NYT Spelling Bee

Answers · Analysis · Spoiler controlled

Spelling Bee Answers & Analysis

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

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

ACEFLT I
66Answers
2Pangrams
309Maximum
217Genius

Answer shape

Use the distributions before revealing any words.

Words by first letter

A8
C8
E3
F15
I5
L13
T14

Words by length

422
514
617
77
83
92
101

Two-letter starts

AC3
AF2
AL1
AT2
CA3
CE2
CI2
CL1
EC1
EL2
FA5
FI8
FL2
IC2
IL2
IT1
LA4
LE1
LI8
TA7
TI7

Pangram ladder

Open one clue at a time.

Pangram 1
Length

8 letters · 15 points

First and last letters

F … T

Letter pattern

F••••••T

F × 2

Reveal Pangram — spoiler

facelift

Pangram 2
Length

10 letters · 17 points

First and last letters

F … E

Letter pattern

F••••••••E

A × 2, I × 2, T × 2

Reveal Pangram — spoiler

facilitate

Complete answer list

Reveal full answers — spoiler

A 8

  • acacia
  • acai
  • acetic
  • affiliate
  • afflict
  • alit
  • atilt
  • attic

C 8

  • cacti
  • calcite
  • cattail
  • celiac
  • celli
  • cilia
  • cite
  • cliff

E 3

  • eclectic
  • elicit
  • elite

F 15

  • faceliftPangram
  • facial
  • facile
  • facilitatePangram
  • fail
  • fiat
  • fief
  • fife
  • file
  • filet
  • filial
  • fill
  • fillet
  • flail
  • flit

I 5

  • icefall
  • icicle
  • iliac
  • illicit
  • italic

L 13

  • lactic
  • laic
  • laical
  • lattice
  • leftie
  • lice
  • licit
  • life
  • lift
  • lilac
  • lilt
  • lite
  • little

T 14

  • tacit
  • tactic
  • tactical
  • tactile
  • tail
  • tali
  • tallit
  • tiff
  • tile
  • till
  • tilt
  • titillate
  • title
  • tittle

How hard was this puzzle?

This puzzle's structural difficulty is Easy at 20/100, compared with 251 available puzzles through this date.

Read the difficulty methodology and comparisons