Saturday, October 3, 2026
Edited by Sam Ezersky
- Words
- 46
- Points
- 233
- Genius
- 163
- Pangrams
- 2
Official answers
Show the 46 answersHide answers
Pangrams highlighted. Click a word for its definition.
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acacia
noun — A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
noun — (history) A roll or bag, filled with dust, borne by Byzantine emperors, as a memento of mortality. It is represented on medals.
noun — The thickened or dried juice of several species in Acacieae, in particular Vachellia nilotica (syn. Acacia nilotica), the Egyptian acacia.
noun — A false acacia; robinia tree, Robinia pseudoacacia.
noun — Gum arabic; gum acacia.
noun — Any of several related trees, such as the locust tree.
Appeared in 29 recorded puzzles.
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acai
noun — The fruit of these trees, harvested for its juice.
noun — Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
Appeared in 29 recorded puzzles.
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alibi
noun — The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed
verb — To provide an excuse for.
verb — To provide an alibi for.
Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.
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bacchanalia
No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.
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bacchanalian
No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.
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bail
noun — Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
noun — Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.
verb — To exit quickly.
verb — To fail to meet a commitment.
noun — A hoop, ring or handle (especially of a kettle or bucket).
verb — To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail.
Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.
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bilabial
adjective — Articulated with both lips.
noun — A speech sound articulated with both lips.
Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.
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bill
noun — A piece of paper money; a banknote.
noun — A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; an invoice.
verb — To charge; to send a bill to.
noun — A draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.
noun — The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a platypus, turtle, or other animal.
noun — Of a cap or hat: the brim or peak, serving as a shade to keep sun off the face and out of the eyes.
Appeared in 24 recorded puzzles.
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blin
noun — Cessation; end.
verb — To cease (from); to stop; to desist, to let up.
noun — A blintz.
Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.
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chill
noun — A moderate, but uncomfortable and penetrating coldness.
verb — To lower the temperature of something; to cool
adjective — Moderately cold or chilly.
noun — A sudden penetrating sense of cold, especially one that causes a brief trembling nerve response through the body; the trembling response itself; often associated with illness: fevers and chills, or susceptibility to illness.
noun — An uncomfortable and numbing sense of fear, dread, anxiety, or alarm, often one that is sudden and usually accompanied by a trembling nerve response resembling the body's response to biting cold.
noun — An iron mould or portion of a mould, serving to cool rapidly, and so to harden, the surface of molten iron brought in contact with it.
Appeared in 5 recorded puzzles.
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chinchilla
No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.
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cilia
noun — Hairs or similar protrusions along the margin of a plant organ.
noun — A hairlike organelle projecting from a eukaryotic cell (such as a unicellular organism or one cell of a multicelled organism). These structures serve either for locomotion by moving or as sensors.
noun — One of the fine hairs along an insect's wing.
Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.
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clinch
No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.
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hibachi
No cached definition. Look it up on Wiktionary.
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hill
noun — An elevated location smaller than a mountain.
verb — To form into a heap or mound.
noun — A sloping road.
noun — A heap of earth surrounding a plant.
noun — A single cluster or group of plants growing close together, and having the earth heaped up about them.
noun — The pitcher’s mound.
Appeared in 11 recorded puzzles.
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iliac
adjective — Of or pertaining to the ilium.
Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.
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labia
noun — The folds of tissue at the opening of the vulva, at either side of the vagina.
noun — A liplike structure; especially one of the two pairs of folds of skin either side of the vulva.
noun — The lip of a labiate corolla.
noun — The lip against which pressured air is driven to produce sound in a recorder and in a pipe organ with flue pipes.
Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.
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labial
adjective — Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.
adjective — Articulated by the lips, as the consonants b, m and w.
noun — A consonant articulated by the lips.
adjective — Of an incisor or canine, on the side facing the lips. See mesial.
noun — Any of the scales bordering the mouth opening of a reptile.
noun — An organ pipe having a lip that influences its sound.
Appeared in 18 recorded puzzles.
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laic
noun — A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
adjective — Lay, relating to laypersons, as opposed to clerical.
Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.
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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 17 recorded puzzles.
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lanai
noun — (Florida) A Hawaiian-style roofed patio.
Appeared in 17 recorded puzzles.
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lilac
noun — A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink or purple flowers.
adjective — Having a pale purple colour.
noun — A flower of the lilac shrub.
noun — (color) A pale purple color, the color of some lilac flowers.
Appeared in 14 recorded puzzles.
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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 17 recorded puzzles.
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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 18 recorded puzzles.
Hints, no spoilers
Words by first two letters
- ab×1
- ac×2
- al×1
- ba×4
- bi×3
- bl×2
- ca×2
- ch×11
- ci×2
- cl×4
- ha×1
- hi×2
- il×1
- in×1
- la×6
- li×1
- na×1
- ni×1
Words by first letter and length
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | 1 | 2 | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 4 |
| b | 3 | 1 | · | 1 | 2 | · | · | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| c | 4 | 8 | 3 | · | 2 | 1 | 1 | · | · | 19 |
| h | 2 | · | · | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | 3 |
| i | 1 | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 2 |
| l | 2 | 3 | 2 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 7 |
| n | 1 | · | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 2 |
| Σ | 14 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 46 |
The numbers
Genius today takes 163 points of 233 available. The average answer runs 5.7 letters.
Word lengths, today vs. 20830 recorded answers
History
Today's letters, last seen
| Letter | Last in a puzzle | Last as center |
|---|---|---|
| a | Friday, October 2, 2026 | Friday, September 18, 2026 |
| b | Thursday, September 24, 2026 | Saturday, September 19, 2026 |
| c | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | Friday, September 25, 2026 |
| h | Thursday, October 1, 2026 | Thursday, October 1, 2026 |
| i ● | Friday, October 2, 2026 | Wednesday, September 23, 2026 |
| l | Friday, October 2, 2026 | Monday, August 31, 2026 |
| n | Friday, October 2, 2026 | Tuesday, September 22, 2026 |
Most common answers, all recorded puzzles
- noon 47
- naan 38
- nana 38
- onion 33
- toot 33
- loll 30
- acacia 29
- acai 29
- mama 29
- mamma 29
- nene 28
- imam 26
- maim 26
- onto 26
- toon 26
- mini 26
- minim 26
- lilt 25
- till 25
- tilt 25
- mitt 25
- natant 25
- cancan 25
- canna 25
- tint 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.
- aalii
- acini
- acinic
- aclinic
- alanin
- albinal
- albinic
- alcaic
- allicin
- ancilla
- anil
- anilin
- bacchic
- bacchii
- bani
- banian
- biali
- bibb
- binal
- blain
- cain
- calcic
- cannabic
- cannabin
- chilblain
- chilli
- chinch
- cicala
- clinal
- hila
- hili
- ilia
- ilial
- inhibin
- inia
- laich
- liana
- liblab
- lich
- lichi
- linac
- linin
- linn
- nihil
- nill