NYT Spelling Bee Hints & Analysis

Tap or hover over a word to see its definition.

• acne an inflammatory disease involving the sebaceous glands of the skin; characterized by papules or pustules or comedones
• aeon an immeasurably long period of time
• alone radically distinctive and without equal
• 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.
• ancho
• annal
• anneal bring to a desired consistency, texture, or hardness by a process of gradually heating and cooling
• anon (old-fashioned or informal) in a little while
• canal provide (a city) with a canal
• cancan a high-kicking dance of French origin performed by a female chorus line
• cancel declare null and void; make ineffective
• cane beat with a cane
• canna any plant of the genus Canna having large sheathing leaves and clusters of large showy flowers
• cannon fire a cannon
• canoe travel by canoe
• canola vegetable oil made from rapeseed; it is high in monounsaturated fatty acids
• canon a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
• chance occurring or appearing or singled out by chance
• chancel area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing
• channel direct the flow of
• clan group of people related by blood or marriage
• clean free of drugs
• clench squeeze together tightly
• clone make multiple identical copies of
• cocoon retreat as if into a cocoon, as from an unfriendly environment
• colcannon
• colleen an Irish girl
• colon the basic unit of money in Costa Rica; equal to 100 centimos
• colonel a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
• conceal prevent from being seen or discovered
• conch any of various edible tropical marine gastropods of the genus Strombus having a brightly-colored spiral shell with large outer lip
• cone make cone-shaped
• echelon status in a society or organization
• elan a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
• enhance increase the level of
• enlace spin, wind, or twist together
• hence (used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
• henna apply henna to one's hair
• honcho a person who exercises control over workers
• hone sharpen with a hone
• lance move quickly, as if by cutting one's way
• lane a narrow way or road
• lean lacking excess flesh
• llano an extensive grassy and nearly treeless plain (especially in Latin America)
• loan give temporarily; let have for a limited time
• lone being the only one; single and isolated from others
• loon a worthless lazy fellow
• naan leavened bread baked in a clay oven in India; usually shaped like a teardrop
• nacelle a streamlined enclosure for an aircraft engine
• nacho a tortilla chip topped with cheese and chili-pepper and broiled
• nana
• nene
• neocon a conservative who subscribes to neoconservatism
• neon a colorless odorless gaseous element that gives a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
• noel period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
• nonce the present occasion
• nonchalance the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern
• none not any; entity, negative pronoun
• nonlocal
• noon the middle of the day
• ocean a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
• once on one occasion