Sunday, August 16, 2020

Answers to yesterday's bee


The official answers for today's puzzle are:

  • acacia
  • acai
  • alfalfa
  • anal
  • annal
  • annual
  • annul
  • annuli
  • calculi
  • calf
  • call
  • calla
  • canal
  • cancan
  • canful
  • canna
  • cannula
  • caul
  • cilia
  • clan
  • clinical
  • clinician
  • facial
  • fail
  • fall
  • fanciful
  • fanfic
  • faun
  • fauna
  • faunal
  • filial
  • final
  • financial
  • finial
  • flail
  • flan
  • iliac
  • lacuna
  • laic
  • laical
  • lain
  • lanai
  • lilac
  • luau
  • luna
  • lunula
  • naan
  • naif
  • nail
  • nana
  • niacin
  • ulna


Number of Pangrams: 1

Maximum Puzzle Score: 225

Number of Answers: 52

Points Needed for Genius: 158

Genius requires between 24 and 45 words. You need at least a 6-letter word to reach genius. If you don't get the pangram, you need 75% of the total points to reach genius. If you get the pangram, you only need 68% of the remaining points to reach genius.



How does this puzzle compare to other puzzles?

Today's score of 225 was the in the 86th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this high was on August 12, 2020.
The highest score ever was 444 on April 6, 2019.
The lowest score ever was 50 on May 17, 2019.

This puzzle's 52 possible answers rank it in the 87th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were more answers than this was on August 12, 2020.
The highest number of answers was 81 on June 8, 2019.
The lowest number of answers was 21 on August 5, 2018.

It takes a 6-letter word for genius. This is pretty common.



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

  • loll 76
  • toot 69
  • naan 67
  • nana 67
  • noon 65
  • lilt 51
  • till 51
  • tilt 51
  • ratatat 49
  • tart 49
  • tartar 49
  • attar 48
  • lull 47
  • lulu 47
  • root 47
  • roto 47
  • rotor 47
  • toro 47
  • tort 47
  • trot 47
  • anal 46
  • array 46
  • call 44
  • calla 44
  • allay 42
  • ally 42
  • radar 42
  • tatty 42
  • loot 41
  • lotto 41
  • poop 41
  • toll 41
  • tool 41
  • mama 40
  • mamma 40
  • mono 40
  • moon 40
  • illy 39
  • lily 39
  • natant 39
  • onto 39
  • toon 39
  • loon 38
  • dodo 36
  • itty 36
  • nanny 36
  • tact 36
  • tall 36
  • tint 36
  • aria 35


Valid dictionary words not in today's official answers

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

  • aalii
  • acicula
  • acini
  • acinic
  • aclinic
  • affinal
  • alan
  • alanin
  • alcaic
  • alfa
  • alif
  • allicin
  • alula
  • ancilla
  • anil
  • anilin
  • anna
  • aulic
  • caca
  • caff
  • cain
  • calcic
  • calcific
  • calif
  • callan
  • calluna
  • canaliculi
  • canula
  • cicala
  • clinal
  • facia
  • facula
  • faff
  • fain
  • fallal
  • faucal
  • faucial
  • fila
  • finca
  • finical
  • finnan
  • ilia
  • ilial
  • infall
  • infauna
  • infaunal
  • infula
  • inia
  • lacunal
  • lall
  • lallan
  • lauan
  • liana
  • linac
  • luffa
  • naff
  • nala
  • nanna
  • ulan
  • unai
  • unau
  • uncia
  • uncial
  • uncinal
  • unfilial
  • unica
  • unnail

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