NYT Spelling Bee Hints & Analysis

Tap or hover over a word to see its definition.

• anal a stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated on the anal region; fixation at this stage is said to result in orderliness, meanness, stubbornness, compulsiveness, etc.
• annal
• anti not in favor of (an action or proposal etc.)
• antic ludicrously odd
• anticipant marked by eager anticipation
• apian relating to or having the characteristics of bees
• applicant a person who requests or seeks something such as assistance or employment or admission
• attain to gain with effort
• canal provide (a city) with a canal
• cancan a high-kicking dance of French origin performed by a female chorus line
• canna any plant of the genus Canna having large sheathing leaves and clusters of large showy flowers
• cant heel over
• cantata a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text
• cantina
• captain be the captain of a sports team
• catnap take a siesta
• catnip hairy aromatic perennial herb having whorls of small white purple-spotted flowers in a terminal spike; used in the past as a domestic remedy; strongly attractive to cats
• clan group of people related by blood or marriage
• clinic a medical establishment run by a group of medical specialists
• clinical scientifically detached; unemotional
• clinician a practitioner (of medicine or psychology) who does clinical work instead of laboratory experiments
• inapt not elegant or graceful in expression
• incant
• initial occurring at the beginning
• intact constituting the undiminished entirety; lacking nothing essential especially not damaged
• lain
• lanai a veranda or roofed patio often furnished and used as a living room
• lantana a genus of about 150 species of flowering shrub, commonly known as shrub verbenas or lantanas
• lint fine ravellings of cotton or linen fibers
• naan leavened bread baked in a clay oven in India; usually shaped like a teardrop
• nail succeed at easily
• nana
• natal relating to or accompanying birth
• natant
• niacin a B vitamin essential for the normal function of the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract
• pain cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed
• paint make a painting of
• panic cause sudden fear in or fill with sudden panic
• panini
• pant breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
• patina a fine coating of oxide (produced by oxidation over a long period of time) on the surface of a metal (particularly copper)
• picnic eat alfresco, in the open air
• pinata plaything consisting of a container filled with toys and candy; suspended from a height for blindfolded children to break with sticks
• pint a United States liquid unit equal to 16 fluid ounces; two pints equal one quart
• pintail long-necked river duck of the Old and New Worlds having elongated central tail feathers
• pippin any of numerous superior eating apples with yellow or greenish yellow skin flushed with red
• plain lacking embellishment or ornamentation
• plaint a cry of sorrow and grief
• plan make or work out a plan for; devise
• plant place into a river
• plantain a banana tree bearing hanging clusters of edible angular greenish starchy fruits; tropics and subtropics
• pliant capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking
• tactician a person who is skilled at planning tactics
• taint contaminate with a disease or microorganism
• tannic derived from tannin
• tannin any of various complex phenolic substances of plant origin; used in tanning and in medicine
• tinct color lightly
• tint color lightly
• titan (Greek mythology) any of the primordial giant gods who ruled the Earth until overthrown by Zeus; the Titans were offspring of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth)
• titanic of great force or power