23
  20. mitt 23
  21. onto 23
  22. toon 23
  23. cancan 23
  24. canna 23
  25. neon 23

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.