How to Play NYT Spelling Bee
Spelling Bee is the New York Times’ daily honeycomb puzzle. Build as many words as you can from seven letters — and never skip the yellow center.
How to play, step by step
- Read the honeycomb. Six outer letters surround one
yellow center letter. Only these seven letters are legal.
Example hive: center A (required) with outer letters N, L, T, I, R, and E. - Spell a word of four or more letters. Tap letters (or
type) to build a word, then submit. Letters may be reused.
LATE uses L, A, T, and E — including the center — so it scores as a valid 4-letter word (1 point). - Never skip the center letter. Outer-only words are
rejected even when every letter sits in the hive.
TIRE looks tempting, but without center A the game rejects it. Rebuild with A somewhere in the word. - Find the pangram. At least one answer uses all seven
letters and pays a seven-point bonus.
RETINAL lights every cell: 7 points for length plus a 7-point pangram bonus (14 total). - Climb the ranks. Points push you from Beginner toward
Genius; clearing the full word list earns Queen Bee.
Ranks rise with your score. Genius is about 70% of possible points; Queen Bee means every word found.
Spelling Bee rules
- Words must be at least four letters long.
- Every word must include the yellow center letter.
- Letters can be reused as often as you like.
- Only the seven hive letters are allowed — no proper nouns or hyphens.
- Every puzzle has at least one pangram using all seven letters.
Scoring & ranks
- 4-letter words = 1 point; longer words = 1 point per letter.
- A pangram earns an extra 7-point bonus on top of its length score.
- Ranks climb from Beginner to Genius (~70% of points); finding every word earns Queen Bee.
Beginner strategy that actually helps
- Anchor on the center. Start every brainstorm with the yellow letter — prefixes, suffixes, and stems that force it in.
- Sweep short words first. Four-letter finds are quick points and unlock letter patterns for longer answers.
- Hunt the pangram early. One seven-letter (or longer) word that uses everything can swing your rank in a single submit.
- Try common endings. -ING, -ER, -ED, -LY, and plural -S often appear when the hive allows them.
- Reuse freely. Doubles and triples are legal — if the letter is in the hive, you can tap it more than once.
Common questions
Does every word need the center letter?
Yes. Skip the yellow letter and the Bee rejects the word, even if every other letter is on the board.
What is a pangram?
A word that uses all seven hive letters at least once. It scores one point per letter plus a seven-point bonus.
How do Genius and Queen Bee work?
Genius is roughly 70% of the puzzle’s total points. Queen Bee means you found every accepted word — the full hive cleared.
Play or get help
Play the daily puzzle on The New York Times. For a nudge without dumping every answer at once, use today’s spoiler-controlled Spelling Bee hints. Browse the archive, or try Strands, Connections, and Wordle.