The Unofficial Hive

NYT Spelling Bee answers & analysis

ABLNTUM

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Edited by Sam Ezersky

Words
33
Points
144
Genius
100
Pangram
1

Official answers

Show the 33 answersHide answers

Pangram highlighted. Click a word for its definition.

  • album

    noun — A book specially designed to keep photographs, stamps, or autographs.

    noun — A collection, especially of literary items

    noun — A phonograph record that is composed of several tracks

    noun — A jacket or cover for such a phonograph record.

    noun — A group of audio recordings, on any medium, intended for distribution as a group.

    noun — In Ancient Rome, a white tablet or register on which the praetor's edicts and other public notices were recorded.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • alum

    noun — An astringent salt, usually occurring in the form of pale crystals, much used in the dyeing and tanning trade and in certain medicines, and now understood to be a double sulphate of potassium and aluminium (K2SO4·Al2(SO4)3·24H2O).

    verb — To steep in, or otherwise impregnate with, a solution of alum; to treat with alum.

    noun — (shortening) A past attendee or graduate (of either gender) of a college, university or other educational institution.

    noun — Any similar double sulphate in which either or both of the potassium and aluminium is wholly or partly replaced by other univalent or tervalent cations.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • alumna

    noun — A female pupil or student (especially of a university or college).

    noun — A female graduate.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • ambulant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • autumn

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • autumnal

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • balm

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • bantam

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • blam

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • lama

    noun — A master of Tibetan Buddhism.

    noun — A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • lamb

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • llama

    noun — A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • mall

    noun — A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.

    verb — To beat with a mall, or mallet; to beat with something heavy; to bruise

    noun — An enclosed shopping centre.

    noun — An alley where the game of pall mall was played.

    noun — A public walk; a level shaded walk, a promenade.

    noun — A heavy wooden mallet or hammer used in the game of pall mall.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • malt

    noun — Malted grain (sprouted grain) (usually barley), used in brewing and otherwise.

    verb — To convert a cereal grain into malt by causing it to sprout (by soaking in water) and then halting germination (by drying with hot air) in order to develop enzymes that can break down starches and proteins in the grain.

    noun — Malt liquor, especially malt whisky.

    noun — A milkshake with malted milk powder added for flavor.

    noun — Maltose-rich sugar derived from malted grain.

    verb — To become malt.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • mama

    noun — (hypocoristic, usually childish) Mother, female parent.

    Appeared in 30 recorded puzzles.

  • mamba

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 4 recorded puzzles.

  • mamma

    noun — The milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals which includes the mammary gland and the nipple or teat; a breast; an udder. (plural: mammae)

    noun — (hypocoristic, usually childish) Mother, female parent.

    noun — An accessory cloud like a mammary in appearance, which can form on the underside of most cloud genera

    Appeared in 30 recorded puzzles.

  • mammal

    noun — An animal of the class Mammalia, characterized by being warm-blooded, having hair and feeding milk to its young.

    noun — A vertebrate with three bones in the inner ear and one in the jaw.

    Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.

  • manna

    noun — Food miraculously produced for the Israelites in the desert in the book of Exodus.

    noun — (by extension) Any boon which comes into one's hands by good luck.

    noun — The sugary sap of the manna gum tree which oozes out from holes drilled by insects and falls to the ground around the tree.http//www.museum.vic.gov.au/forest/plants/gum.html

    Appeared in 25 recorded puzzles.

  • manta

    noun — A kind of fabric or blanket used in Latin America and southwestern United States.

    noun — Any of several very large pelagic rays of the genus Manta, with winglike pectoral fins, a long tail, and two fins resembling horns that project from the head.

    Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.

  • manual

    noun — A handbook.

    adjective — Performed with the hands (of an activity).

    noun — Mechanical transmission which shifts gears by the action of the driver's hand on the gearstick or gear lever, rather than automatically; a manual gearbox.

    noun — A booklet that instructs on the usage of a particular machine or product.

    noun — A drill in the use of weapons, etc.

    noun — An old office-book like the modern Roman Catholic ritual.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • maul

    noun — A heavy long-handled hammer, used for splitting logs by driving a wedge into them, or in combat.

    verb — To handle someone or something in a rough way.

    noun — A situation where the player carrying the ball, who must be on his feet, is held by one or more opponents, and one or more of the ball carrier's team mates bind onto the ball carrier.

    verb — To savage; to cause serious physical wounds (usually used of an animal).

    verb — To criticise harshly.

    verb — To beat with the heavy hammer called a maul.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • mull

    noun — A thin, soft muslin.

    verb — (usually with over) To work (over) mentally; to cogitate; to ruminate.

    noun — A promontory.

    noun — Dirt; rubbish

    noun — Marijuana that has been chopped to prepare it for smoking.

    noun — A stew of meat, broth, milk, butter, vegetables, and seasonings, thickened with soda crackers.

    Appeared in 7 recorded puzzles.

  • mutant

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • mutt

    noun — A mongrel dog (or sometimes cat); an animal of mixed breed or uncertain origin.

    noun — A monastic or similar religious establishment in Hinduism and Jainism, usually more formal and hierarchical than an ashram.

    noun — (sometimes derogatory) A person of diverse ancestry.

    noun — An idiot, a stupid person.

    Appeared in 8 recorded puzzles.

  • mutual

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • muumuu

    noun — A long loose-fitting dress made of lightweight fabric printed with bright, stylized Hawaiian themes (such as flowers and palm branches).

    Appeared in 10 recorded puzzles.

  • numb

    verb — To cause to become numb (physically or emotionally).

    adjective — Physically unable to feel, not having the power of sensation.

    verb — To cause (a feeling) to be less intense.

    verb — To cause (the mind, faculties, etc.) to be less acute.

    verb — To become numb (especially physically).

    adjective — Emotionally unable to feel or respond in a normal way.

    Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.

  • numbat

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

  • tantalum

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 2 recorded puzzles.

  • tumult

    noun — Confused, agitated noise as made by a crowd.

    verb — To make a tumult; to be in great commotion.

    noun — Violent commotion or agitation, often with confusion of sounds.

    noun — A riot or uprising.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

  • umlaut

    No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.

    Appeared in 3 recorded puzzles.

  • unman

    verb — To castrate; to remove the manhood of.

    verb — To sap (a person) of the strength, whether physical or emotional, required to deal with a situation.

    verb — To deprive of men.

    Appeared in 6 recorded puzzles.

Hints, no spoilers

Words by first two letters

  • al×3
  • am×1
  • au×2
  • ba×2
  • bl×1
  • la×2
  • ll×1
  • ma×10
  • mu×5
  • nu×2
  • ta×1
  • tu×1
  • um×1
  • un×1

Words by first letter and length

4568Σ
a 1122 6
b 2·1· 3
l 21·· 3
m 645· 15
n 1·1· 2
t ··11 2
u ·11· 2
Σ 127113 33

The numbers

Genius today takes 100 points of 144 available. The average answer runs 5.2 letters.

Total points vs. all 475 recorded puzzles
22nd percentile
Word count vs. all recorded puzzles
22nd percentile

Word lengths, today vs. 21509 recorded answers

412 today34.3% all-time57 today22.8% all-time611 today20.2% all-time712.2% all-time83 today6.3% all-time92.6% 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 15, 2026 Wednesday, October 7, 2026
b Friday, October 16, 2026 Sunday, October 11, 2026
l Thursday, October 15, 2026 Monday, August 31, 2026
m ● Thursday, October 15, 2026 Thursday, September 17, 2026
n Friday, October 16, 2026 Thursday, October 15, 2026
t Monday, October 12, 2026 Friday, October 2, 2026
u Friday, October 16, 2026 Thursday, September 10, 2026

Most common answers, all recorded puzzles

  1. noon 47
  2. naan 40
  3. nana 40
  4. onion 33
  5. toot 33
  6. acacia 30
  7. acai 30
  8. loll 30
  9. mama 30
  10. mamma 30
  11. nene 29
  12. mini 28
  13. minim 28
  14. cancan 27
  15. canna 27
  16. imam 26
  17. maim 26
  18. onto 26
  19. toon 26
  20. cocoon 25
  21. lilt 25
  22. till 25
  23. tilt 25
  24. mitt 25
  25. natant 25

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.