Sunday, September 1, 2024

Answers to yesterday's Bee

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The official answers for today's puzzle are:

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Number of Pangrams: 1

Maximum Puzzle Score: 108

Number of Answers: 29

Points Needed for Genius: 76

Genius requires between 11 and 26 words. You need at least a 7-letter word to reach genius. If you don't get the pangram, you need 82% of the total points to reach genius. If you get the pangram, you only need 66% 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 108 was in the 19th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this low was on August 20, 2024.
The highest score ever was 537 on January 22, 2021.
The lowest score ever was 47 on March 27, 2023.

This puzzle's 29 possible answers rank it in the 24th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were fewer answers than this was on August 26, 2024.
The highest number of answers was 81 on June 8, 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 August 29, 2024.

Today's puzzle has an average word length of 5.0.
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 179
  • loll 172
  • toot 164
  • naan 159
  • nana 159
  • lilt 128
  • till 128
  • tilt 128
  • tint 119
  • mama 114
  • mamma 114
  • acacia 110
  • acai 110
  • nene 109
  • onto 106
  • toon 106
  • anal 105
  • boob 103
  • booboo 103
  • onion 103
  • anon 102
  • lull 101
  • lulu 101
  • olio 100
  • baba 98
  • papa 97
  • call 96
  • calla 96
  • poop 96
  • dodo 95
  • mitt 95
  • allay 94
  • ally 94
  • tatty 94
  • ratatat 92
  • tart 92
  • tartar 92
  • attar 91
  • cocci 91
  • tact 91
  • mono 90
  • moon 90
  • nanny 90
  • loon 89
  • radar 89
  • tattoo 89
  • tutu 89
  • epee 88
  • peep 88
  • array 87


How long are words in the Bee?

There have been 89,940 answers ever accepted in the Bee - with 10,227 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*:

  • abaka
  • abba
  • aboon
  • ananda
  • anna
  • annona
  • anoa
  • baboo
  • banda
  • bankbook
  • dada
  • dado
  • dahoon
  • dhak
  • dona
  • donna
  • doodah
  • haha
  • hodad
  • honan
  • honda
  • hooka
  • kabab
  • kabaka
  • kaka
  • kana
  • kanaka
  • kanban
  • kaon
  • nanna
  • nano
  • nona
  • nonbank
  • odah

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

abandon

Etymology 1

verb
  1. To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.
  2. To desist in doing, practicing, following, holding, or adhering to; to turn away from; to permit to lapse; to renounce; to discontinue.
  3. To leave behind; to desert as in a ship or a position, typically in response to overwhelming odds or impending dangers; to forsake, in spite of a duty or responsibility.
  4. To subdue; to take control of.
  5. To cast out; to banish; to expel; to reject.
  6. To no longer exercise a right, title, or interest, especially with no interest of reclaiming it again; to yield; to relinquish.
  7. To surrender to the insurer (an insured item), so as to claim a total loss.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences.
  2. Abandonment; relinquishment.

adobo

noun
  1. A Philippine dish in which pork or chicken is slowly cooked in a sauce including soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed garlic.
  2. A marinade.

ankh

noun
  1. A cross shaped like a T with a loop at the top, the Egyptian hieroglyph representing the Egyptian triliteral ꜥnḫ and often used as an amulet or charm for this concept.
  2. Tau cross

anon

Etymology 1

adverb
  1. Straight away; at once.
  2. Soon; in a little while.
  3. At another time; then; again.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. An anonymous person, especially an author.
  2. A work with an unknown author.
  3. A work without a title.
adjective
  1. Anonymous

baba

noun
  1. A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
  2. (esp. among people of East European ancestry) A grandmother.
  3. An old woman, especially a traditional old woman from an eastern European culture.
  4. (esp. among people of Indian ancestry) A father.
  5. (Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism) A holy man, a spiritual leader.
  6. A baby, child.
  7. In baby talk, often used for a variety of words beginning with b, such as bottle or blanket.

babka

No Definition Found.

baboon

noun
  1. An Old World monkey of the genus Papio, having dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth, cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks.
  2. A foolish or boorish person.

banana

noun
  1. An elongated curved tropical fruit that grows in bunches and has a creamy flesh and a smooth skin.
  2. The tropical tree-like plant which bears clusters of bananas. The plant, usually of the genus Musa but sometimes also including plants from Ensete, has large, elongated leaves and is related to the plantain.
  3. A yellow colour, like that of a banana's skin.
  4. (mildly) A person of Asian descent, especially a Chinese American, who has assimilated into Western culture or married a Caucasian (from the "yellow" outside and "white" inside). Compare coconut or Oreo.
  5. A banana equivalent dose.
  6. A catamorphism (from the use of banana brackets in the notation).
  7. The penis.
  8. A banana kick.
adjective
  1. Curved like a banana, especially of a ball in flight.

band

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A strip of material used for strengthening or coupling.
  2. A long strip of material, color, etc, that is different from the surrounding area.
  3. A strip of decoration.
  4. That which serves as the means of union or connection between persons; a tie.
  5. A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.
  6. (in the plural) Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress.
  7. A part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  8. A group of energy levels in a solid state material.
  9. A bond.
  10. Pledge; security.
  11. A ring, such as a wedding ring (wedding band), or a ring put on a bird's leg to identify it.
  12. Any distinguishing line formed by chromatography, electrophoresis etc
  13. Short for band cell.
  14. (hiphop, often in the plural) A wad of money totaling $1K, held together by a band; (by extension) money
verb
  1. To fasten with a band.
  2. To fasten an identifying band around the leg of (a bird).

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A group of musicians who perform together as an ensemble, usually for a professional recording artist.
  2. A type of orchestra originally playing janissary music.
  3. A marching band.
  4. A group of people loosely united for a common purpose (a band of thieves).
  5. A small group of people living in a simple society, contrasted with tribes, chiefdoms, and states.
  6. A group of aboriginals that has official recognition as an organized unit by the federal government of Canada.
verb
  1. To group together for a common purpose; to confederate.
  2. To group (students) together by perceived ability; to stream.

Etymology 3

verb
  1. To tie; to confine by any ligature.
  2. To cohere or stick together in a mass.
  3. To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction.
  4. To exert a binding or restraining influence.
  5. To tie or fasten tightly together, with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.
  6. To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind.
  7. To couple.
  8. To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other social tie.
  9. To put (a person) under definite legal obligations, especially, under the obligation of a bond or covenant.
  10. To place under legal obligation to serve.
  11. To protect or strengthen by applying a band or binding, as the edge of a carpet or garment.
  12. To make fast (a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to encircle with something.
  13. To cover, as with a bandage.
  14. To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action, as by producing constipation.
  15. To put together in a cover, as of books.
  16. To make two or more elements stick together.
  17. To associate an identifier with a value; to associate a variable name, method name, etc. with the content of a storage location.
  18. To complain; to whine about something.

bandana

noun
  1. A large kerchief, usually colourful and used either as headgear or as a handkerchief, neckerchief, bikini, or sweatband.
  2. A style of calico printing, in which white or bright spots are produced upon cloth previously dyed a uniform red or dark colour, by discharging portions of the color by chemical means, while the rest of the cloth is under pressure.

bandanna

noun
  1. A large kerchief, usually colourful and used either as headgear or as a handkerchief, neckerchief, bikini, or sweatband.
  2. A style of calico printing, in which white or bright spots are produced upon cloth previously dyed a uniform red or dark colour, by discharging portions of the color by chemical means, while the rest of the cloth is under pressure.

bank

Etymology 1

noun
  1. An institution where one can place and borrow money and take care of financial affairs.
  2. A branch office of such an institution.
  3. An underwriter or controller of a card game; also banque.
  4. A fund from deposits or contributions, to be used in transacting business; a joint stock or capital.
  5. The sum of money etc. which the dealer or banker has as a fund from which to draw stakes and pay losses.
  6. Money; profit
  7. In certain games, such as dominos, a fund of pieces from which the players are allowed to draw.
  8. A safe and guaranteed place of storage for and retrieval of important items or goods.
  9. A device used to store coins or currency.
verb
  1. To deal with a bank or financial institution, or for an institution to provide financial services to a client.
  2. To put into a bank.
  3. To conceal in the rectum for use in prison.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. An edge of river, lake, or other watercourse.
  2. An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shallow area of shifting sand, gravel, mud, and so forth (for example, a sandbank or mudbank).
  3. A slope of earth, sand, etc.; an embankment.
  4. The incline of an aircraft, especially during a turn.
  5. An incline, a hill.
  6. A mass noun for a quantity of clouds.
  7. The face of the coal at which miners are working.
  8. A deposit of ore or coal, worked by excavations above water level.
  9. The ground at the top of a shaft.
verb
  1. To roll or incline laterally in order to turn.
  2. To cause (an aircraft) to bank.
  3. To form into a bank or heap, to bank up.
  4. To cover the embers of a fire with ashes in order to retain heat.
  5. To raise a mound or dike about; to enclose, defend, or fortify with a bank; to embank.
  6. To pass by the banks of.
  7. To provide additional power for a train ascending a bank (incline) by attaching another locomotive.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. A row or panel of items stored or grouped together.
  2. A row of keys on a musical keyboard or the equivalent on a typewriter keyboard.
  3. A contiguous block of memory that is of fixed, hardware-dependent size, but often larger than a page and partitioning the memory such that two distinct banks do not overlap.
  4. A set of multiple adjacent drop targets.
verb
  1. (order and arrangement) To arrange or order in a row.

Etymology 4

noun
  1. A bench, as for rowers in a galley; also, a tier of oars.
  2. A bench or seat for judges in court.
  3. The regular term of a court of law, or the full court sitting to hear arguments upon questions of law, as distinguished from a sitting at nisi prius, or a court held for jury trials. See banc.
  4. A kind of table used by printers.
  5. A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard, as in an organ.
  6. Slang for money

baobab

noun
  1. A tree, Adansonia digitata (and similar species), native to tropical Africa, having a broad swollen trunk and edible gourd-like hanging fruits.

dank

Etymology 1

noun
  1. Moisture; humidity; water.
adjective
  1. Dark, damp and humid.
  2. (of marijuana) Highly potent.
  3. (often ironic) Great, awesome.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To moisten, dampen; used of mist, dew etc.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. A small silver coin formerly used in Persia.

doodad

noun
  1. A thing (used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall); especially an unspecified gadget, device, or part.

haboob

noun
  1. A violent sandstorm or duststorm in the deserts of Arabia, North Africa, India, or North America.

hand

noun
  1. The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
  2. That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.
  3. In linear measurement:
  4. A side; part, camp; direction, either right or left.
  5. Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
  6. An agent; a servant, or manual laborer, especially in compounds; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty; a performer more or less skillful.
  7. An instance of helping.
  8. Handwriting; style of penmanship.
  9. A person's autograph or signature.
  10. Personal possession; ownership.
  11. (usually in the plural, hands) Management, domain, control.
  12. That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.
  13. Applause.
  14. A Native American gambling game, involving guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or similar, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.
  15. The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.
  16. A whole rhizome of ginger.
  17. The feel of a fabric; the impression or quality of the fabric as judged qualitatively by the sense of touch.
  18. Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
  19. Agency in transmission from one person to another.
  20. Rate; price.
verb
  1. To give, pass, or transmit with the hand, literally or figuratively.
  2. To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct.
  3. To manage.
  4. To seize; to lay hands on.
  5. To pledge by the hand; to handfast.
  6. (said of a sail) To furl.
  7. To cooperate.

handbook

noun
  1. A topically organized book of reference on a certain field of knowledge, regardless of size.
  2. A place where illicit bets can be placed.

hank

noun
  1. A coil or loop of something, especially twine, yarn, or rope.
  2. A ring or shackle that secures a staysail to its stay and allows the sail to glide smoothly up and down.
  3. Doubt, difficulty.
  4. Mess, tangle.
  5. A rope or withe for fastening a gate.
  6. Hold; influence.
  7. A throw in which a wrestler turns his left side to his opponent, twines his left leg about his opponent's right leg from the inside, and throws him backward.
verb
  1. To form into hanks.
  2. To fasten with a rope, as a gate.

hookah

noun
  1. A pipe with a long flexible tube that draws the smoke through water, traditionally used for smoking tobacco, which is often flavored.

kabob

noun
  1. A dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted on a skewer or spit, especially a doner kebab.
  2. A shish kebab or any other food on a skewer.
  3. The outward growing portions of a shish kebab structure.
  4. A Muslim, usually of southern European, Middle Eastern, or North African descent.
  5. The vulva.
verb
  1. To roast in the style of a kebab
  2. To stab or skewer

khan

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A ruler over various Turkish, Tatar and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages.
  2. An Ottoman sultan.
  3. A noble or man of rank in various Muslim countries of Central Asia, including Afghanistan.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A caravanserai; a resting-place for a travelling caravan.

koan

noun
  1. A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable, which has become an object of Zen study, and which, when meditated upon, may unlock mechanisms in the Zen student’s mind leading to satori.
  2. A riddle with no solution, used to provoke reflection on the inadequacy of logical reasoning, and to lead to enlightenment.

naan

noun
  1. A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.

nabob

noun
  1. An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire.
  2. (by extension) Someone of great wealth or importance.
  3. (by extension) A person with a grandiose style or manner.

nada

pronoun
  1. Nothing.

nana

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A banana
  2. A fool

Etymology 2

noun
  1. (term of endearment) one's grandmother
  2. A nanny

boba

noun
  1. Short for boba tea.
noun
  1. A small edible ball made primarily from tapioca starch; used in bubble tea.

haka

noun
  1. A group dance of New Zealand's Maori people featuring rhythmic chanting, vigorous facial and arm movements, and foot stamping. Traditionally a war dance, today it is also performed to welcome guests, as a mark of respect at occasions such as commemorations and funerals, as a challenge to opposing teams at sports events, and for artistic purposes.
verb
  1. To perform the haka.