The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

CDNORUT

Monday, September 28, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
45
Points
198
Genius
138
Pangrams
2

Official answers

Show the 45 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • coconut

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • concoct

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • conduct

    noun — The act or method of controlling or directing

    verb — To lead, or guide; to escort.

    noun — Skillful guidance or management; leadership

    noun — Behaviour; the manner of behaving

    noun — (of a literary work) plot; storyline

    noun — Convoy; escort; person who accompanies another

  • conductor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • contort

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • contour

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • coot

    noun — Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.

    noun — A foolish or eccentric fellow

    noun — (with the) A success; something excellent.

    noun — Body louse (Pediculus humanus).

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • cotton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • count

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • court

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • crouton

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • curt

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • cutout

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • doctor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • donut

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • duct

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • nonconductor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • onto

    adjective — (of a function) Assuming each of the values in its codomain; having its range equal to its codomain.

    preposition — Upon; on top of.

    preposition — Aware of.

    preposition — Being an onto function with a codomain of (see below).

    Appeared in 26 recorded puzzles.

  • orotund

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • outdo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • outdoor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • outro

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • outrun

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • root

    noun — The part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors and supports the plant body, absorbs and stores water and nutrients, and in some plants is able to perform vegetative reproduction.

    verb — To grow roots; to enter the earth, as roots; to take root and begin to grow.

    noun — An act of sexual intercourse.

    verb — To turn up or dig with the snout.

    verb — (with "for" or "on") To cheer (on); to show support (for) and hope for the success of. (See root for.)

    noun — A root vegetable.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • rotor

    noun — A rotating part of a mechanical device, for example in an electric motor, generator, alternator or pump.

    noun — The wing of a helicopter or similar aircraft.

    noun — A quantity having magnitude, direction and position.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • rotund

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • rout

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • runout

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • runt

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • toon

    noun — A cartoon, especially an animated television show.

    noun — A southeast Asian and Australian tree (Toona ciliata or Toona australis) of the mahogany family with fragrant dark red wood and flowers that yield a dye.

    noun — A town.

    noun — A melody.

    noun — A player's avatar or visible character in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

    noun — The wood of this tree.

    Appeared in 26 recorded puzzles.

  • toot

    noun — The noise of a horn or whistle.

    verb — To stand out, or be prominent.

    noun — A toilet.

    noun — (by extension) A fart; flatus.

    noun — Cocaine.

    noun — A portion of cocaine that a person snorts.

    Appeared in 33 recorded puzzles.

  • torn

    verb — To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.

    verb — To injure as if by pulling apart.

    verb — To destroy or reduce abstract unity or coherence, such as social, political or emotional.

    verb — To make (an opening) with force or energy.

    verb — (often with off or out) To remove by tearing.

    verb — (of structures, with down) To demolish

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • toro

    noun — A traditional Japanese lantern.

    noun — Rapanea salicina, a species of shrub or small tree native to New Zealand.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tort

    noun — An injury or wrong.

    adjective — Tart; sharp.

    adjective — Stretched tight; taut.

    noun — A tortoise.

    noun — A tortoiseshell (animal with coloured markings on fur).

    noun — A wrongful act, whether intentional or negligent, which causes an injury and can be remedied in civil court, usually through the awarding of damages.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • tour

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • tout

    noun — Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.

    verb — To flaunt, to publicize/publicise; to boast or brag; to promote.

    noun — In the game of solo, a proposal to win all eight tricks.

    noun — A person, at a racecourse, who offers supposedly inside information on which horse is likely to win.

    noun — A spy for a smuggler, thief, or similar.

    noun — An informer in the Irish Republican Army.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • trod

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • trot

    noun — Any of several animals related to Equus ferus caballus.

    noun — Heroin (drug).

    noun — An ugly old woman, a hag.

    verb — To move along briskly; specifically, to move at a pace between a walk and a run.

    noun — A genre of Korean pop music employing repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections.

    noun — A supporter of Trotskyism.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • trout

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • turn

    verb — (heading) to make a non-linear physical movement.

    noun — A change of direction or orientation.

    verb — (heading) To change condition or attitude.

    verb — To change one's course of action; to take a new approach.

    verb — (usually with over) To complete.

    verb — To make (money); turn a profit.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • turnout

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • tutor

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • tutu

    noun — A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.

    noun — Any of the genus Coriaria of shrubs and trees found in New Zealand.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • uncut

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • unto

    preposition — Up to, indicating a motion towards a thing and then stopping at it.

    conjunction — Up to the time or degree that; until.

    preposition — To, indicating an indirect object.

    Appeared in 9 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • co×10
  • cr×1
  • cu×2
  • do×2
  • du×1
  • no×1
  • on×1
  • or×1
  • ou×4
  • ro×4
  • ru×2
  • to×7
  • tr×3
  • tu×4
  • un×2

Words by first letter and length

4567912Σ
c 22261· 13
d 111··· 3
n ·····1 1
o 1212·· 6
r 312··· 6
t 112·1·· 14
u 11···· 2
Σ 1996911 45

The numbers

Genius today takes 138 points of 198 available. The average answer runs 5.4 letters.

Total points vs. all 456 recorded puzzles
45th percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
49th percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 20611 recorded answers

419 today34.4% all-time59 today22.8% all-time66 today20.2% all-time79 today12.1% all-time86.3% all-time91 today2.6% all-time101.2% all-time110.3% all-time121 today0.1% all-time130.0% all-time

History

Today's letters, last seen

LetterLast in a puzzleLast as center
c Saturday, September 26, 2026 Friday, September 25, 2026
d Sunday, September 27, 2026 Friday, September 4, 2026
n Sunday, September 27, 2026 Tuesday, September 22, 2026
o Saturday, September 26, 2026 Saturday, September 26, 2026
r Saturday, September 26, 2026 Wednesday, September 9, 2026
t ● Sunday, September 20, 2026 Thursday, September 3, 2026
u Sunday, September 27, 2026 Thursday, September 10, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 47
  2. naan 38
  3. nana 38
  4. onion 33
  5. toot 33
  6. loll 30
  7. mama 29
  8. mamma 29
  9. acacia 28
  10. acai 28
  11. nene 28
  12. imam 26
  13. maim 26
  14. onto 26
  15. toon 26
  16. mini 26
  17. minim 26
  18. cancan 25
  19. canna 25
  20. cocoon 24
  21. lilt 24
  22. till 24
  23. tilt 24
  24. aria 24
  25. mitt 24

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.