NYT Spelling Bee Hints & Analysis

Tap or hover over a word to see its definition.

• abbot the superior of an abbey of monks
• about on the move
• abut lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
• baba a small cake leavened with yeast
• baboon large terrestrial monkeys having doglike muzzles
• ball to live very well
• balloon ride in a hot-air balloon
• ballot vote by ballot
• banal repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
• banana any of several tropical and subtropical treelike herbs of the genus Musa having a terminal crown of large entire leaves and usually bearing hanging clusters of elongated fruits
• baobab African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread
• baton a thin tapered rod used by a conductor to lead an orchestra or choir
• blab divulge confidential information or secrets
• blat cry plaintively
• blatant conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
• bloat become bloated or swollen or puff up
• blob make a spot or mark onto
• blot make a spot or mark onto
• blotto very drunk
• blunt devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
• boat ride in a boat on water
• boba
• bola a rope with weights attached to the ends; is thrown to entangle the legs of an animal; of South American origin
• boll the rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant
• bolo long heavy knife with a single edge; of Philippine origin
• bolt in a rigid manner
• bonbon a candy that usually has a center of fondant or fruit or nuts coated in chocolate
• bonobo small chimpanzee of swamp forests in Zaire; a threatened species
• boob commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
• booboo
• boon very close and convivial
• boot cause to load (an operating system) and start the initial processes
• bout a contest or fight (especially between boxers or wrestlers)
• bubba
• bulb anything with a round shape resembling a teardrop
• bull push or force
• bunt to strike, thrust or shove against
• butanol a flammable alcohol derived from butanes and used for solvents
• butt to strike, thrust or shove against
• button fasten with buttons
• lobo
• nabob a wealthy man (especially one who made his fortune in the Orient)
• nanobot
• noob
• tabla
• taboo excluded from use or mention
• tuba the lowest brass wind instrument
• tubal of or relating to occurring in a tube such as e.g. the Fallopian tube or Eustachian tube
• unban
• unbolt undo the bolt of
• unbutton undo the buttons of