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Spelling Bee hints today

Spelling Bee hints today — words, pangram & answers

Our puzzle desk logs every hive as soon as it resets. Reveal letters, pangrams, and full answer lists on your timeline—whether you want a gentle nudge to hit Genius or need every word to analyze tomorrow's grid.

What is Spelling Bee? NYT Spelling Bee gives you 7 letters in a honeycomb pattern. Create words using these letters, always including the center letter. Words must be 4+ letters. Pangrams use all 7 letters and earn bonus points. Reach Genius rank at ~70% of total possible points.

Updated at midnight ETPangram + answersRank goal tracker
Updated dailyVerified answersPangrams confirmed

NYT Spelling Bee • May 21, 2026

Hive letters and pangram reveals

Study the honeycomb, track how many answers remain, and reveal today's pangram when you are ready. Each section opens gradually so you can keep your streak intact.

G
A
C
D
E
H
N

Center letter: G

You must include the center letter in every word and can use any letter multiple times.

1 pangram hidden today.

35

total words

91

total points

Rank goals

Hit these score milestones to match NYT rank notifications. Percentages are based on total available points in today's hive.

Good Start

2 pts

Moving Up

5 pts

Great

23 pts

Amazing

46 pts

Genius

64 pts

Queen Bee

91 pts

Pangram reveal

Waiting to see the full word? Tap the button once you're ready to check your guess.

Answer list

4-letter words (11)

Ag…
Ca…
Da…
Ed…
Eg…
Ga…
Ga…
Ga…
Ge…
Gh…
Ha…

5-letter words (7)

Ad…
Ca…
Ca…
Ed…
Eg…
He…
He…

6-letter words (11)

Ag…
Ca…
Ch…
En…
En…
Ga…
Ga…
Ga…
Ha…
He…
Na…

7-letter words (5)

Ch…
Eg…
En…
En…
Ga…

9-letter words (1)

Eg…

Spelling Bee words, ranks & strategy

The NYT Spelling Bee rewards patience, pattern spotting, and an ear for prefixes. We track each puzzle to surface the letter combos, score ranges, and pangram tricks that appear the most. Our goal: help you break through to Genius (and Queen Bee) consistently—even on the toughest Saturday grids.

Letter mapping

Spot common digraphs and suffixes, then pivot when the hive skews toward unusual consonants.

Rank thresholds

Track how many points you need to hit Solid, Nice, Great, and Genius based on today's word count.

More NYT games

Rotate in Wordle and Connections for vocabulary cross-training.

What are the Spelling Bee ranks?

NYT Spelling Bee has 9 ranks based on the percentage of total possible points you earn. Each puzzle has a different maximum score, so rank thresholds change daily. Here are all Spelling Bee ranks from lowest to highest:

RankPoints neededDescription
Beginner0%Starting rank
Good Start2%Found a few words
Moving Up5%Building momentum
Good8%Solid progress
Solid15%Strong vocabulary showing
Nice25%Above-average performance
Great40%Impressive word-finding
Amazing50%Exceptional solving
Genius70%The target most solvers aim for
Queen Bee100%Every valid word found

How are Spelling Bee points calculated?

Spelling Bee points are calculated by word length. Four-letter words earn 1 point each. Words with 5 or more letters earn 1 point per letter (e.g., a 6-letter word scores 6 points). Pangrams, words that use all 7 letters at least once, earn an additional 7-point bonus on top of their length score.

How to play Spelling Bee

  1. 1

    Study the honeycomb

    7 letters in a honeycomb pattern. The center letter must appear in every word.

  2. 2

    Form words (4+ letters)

    Use any combination of the 7 letters. Words must be at least 4 letters. Letters can repeat.

  3. 3

    Find the pangram

    A word using all 7 letters earns a 7-point bonus on top of its length score.

  4. 4

    Climb the ranks

    4-letter words = 1 point. Longer words = 1 point per letter. Progress from Beginner to Genius.

  5. 5

    Aim for Genius or Queen Bee

    Genius needs ~70% of max points. Queen Bee requires every valid word found.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Spelling Bee

Learn about pangrams, point calculations, reaching Genius rank, and strategies for finding more words in the daily hive.

  • Today's Spelling Bee pangram is revealed in our hints section above. We show the pangram length first, then let you reveal the full word. Some puzzles have multiple pangrams — we list them all.
  • A pangram is a word that uses all seven of the day's letters at least once. Finding a pangram earns 7 bonus points on top of the word's base score. Some puzzles have multiple pangrams.
  • Genius requires approximately 70% of the puzzle's total possible points. The exact number varies daily based on how many words exist. Check our daily hints to see today's Genius threshold.
  • Queen Bee is the highest rank, achieved only by finding every single valid word in the puzzle. It's significantly harder than Genius and often requires hours of dedicated play.
  • Spelling Bee resets at 3 AM Eastern Time. The new puzzle goes live with a fresh set of seven letters and a new center letter requirement.
  • Words must be at least 4 letters, include the center letter, and be in the NYT dictionary. Proper nouns, hyphenated words, and obscure terms are often rejected even if technically valid.
  • 4-letter words earn 1 point. Longer words earn 1 point per letter (5-letter = 5 points). Pangrams get a 7-point bonus. The scoring rewards finding longer words.
  • The center letter is the required letter that must appear in every word you submit. It sits in the middle of the hexagonal grid and is highlighted in yellow. Building words around this letter is the key constraint of the puzzle.
  • Yes, you can repeat any of the seven letters as many times as needed within a single word. For example, if A is one of your letters, BANANA would be valid if all its letters are in the grid.

Sources & References

Recommended guides

Today's Spelling Bee Hints

Pangram, rank targets, and two-letter starting lists.

Pangram Strategy

Find the pangram faster with letter combination tactics.

Reach Genius Rank

Point thresholds and strategies for every rank level.

Full Strategy Guide

Systematic methods for finding more words and reaching Genius.

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C

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Track today's pangram, two-letter lists, point targets, and reach Genius rank in NYT Spelling Bee.

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L

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X

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Master the NYT's 2-player word game with scoring tips, best words, and strategy guides.

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