The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

AELNOVC

Friday, October 30, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
66
Points
333
Genius
233
Pangrams
2

Official answers

Show the 66 answersHide answers

Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • acne

    noun — A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.

    noun — A pattern of blemishes in an area of skin resulting from the skin condition.

    Appeared in 16 recorded puzzles.

  • alcove

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cacao

    noun — A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.

    noun — This tree's seed, the cocoa bean.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • call

    noun — A telephone conversation.

    verb — (heading) To use one's voice.

    noun — A decision or judgement.

    noun — The characteristic cry of a bird or other animal.

    noun — A cry or shout.

    noun — A short visit, usually for social purposes.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • calla

    noun — The calla lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica.

    noun — A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.

    Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.

  • callaloo

    noun — Any of various tropical plants grown in the Americas, especially of the genus Xanthosoma, cultivated for their edible leaves.

    noun — A spicy soup or stew made from such leaves.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • calve

    verb — To give birth to a calf

    verb — (especially of an ice shelf, a glacier, an ice sheet, or even an iceberg) to shed a large piece, e.g. an iceberg or a smaller block of ice (coming off an iceberg)

    verb — To assist in a cow's giving birth to a calf

    Appeared in 2 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 13 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 28 recorded puzzles.

  • cancel

    verb — To invalidate or annul something.

    verb — To cease to provide financial or moral support to (someone deemed unacceptable). Compare cancel culture.

    verb — To cross out something with lines etc.

    verb — To stop production of a programme.

    noun — A cancellation (US); (nonstandard in some kinds of English).

    verb — To offset or equalize something.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cane

    noun — A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof

    noun — The stem of such a plant adapted for use as a tool

    verb — To strike or beat with a cane or similar implement

    noun — A rod-shaped tool or device, somewhat like a cane

    noun — Split rattan, as used in wickerwork, basketry and the like

    verb — To make or furnish with cane or rattan.

    Appeared in 16 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 28 recorded puzzles.

  • cannon

    noun — A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.

    verb — To bombard with cannons.

    noun — A generally accepted principle; a rule.

    noun — A clergy member serving a cathedral or collegiate church.

    noun — A Near Eastern and Caucasian musical instrument related to the zither, dulcimer, or harp having either 26 strings and a single bridge, or twice that number and two bridges.

    noun — Any similar device for shooting material out of a tube.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • canoe

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • canola

    noun — Any of a number of cultivars of rapeseed (Brassica napus) and closely related field mustard (Brassica rapa), which have a lower erucic acid and glucosinolate content than traditional rapeseed.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • canon

    noun — A generally accepted principle; a rule.

    noun — A clergy member serving a cathedral or collegiate church.

    noun — A Near Eastern and Caucasian musical instrument related to the zither, dulcimer, or harp having either 26 strings and a single bridge, or twice that number and two bridges.

    noun — A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.

    noun — The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic.

    noun — A eucharistic prayer, particularly the Roman Canon.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • cava

    noun — A Spanish white sparkling wine made using the méthode champenoise.

    noun — The vena cava.

    noun — A cavity

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • cave

    noun — A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.

    verb — To collapse.

    verb — To surrender.

    noun — A place of retreat, such as a man cave.

    noun — A hole, depression, or gap in earth or rock, whether natural or man-made.

    verb — To engage in the recreational exploration of caves.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cell

    noun — The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself.

    noun — A cellular phone.

    noun — A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates.

    noun — The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect.

    noun — A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery.

    noun — Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb.

    Appeared in 15 recorded puzzles.

  • cello

    noun — A large stringed instrument of the violin family with four strings, tuned from lowest to highest C-G-D-A, and played with a bow, also possessing an endpin to support the instrument's weight.

    noun — Cellophane

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • 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 13 recorded puzzles.

  • clave

    noun — A characteristic pattern of beats, especially the 3-2 son clave.

    noun — Singular of claves

    verb — To split.

    verb — To split or sever something with, or as if with, a sharp instrument.

    verb — To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting.

    verb — To break a single crystal (such as a gemstone or semiconductor wafer) along one of its more symmetrical crystallographic planes (often by impact), forming facets on the resulting pieces.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • clean

    adjective — (heading, physical) Free of dirt or impurities or protruberances.

    verb — To remove dirt from a place or object.

    verb — To tidy up, make a place neat.

    adjective — Smooth, exact, and performed well

    adjective — Total; utter. (still in "clean sweep")

    adjective — (heading, behavioural) Free of immorality or criminality.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • cleave

    verb — To split or sever something with, or as if with, a sharp instrument.

    verb — To cling, adhere or stick fast to something; used with to or unto.

    verb — To split.

    verb — To split (a complex molecule) into simpler molecules.

    verb — To break a single crystal (such as a gemstone or semiconductor wafer) along one of its more symmetrical crystallographic planes (often by impact), forming facets on the resulting pieces.

    noun — Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cloaca

    noun — (sometimes figurative) A sewer.

    noun — The duct in reptiles, amphibians and birds, as well as most fish and some mammals, which serves as the common outlet for urination, defecation, and reproduction.

    noun — An outhouse or lavatory.

    noun — A duct through which gangrenous material escapes a body.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • clonal

    adjective — Relating to, or created by asexual reproduction (cloning)

    adjective — That lives with others of the same kind

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • clone

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • clove

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cloven

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • coal

    noun — A black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.

    verb — To take on a supply of coal (usually of steam ships).

    noun — A piece of coal used for burning (this use is less common in American English)

    noun — A type of coal, such as bituminous, anthracite, or lignite, and grades and varieties thereof.

    noun — A glowing or charred piece of coal, wood, or other solid fuel.

    noun — Charcoal.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • coca

    noun — Any of the four cultivated plants which belong to the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America.

    noun — A pastry typically made and consumed in the Spanish Mediterranean coast.

    noun — The dried leaf of one of these plants, the South American shrub (Erythroxylum coca), widely cultivated in Andean countries, which is the source of cocaine.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • cocoa

    noun — The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.

    adjective — Of a light to medium brown colour, like that of cocoa powder.

    noun — Coconut palm.

    noun — An unsweetened brown powder made from roasted, ground cocoa beans, used in making chocolate, and in cooking.

    noun — A hot drink made with milk, cocoa powder, and sugar.

    noun — A serving of this drink.

    Appeared in 20 recorded puzzles.

  • cocoon

    noun — The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.

    verb — To envelop in a protective case

    noun — Any similar protective case, whether real or metaphorical.

    verb — To withdraw into such a case.

    Appeared in 26 recorded puzzles.

  • coevolve

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cola

    noun — The kola plant, genus Cola, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts.

    noun — The punctuation mark ":".

    noun — Part of the large intestine; the final segment of the digestive system, after (distal to) the ileum and before (proximal to) the anus.

    noun — A cluster of buds on a cannabis plant.

    noun — A beverage or a drink made with kola nut flavoring, caramel and carbonated water.

    noun — The triangular colon (especially in context of not being able to type the actual triangular colon).

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • colcannon

    noun — A traditional Irish dish made from mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale, with scallions, butter, salt and pepper added.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • colleen

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • colon

    noun — The punctuation mark ":".

    noun — Part of the large intestine; the final segment of the digestive system, after (distal to) the ileum and before (proximal to) the anus.

    noun — A husbandman.

    noun — The triangular colon (especially in context of not being able to type the actual triangular colon).

    noun — A rhetorical figure consisting of a clause which is grammatically, but not logically, complete.

    noun — A clause or group of clauses written as a line, or taken as a standard of measure in ancient manuscripts or texts.

    Appeared in 13 recorded puzzles.

  • colonel

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • concave

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • conceal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • conclave

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cone

    noun — A surface of revolution formed by rotating a segment of a line around another line that intersects the first line.

    verb — To fashion into the shape of a cone.

    noun — A solid of revolution formed by rotating a triangle around one of its altitudes.

    noun — A space formed by taking the direct product of a given space with a closed interval and identifying all of one end to a point.

    noun — Anything shaped like a cone.

    noun — The fruit of a conifer.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • convene

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • convo

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • cool

    noun — A moderate or refreshing state of cold; moderate temperature of the air between hot and cold; coolness.

    adjective — Having a slightly low temperature; mildly or pleasantly cold.

    verb — To lose heat, to get colder.

    noun — A calm temperament.

    noun — The property of being cool, popular or in fashion.

    adjective — Allowing or suggesting heat relief.

    Appeared in 22 recorded puzzles.

  • covalence

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • cove

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • coven

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • enclave

    noun — A political, cultural or social entity or part thereof that is completely surrounded by another.

    noun — A group that is set off from a larger population by its characteristic or behavior.

    verb — To enclose within a foreign territory.

    noun — An isolated portion of an application's address space, such that data in an enclave can only be accessed by code in the same enclave.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • enlace

    verb — (by extension) To entangle.

    verb — To bind or encircle with lace, or as with lace

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • lace

    noun — A cord or ribbon passed through eyelets in a shoe or garment, pulled tight and tied to fasten the shoe or garment firmly. Wp

    noun — A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread. Wp

    verb — To fasten (something) with laces.

    verb — To add alcohol, poison, a drug or anything else potentially harmful to (food or drink).

    noun — Spirits added to coffee or another beverage.

    verb — To interweave items.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • lance

    noun — A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen.

    verb — To open with a lancet; to pierce

    verb — To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon.

    noun — A wooden spear, sometimes hollow, used in jousting or tilting, designed to shatter on impact with the opposing knight’s armour.

    noun — A spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen.

    noun — A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • local

    noun — A person who lives near a given place.

    adjective — From or in a nearby location.

    adverb — In the local area; within a city, state, country, etc.

    noun — An anesthetic (anesthetic substance) that causes loss of sensation only to the area to which it is applied.

    noun — A branch of a nationwide organization such as a trade union.

    noun — A train that stops at all, or almost all, stations between its origin and destination, including very small ones.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • locale

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • loco

    adverb — A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower.

    noun — A certain species of Astragalus or Oxytropis, capable of causing locoism.

    verb — To poison with the loco plant; to affect with locoism.

    adjective — Crazy.

    noun — A locomotive.

    verb — (by extension) To render insane.

    Appeared in 22 recorded puzzles.

  • nacelle

    noun — A separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew.

    noun — The part between the tower and rotor of a wind turbine.

    noun — The compartment that holds passengers on a hot-air balloon, a dirigible, or an aerostat; a gondola.

    noun — The submersed providers of buoyancy of a SWATH hulled boat.

    noun — A small boat.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • neocon

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • nonce

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • nonlocal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • ocean

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • once

    adverb — (frequency) One and only one time.

    conjunction — As soon as; when; after.

    adverb — (temporal location) Formerly; during some period in the past.

    adverb — Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.

    adverb — As soon as.

    adverb — At a future time.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • valance

    noun — A short curtain that usually hangs along the top edge of a window.

    noun — (bedding) A short, decorative edging of cloth that hangs from the mattress to the floor.

    noun — A decorative framework used to conceal the curtain mechanism and so on at the top of a window.

    noun — The drooping edging of the lid of a trunk, which covers the joint when the lid is closed.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • valence

    noun — The combining capacity of an atom, radical or functional group determined by the number of electrons that it will lose, gain, or share when it combines with other atoms etc.

    noun — A one-dimensional value assigned to an object, situation, or state, that can usually be positive or negative.

    noun — A short curtain that usually hangs along the top edge of a window.

    noun — A decorative framework used to conceal the curtain mechanism and so on at the top of a window.

    noun — The number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero (for the likes of "It rains") to three (for the likes of "He gives her a flower") or, less commonly, four.

    noun — The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or antigen.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • vocal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • volcano

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • ac×1
  • al×1
  • ca×16
  • ce×2
  • cl×9
  • co×20
  • en×2
  • la×2
  • lo×3
  • na×1
  • ne×1
  • no×2
  • oc×1
  • on×1
  • va×2
  • vo×2

Words by first letter and length

456789Σ
a 1·1··· 2
c 12169532 47
e ··11·· 2
l 221··· 5
n ·1111· 4
o 11···· 2
v ·1·3·· 4
Σ 1621131042 66

The numbers

Genius today takes 233 points of 333 available. The average answer runs 5.6 letters.

Total points vs. all 489 recorded puzzles
92nd percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
92nd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 22204 recorded answers

416 today34.3% all-time521 today22.9% all-time613 today20.1% all-time710 today12.2% all-time84 today6.3% all-time92 today2.6% 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 Thursday, October 29, 2026 Tuesday, October 27, 2026
c ● Saturday, October 24, 2026 Saturday, October 10, 2026
e Wednesday, October 28, 2026 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
l Wednesday, October 28, 2026 Monday, October 26, 2026
n Thursday, October 29, 2026 Thursday, October 15, 2026
o Thursday, October 29, 2026 Saturday, September 26, 2026
v Monday, October 5, 2026 Monday, October 5, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 47
  2. naan 42
  3. nana 42
  4. onion 34
  5. toot 33
  6. loll 31
  7. mama 31
  8. mamma 31
  9. acacia 30
  10. acai 30
  11. mini 29
  12. minim 29
  13. nene 29
  14. cancan 28
  15. canna 28
  16. lilt 27
  17. till 27
  18. tilt 27
  19. imam 27
  20. maim 27
  21. cocoon 26
  22. onto 26
  23. toon 26
  24. natant 26
  25. manna 26

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.