How to use it
- Type the six letters from the outside of the hive into the first box.
- Type the letter in the middle into the second box.
- Press Find the words.
- Use the hints to see which words you are still missing, or press Show answers to see them all.
The rules we follow
- Words are at least 4 letters long.
- Every word uses the center letter.
- Letters can be used more than once.
- A pangram uses all seven letters and scores 7 extra points.
- 4-letter words score 1 point; longer words score 1 point per letter.
The puzzle uses its own curated dictionary, which nobody outside the paper has. Our Known answers are words the NYT has actually accepted in a past Spelling Bee — almost always right. Also possible are real words that fit the puzzle but aren't in that record; the puzzle may or may not take them. More about where that record comes from.
What the totals count
The word count, score and Genius figures at the top count the Known answers only. Those are a claim about the puzzle, and only the known tier is one. Folding in every word that merely fits the letters would inflate both numbers well past what you are actually playing against, so the possible tier carries its own subtotal on its own heading instead.
Pangrams are the one exception and are highlighted in both tiers, because an unrecorded pangram is still worth 7 points to whoever is playing. If our record has not caught up with a word the puzzle accepts, the totals will read a little low. That happens, and it is the direction we would rather be wrong in.
For ways to find more words on your own, read our Spelling Bee strategy lesson.