Sunday, July 12, 2026

Answers to yesterday's Bee

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The official answers for today's puzzle are:

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Number of Pangrams: 3

Maximum Puzzle Score: 163

Number of Answers: 33

Points Needed for Genius: 114

Genius requires between 13 and 30 words. You need at least a 7-letter word to reach genius. If you don't get the pangrams, you need 98% of the total points to reach genius. If you get the pangrams, you only need 57% of the remaining points to reach genius.

Other days with this pangram:

The button below will reveal a chart with the number of words by each letter. Red bars indicate that there is a pangram(s) starting with that letter.


How does this puzzle compare to other puzzles?

Today's score of 163 was in the 45th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this low was on July 09, 2026.
The highest score ever was 537 on January 22, 2021.
The lowest score ever was 47 on March 27, 2023.

This puzzle's 33 possible answers rank it in the 32nd percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were fewer answers than this was on July 09, 2026.
The highest number of answers was 81 on June 08, 2019.
The lowest number of answers was 16 on March 27, 2023.

It takes a 7-letter word for genius.
The last time this happened was on July 11, 2026.

Today's puzzle has an average word length of 5.6.
For all Bees, the average word length has been 5.3.



Haven't I seen these letters before?

Hover over a letter to see its first and most recent appearance in the Bee!



Haven't I seen these words before?

The most common words in the Bee are:

  • noon 244
  • loll 226
  • toot 218
  • nana 204
  • naan 204
  • tilt 158
  • till 158
  • nene 158
  • lilt 158
  • mamma 157
  • mama 157
  • tint 153
  • onion 150
  • acai 148
  • acacia 148
  • toon 147
  • onto 147
  • olio 137
  • anon 137
  • anal 136
  • papa 129
  • tact 128
  • baba 127
  • lulu 125
  • lull 125
  • dodo 125
  • loon 122
  • poop 121
  • mitt 121
  • calla 121
  • call 121
  • booboo 120
  • boob 120
  • cocci 119
  • moon 118
  • mono 118
  • tattoo 117
  • tartar 117
  • tart 117
  • ratatat 117
  • attar 116
  • tutu 115
  • ally 114
  • allay 114
  • cancan 113
  • aria 113
  • tatty 111
  • roar 111
  • natant 111
  • momma 111


How long are words in the Bee?

There have been 120,209 answers ever accepted in the Bee - with 11,055 unique words.
Below are the distributions of the lengths of these words.



Valid dictionary words not in today's official answers

You may be wondering why these words aren't here*:

  • akee
  • akene
  • ananke
  • ekka
  • gink
  • kaiak
  • kain
  • kaka
  • kaki
  • kana
  • kanaka
  • kane
  • keek
  • keeking
  • kegging
  • kenning
  • kiang
  • kike
  • kina
  • kine
  • kinin
  • knawe
  • nankin
  • wakiki
  • wank
  • wanking
  • weka

*Because the New York Times considers them obscure or offensive.

akin

adjective
  1. (of persons) Of the same kin; related by blood.
  2. (often followed by to) Allied by nature; similar; partaking of the same properties; of the same kind.

awake

Etymology 1

adjective
  1. Not asleep; conscious.
  2. (by extension) Alert, aware.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To become conscious after having slept.
  2. To cause (somebody) to stop sleeping.
  3. To excite or to stir up something latent.
  4. To rouse from a state of inaction or dormancy.
  5. To come out of a state of inaction or dormancy.

awaken

verb
  1. To become conscious after having slept.
  2. To cause (somebody) to stop sleeping.
  3. To excite or to stir up something latent.
  4. To rouse from a state of inaction or dormancy.
  5. To come out of a state of inaction or dormancy.
verb
  1. To cause to become awake.
  2. To stop sleeping; awake.
  3. To bring into action (something previously dormant); to stimulate.
  4. To call to a sense of sin.

awakening

verb
  1. To cause to become awake.
  2. To stop sleeping; awake.
  3. To bring into action (something previously dormant); to stimulate.
  4. To call to a sense of sin.
noun
  1. The act of awaking, or ceasing to sleep.
  2. A revival of religion, or more general attention to religious matters than usual.
  3. Being roused into action or activity.
adjective
  1. Rousing from sleep, in a natural or a figurative sense; rousing into activity; exciting

awaking

verb
  1. To become conscious after having slept.
  2. To cause (somebody) to stop sleeping.
  3. To excite or to stir up something latent.
  4. To rouse from a state of inaction or dormancy.
  5. To come out of a state of inaction or dormancy.
noun
  1. The act of awaking, or ceasing to sleep.
  2. A revival of religion, or more general attention to religious matters than usual.
  3. Being roused into action or activity.

eking

Etymology 1

noun
  1. The act or process of adding.
  2. That which is added.
  3. A supplementary piece of timber used to lengthen another.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. Chiefly in the form eke out: to add to, to augment; to increase; to lengthen.

gawk

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A cuckoo.
  2. A fool; a simpleton; a stupid or clumsy person.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To stare or gape stupidly.
  2. To stare conspicuously.

gawking

verb
  1. To stare or gape stupidly.
  2. To stare conspicuously.

geek

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.
  2. A person who is intensely interested in a particular field or hobby and often having limited or nonstandard social skills. Often used with an attributive noun.
  3. (by extension) An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers.
  4. The subculture of geeks; an esoteric subject of interest that is marginal to the social mainstream; the philosophy, events, and physical artifacts of geeks; geekness.
  5. An unfashionable or socially undesirable person.
verb
  1. To behave geekishly or in a socially awkward manner, especially when under the influence of drugs or other psycho-active substances, and exhibiting such marked characteristics as hyperactivity, repetitiveness, talkativeness, nervousness, irritability, or paranoia.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A look.
verb
  1. To look; to peep; to stare about intently.

inking

verb
  1. To apply ink to; to cover or smear with ink.
  2. To sign (a contract or similar document).
  3. To apply a tattoo to (someone).
  4. (of a squid or octopus) to eject ink (sense 3)
noun
  1. An application of ink.
  2. Work done by an inker, one kind of commercial artist
  3. Inputting text or drawings into a computer, tablet, or similar apparatus using a stylus.
  4. A defensive activity where ink is released by squids, cuttlefish, etc.

keen

Etymology 1

verb
  1. To make cold, to sharpen.
adjective
  1. Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
  2. Fierce, intense, vehement.
  3. Having a fine edge or point; sharp.
  4. Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
  5. Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.
  6. Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
  7. Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive.
  8. Marvelous.
  9. Brave, courageous; audacious, bold.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A prolonged wail for a deceased person.
verb
  1. To utter a keen.
  2. To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
  3. To mourn.

keening

verb
  1. To make cold, to sharpen.
verb
  1. To utter a keen.
  2. To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
  3. To mourn.
noun
  1. Intense mournful wailing after a death, often at a funeral or wake
  2. (by extension) An unpleasant wailing sound.
adjective
  1. Sharp, shrill, especially of a sound.

king

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A male monarch; a man who heads a monarchy. If it's an absolute monarchy, then he is the supreme ruler of his nation.
  2. A powerful or majorly influential person.
  3. Something that has a preeminent position.
  4. A component of certain games.
  5. A king skin.
  6. A male dragonfly; a drake.
  7. A king-sized bed.
  8. A male person.
verb
  1. To crown king, to make (a person) king.
  2. To rule over as king.
  3. To perform the duties of a king.
  4. To assume or pretend preeminence (over); to lord it over.
  5. To promote a piece of draughts/checkers that has traversed the board to the opposite side, that piece subsequently being permitted to move backwards as well as forwards.
  6. To dress and perform as a drag king.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A sounding stone, a Chinese musical instrument.

kinging

verb
  1. To crown king, to make (a person) king.
  2. To rule over as king.
  3. To perform the duties of a king.
  4. To assume or pretend preeminence (over); to lord it over.
  5. To promote a piece of draughts/checkers that has traversed the board to the opposite side, that piece subsequently being permitted to move backwards as well as forwards.
  6. To dress and perform as a drag king.

kink

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A convulsive fit of coughing or laughter; a sonorous indraft of breath; a whoop; a gasp of breath caused by laughing, coughing, or crying.
verb
  1. To laugh loudly.
  2. To gasp for breath as in a severe fit of coughing.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A tight curl, twist, or bend in a length of thin material, hair etc.
  2. A difficulty or flaw that is likely to impede operation, as in a plan or system.
  3. An unreasonable notion; a crotchet; a whim; a caprice.
  4. Peculiarity or deviation in sexual behaviour or taste.
  5. A positive 1-soliton solution to the Sine–Gordon equation
verb
  1. To form a kink or twist.
  2. To be formed into a kink or twist.

kinking

verb
  1. To laugh loudly.
  2. To gasp for breath as in a severe fit of coughing.
verb
  1. To form a kink or twist.
  2. To be formed into a kink or twist.

kiwi

noun
  1. A New Zealander.
noun
  1. A flightless bird of the genus Apteryx native to New Zealand.
  2. A New Zealand dollar.
  3. A kiwi fruit.
  4. A green-yellow colour, like that of kiwi flesh (also called kiwi green).
  5. A member of the air force who does not fly.

knee

noun
  1. In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
  2. In the horse and allied animals, the carpal joint, corresponding to the wrist in humans.
  3. The part of a garment that covers the knee.
  4. A piece of timber or metal formed with an angle somewhat in the shape of the human knee when bent.
  5. An act of kneeling, especially to show respect or courtesy.
  6. Any knee-shaped item or sharp angle in a line; an inflection point.
  7. A blow made with the knee; a kneeing.
verb
  1. To kneel to.
  2. To poke or strike with the knee.
  3. To move on the knees; to use the knees to move.

kneeing

verb
  1. To kneel to.
  2. To poke or strike with the knee.
  3. To move on the knees; to use the knees to move.
noun
  1. A blow made with the knee

knew

verb
  1. To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of or that.
  2. To be aware of; to be cognizant of.
  3. To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.
  4. To experience.
  5. To be able to distinguish, to discern, particularly by contrast or comparison; to recognize the nature of.
  6. To recognize as the same (as someone or something previously encountered) after an absence or change.
  7. To understand or have a grasp of through experience or study.
  8. To have sexual relations with. This meaning normally specified in modern English as e.g. to ’know someone in the biblical sense’ or to ‘know Biblically.’
  9. To have knowledge; to have information, be informed.
  10. To be or become aware or cognizant.
  11. To be acquainted (with another person).
  12. To be able to play or perform (a song or other piece of music).

nankeen

noun
  1. A type of cotton cloth originally from Nanking in China.

wake

Etymology 1

noun
  1. The act of waking, or state of being awake.
  2. The state of forbearing sleep, especially for solemn or festive purposes; a vigil.
verb
  1. (often followed by up) To stop sleeping.
  2. (often followed by up) To make somebody stop sleeping; to rouse from sleep.
  3. To put in motion or action; to arouse; to excite.
  4. To be excited or roused up; to be stirred up from a dormant, torpid, or inactive state; to be active.
  5. To lay out a body prior to burial in order to allow family and friends to pay their last respects.
  6. To watch, or sit up with, at night, as a dead body.
  7. To be or remain awake; not to sleep.
  8. To be alert; to keep watch
  9. To sit up late for festive purposes; to hold a night revel.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A period after a person's death before or after the body is buried, cremated, etc.; in some cultures accompanied by a party and/or collectively sorting through the deceased's personal effects.
  2. (Church of England) An annual parish festival formerly held in commemoration of the dedication of a church. Originally, prayers were said on the evening preceding, and hymns were sung during the night, in the church; subsequently, these vigils were discontinued, and the day itself, often with succeeding days, was occupied in rural pastimes and exercises, attended by eating and drinking.
  3. A number of vultures assembled together.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. The path left behind a ship on the surface of the water.
  2. The turbulent air left behind a flying aircraft.
  3. The area behind something, typically a rapidly moving object.

waken

verb
  1. To wake or rouse from sleep.
  2. To awaken; to cease to sleep; to be awakened; to stir.

wakening

verb
  1. To wake or rouse from sleep.
  2. To awaken; to cease to sleep; to be awakened; to stir.
noun
  1. The act of awaking, or ceasing to sleep.

waking

verb
  1. (often followed by up) To stop sleeping.
  2. (often followed by up) To make somebody stop sleeping; to rouse from sleep.
  3. To put in motion or action; to arouse; to excite.
  4. To be excited or roused up; to be stirred up from a dormant, torpid, or inactive state; to be active.
  5. To lay out a body prior to burial in order to allow family and friends to pay their last respects.
  6. To watch, or sit up with, at night, as a dead body.
  7. To be or remain awake; not to sleep.
  8. To be alert; to keep watch
  9. To sit up late for festive purposes; to hold a night revel.
noun
  1. The act of becoming awake from sleep, or a period of time spent awake.
adjective
  1. Occurring during wakefulness.

weak

adjective
  1. Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability.
  2. Unable to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain.
  3. Unable to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable.
  4. Dilute, lacking in taste or potency.
  5. (grammar) Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including:
  6. That does not ionize completely into anions and cations in a solution.
  7. One of the four fundamental forces associated with nuclear decay.
  8. Bad or uncool.
  9. Having a narrow range of logical consequences; narrowly applicable. (Often contrasted with a strong statement which implies it.)
  10. Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish.
  11. Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained.
  12. Lacking in vigour or expression.
  13. Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble.
  14. Tending towards lower prices.
  15. Lacking contrast.

weaken

verb
  1. To make weaker or less strong.
  2. To become weaker or less strong.

weakening

verb
  1. To make weaker or less strong.
  2. To become weaker or less strong.
noun
  1. An instance or process of loss of strength.
  2. A structural principle of mathematical logic that states that the hypotheses of any derived fact may be freely extended with additional assumptions.

week

noun
  1. Any period of seven consecutive days.
  2. A period of seven days beginning with Sunday or Monday.
  3. A period of five days beginning with Monday.
  4. A subdivision of the month into longer periods of work days punctuated by shorter weekend periods of days for markets, rest, or religious observation such as a sabbath.
  5. Seven days after (sometimes before) a specified date.

wiki

noun
  1. A collaborative website which can be directly edited merely by using a web browser, often by anyone with access to it.
verb
  1. To research on Wikipedia or some similar wiki.
  2. To contribute to a wiki.
  3. To participate in the wiki-based production of.

wink

Etymology 1

noun
  1. An act of winking (a blinking of only one eye), or a message sent by winking.
  2. A brief period of sleep; especially forty winks.
  3. A brief time; an instant.
  4. The smallest possible amount.
  5. A subtle allusion.
verb
  1. To close one's eyes in sleep.
  2. To close one's eyes.
  3. Usually followed by at: to look the other way, to turn a blind eye.
  4. To close one's eyes quickly and involuntarily; to blink.
  5. To blink with only one eye as a message, signal, or suggestion, usually with an implication of conspiracy. (When transitive, the object may be the eye being winked, or the message being conveyed.)
  6. To gleam fitfully or intermitently; to twinkle; to flicker.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A disc used in the game of tiddlywinks.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. (Chiefly British) Periwinkle.

winking

verb
  1. To close one's eyes in sleep.
  2. To close one's eyes.
  3. Usually followed by at: to look the other way, to turn a blind eye.
  4. To close one's eyes quickly and involuntarily; to blink.
  5. To blink with only one eye as a message, signal, or suggestion, usually with an implication of conspiracy. (When transitive, the object may be the eye being winked, or the message being conveyed.)
  6. To gleam fitfully or intermitently; to twinkle; to flicker.
noun
  1. The act of someone who winks.

geeking

verb
  1. To behave geekishly or in a socially awkward manner, especially when under the influence of drugs or other psycho-active substances, and exhibiting such marked characteristics as hyperactivity, repetitiveness, talkativeness, nervousness, irritability, or paranoia.
verb
  1. To look; to peep; to stare about intently.