NYT Spelling Bee

Answers · Analysis · Spoiler controlled

Spelling Bee Answers & Analysis

Friday, January 16, 2026

Start with the shape of the puzzle, reveal only the help you want, and open the full list when you are ready.

AEFILM C
45Answers
1Pangrams
178Maximum
125Genius

Answer shape

Use the distributions before revealing any words.

Words by first letter

A4
C18
E2
F5
I3
L5
M8

Words by length

418
514
69
73
81

Two-letter starts

AC4
CA9
CE3
CI1
CL5
EF1
EM1
FA3
FE1
FL1
IC2
IL1
LA3
LI2
MA4
ME1
MI3

Pangram ladder

Open one clue at a time.

Pangram 1
Length

7 letters · 14 points

First and last letters

M … C

Letter pattern

M•••••C

No repeated letters

Reveal Pangram — spoiler

malefic

Complete answer list

Reveal full answers — spoiler

A 4

  • acacia
  • acai
  • acclaim
  • acme

C 18

  • cafe
  • calf
  • call
  • calla
  • calm
  • came
  • camel
  • camellia
  • cami
  • celiac
  • cell
  • celli
  • cilia
  • claim
  • clam
  • clef
  • cliff
  • clime

E 2

  • efface
  • emcee

F 5

  • face
  • facial
  • facile
  • fecal
  • fleece

I 3

  • icefall
  • icicle
  • iliac

L 5

  • lace
  • laic
  • laical
  • lice
  • lilac

M 8

  • mace
  • maleficPangram
  • malic
  • malice
  • mecca
  • mica
  • mice
  • mimic

How hard was this puzzle?

This puzzle's structural difficulty is Tricky at 47/100, compared with 16 available puzzles through this date.

Read the difficulty methodology and comparisons