Thursday, September 19, 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: 3

Maximum Puzzle Score: 267

Number of Answers: 52

Points Needed for Genius: 187

Genius requires between 24 and 46 words. You need at least an 8-letter word to reach genius. If you don't get the pangrams, you need 88% of the total points to reach genius. If you get the pangrams, you only need 62% 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 267 was in the 89th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this high was on September 15, 2024.
The highest score ever was 537 on January 22, 2021.
The lowest score ever was 47 on March 27, 2023.

This puzzle's 52 possible answers rank it in the 81st percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were more answers than this was on September 17, 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 an 8-letter word for genius.
The last time this happened was on September 17, 2024.

Today's puzzle has an average word length of 5.7.
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 160
  • nana 160
  • lilt 128
  • till 128
  • tilt 128
  • tint 121
  • mama 114
  • mamma 114
  • acacia 110
  • acai 110
  • nene 109
  • anal 106
  • onto 106
  • toon 106
  • boob 105
  • booboo 105
  • onion 104
  • anon 102
  • lull 101
  • lulu 101
  • olio 100
  • baba 99
  • papa 97
  • call 96
  • calla 96
  • dodo 96
  • mitt 96
  • poop 96
  • allay 94
  • ally 94
  • ratatat 94
  • tart 94
  • tartar 94
  • tatty 94
  • attar 93
  • cocci 93
  • tact 92
  • mono 90
  • moon 90
  • nanny 90
  • epee 89
  • loon 89
  • peep 89
  • radar 89
  • tattoo 89
  • tutu 89
  • array 87


How long are words in the Bee?

There have been 90,726 answers ever accepted in the Bee - with 10,252 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*:

  • beebee
  • beigy
  • bibe
  • biggety
  • billetee
  • billie
  • bleb
  • blebby
  • blet
  • blite
  • ebbet
  • elegit
  • gelly
  • gibbet
  • giglet
  • gillie
  • gite
  • glebe
  • gleet
  • gleety
  • gleg
  • glegly
  • gley
  • gybe
  • illite
  • leet
  • libellee
  • teel
  • tegg
  • tele
  • telly
  • tillite
  • tittie
  • tyee
  • yegg
  • yett

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

beet

Etymology 1

noun
  1. Beta vulgaris, a plant with a swollen root which is eaten or used to make sugar.
  2. A beetroot, a swollen root of such a plant.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To improve; to mend.
  2. To kindle a fire.
  3. To rouse.

beetle

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A small car, the Volkswagen Beetle (original version made 1938–2003, similar models made 1997–2010 and since 2011)
noun
  1. Any of numerous species of insect in the order Coleoptera characterized by a pair of hard, shell-like front wings which cover and protect a pair of rear wings when at rest.
  2. A game of chance in which players attempt to complete a drawing of a beetle, different dice rolls allowing them to add the various body parts.
verb
  1. To move away quickly, to scurry away.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To loom over; to extend or jut.
adjective
  1. Protruding, jutting, overhanging. (As in beetle brows.)

Etymology 3

noun
  1. A type of mallet with a large wooden head, used to drive wedges, beat pavements, etc.
  2. A machine in which fabrics are subjected to a hammering process while passing over rollers, as in cotton mills; a beetling machine.
verb
  1. To beat with a heavy mallet.
  2. To finish by subjecting to a hammering process in a beetle or beetling machine.

beget

verb
  1. To father; to sire; to produce (a child).
  2. To cause; to produce.
  3. To bring forth.
  4. To happen to; befall.

beige

noun
  1. A slightly yellowish gray colour, as that of unbleached wool.
  2. Debeige; a kind of woollen or mixed dress goods.
adjective
  1. Having a slightly yellowish gray colour, as that of unbleached wool.
  2. Comfortably dull and unadventurous, in a way that suggests middle-class suburbia.

belie

Etymology 1

verb
  1. To lie around; encompass.
  2. (of an army) To surround; beleaguer.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To tell lies about.
  2. To give a false representation of.
  3. To contradict, to show (something) to be false.
  4. To conceal the contradictory or ironic presence of (something).
  5. To show, evince, demonstrate: to show (something) to be present, particularly something deemed contradictory or ironic.
  6. To mimic; to counterfeit.
  7. To fill with lies.

belittle

verb
  1. To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation.

bell

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
  2. The sounding of a bell as a signal.
  3. A telephone call.
  4. A signal at a school that tells the students when a class is starting or ending.
  5. The flared end of a brass or woodwind instrument.
  6. Any of a series of strokes on a bell (or similar), struck every half hour to indicate the time (within a four hour watch)
  7. The flared end of a pipe, designed to mate with a narrow spigot.
  8. A device control code that produces a beep (or rings a small electromechanical bell on older teleprinters etc.).
  9. Anything shaped like a bell, such as the cup or corolla of a flower.
  10. The part of the capital of a column included between the abacus and neck molding; also used for the naked core of nearly cylindrical shape, assumed to exist within the leafage of a capital.
  11. An instrument situated on a bicycle's handlebar, used by the cyclist to warn of his or her presence.
verb
  1. To attach a bell to.
  2. To shape so that it flares out like a bell.
  3. To telephone.
  4. To develop bells or corollas; to take the form of a bell; to blossom.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. The bellow or bay of certain animals, such as a hound on the hunt or a stag in rut.
verb
  1. To bellow or roar.
  2. To utter in a loud manner; to thunder forth.

belle

noun
  1. An attractive woman.

belly

noun
  1. The abdomen, especially a fat one.
  2. The stomach.
  3. The womb.
  4. The lower fuselage of an airplane.
  5. The part of anything which resembles the human belly in protuberance or in cavity; the innermost part.
  6. The hollow part of a curved or bent timber, the convex part of which is the back.
verb
  1. To position one’s belly; to move on one’s belly.
  2. To swell and become protuberant; to bulge or billow.
  3. To cause to swell out; to fill.

belt

noun
  1. A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.
  2. A band used as a restraint for safety purposes, such as a seat belt.
  3. A band that is used in a machine to help transfer motion or power.
  4. Anything that resembles a belt, or that encircles or crosses like a belt; a strip or stripe.
  5. A trophy in the shape of a belt, generally awarded for martial arts.
  6. A collection of rocky-constituted bodies (such as asteroids) which orbit a star.
  7. One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds.
  8. A powerful blow, often made with a fist or heavy object.
  9. A quick drink of liquor.
  10. (usually capitalized) A geographical region known for a particular product, feature or demographic (Corn Belt, Bible Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt).
  11. The part of the strike zone at the height of the batter's waist.
  12. Device that holds and feeds cartridges into a belt-fed weapon
verb
  1. To encircle.
  2. To fasten a belt on.
  3. To invest (a person) with a belt as part of a formal ceremony such as knighthood.
  4. To hit with a belt.
  5. To scream or sing in a loud manner.
  6. To drink quickly, often in gulps.
  7. To hit someone or something.
  8. To hit a pitched ball a long distance, usually for a home run.
  9. To move very fast

betel

noun
  1. Either of two plants often used in combination:
  2. A quid (chewing preparation) containing these and other plant materials; paan.

bible

noun
  1. An exemplar of the Bible.
  2. A comprehensive manual that describes something. (e.g., handyman’s bible).
  3. (at certain US universities) A compilation of problems and solutions from previous years of a given course, used by some students to cheat on tests or assignments.
  4. Omasum, the third compartment of the stomach of ruminants
noun
  1. A piece of soft sandstone used for scouring the wooden decks of ships, usually with sand and seawater.
  2. A stone with a naturally-formed hole, used by Yorkshiremen for good luck.

bigeye

noun
  1. Any fish in the taxonomic family Priacanthidae, which have large eyes.
  2. Any of certain fish or shark species identified by their large eyes, in particular bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus.

biggie

noun
  1. Something large in size in comparison to similar things.
  2. Something impressive in comparison to similar things.
  3. (chiefly in the negative) Big deal.
  4. (originally US) A person of importance or power, especially in the entertainment industry.

bile

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow secretion produced by the liver, stored in the gall bladder, and discharged into the duodenum where it aids the process of digestion.
  2. Bitterness of temper; ill humour; irascibility.
  3. Two of the four humours, black bile or yellow bile, in ancient and medieval physiology.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A boil (kind of swelling).
verb
  1. (of liquids) To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas.
  2. To cook in boiling water.
  3. (of liquids) To begin to turn into a gas, seethe.
  4. To bring to a boil, to heat so as to cause the contents to boil.
  5. (used only in progressive tenses, of weather) To be uncomfortably hot.
  6. (used only in progressive tenses) To feel uncomfortably hot.
  7. To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation.
  8. To steep or soak in warm water.
  9. To be agitated like boiling water; to bubble; to effervesce.
  10. To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid.

bilge

noun
  1. The rounded portion of a ship's hull, forming a transition between the bottom and the sides.
  2. The lowest inner part of a ship's hull, where water accumulates.
  3. The water accumulated in the bilge, the bilge water.
  4. Stupid talk or writing; nonsense.
  5. The bulging part of a barrel or cask.
verb
  1. To spring a leak in the bilge.
  2. To bulge or swell.
  3. To break open the bilge(s) of.

billet

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A short informal letter.
  2. A written order to quarter soldiers.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A place where a soldier is assigned to lodge.
  2. An allocated space or berth in a boat or ship.
  3. Berth; position.
verb
  1. (of a householder etc.) To lodge soldiers, or guests, usually by order.
  2. (of a soldier) To lodge, or be quartered, in a private house.
  3. To direct, by a ticket or note, where to lodge.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. A semi-finished length of metal.
  2. A short piece of wood, especially one used as firewood.
  3. A short cutting of sugar cane produced by a harvester or used for planting.
  4. A rectangle used as a charge on an escutcheon.
  5. An ornament in Norman work, resembling a billet of wood, either square or round.
  6. (saddlery) A strap that enters a buckle.
  7. A loop that receives the end of a buckled strap.

Etymology 4

noun
  1. An English fish, allied to the cod; the coalfish.

bite

noun
  1. The act of biting.
  2. The wound left behind after having been bitten.
  3. The swelling of one's skin caused by an insect's mouthparts or sting.
  4. A piece of food of a size that would be produced by biting; a mouthful.
  5. Something unpleasant.
  6. An act of plagiarism.
  7. A small meal or snack.
  8. Aggression
  9. The hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another.
  10. A cheat; a trick; a fraud.
  11. A sharper; one who cheats.
  12. A blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the type and paper.
  13. A cut, a proportion of profits; an amount of money.
verb
  1. To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
  2. To hold something by clamping one's teeth.
  3. To attack with the teeth.
  4. To behave aggressively; to reject advances.
  5. To take hold; to establish firm contact with.
  6. To have significant effect, often negative.
  7. (of a fish) To bite a baited hook or other lure and thus be caught.
  8. To accept something offered, often secretly or deceptively, to cause some action by the acceptor.
  9. (of an insect) To sting.
  10. To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent.
  11. (sometimes figurative) To cause sharp pain or damage to; to hurt or injure.
  12. To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing.
  13. To take or keep a firm hold.
  14. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to.
  15. To lack quality; to be worthy of derision; to suck.
  16. To perform oral sex on. Used in invective.
  17. To plagiarize, to imitate.
  18. To deceive or defraud; to take in.

byte

noun
  1. A short sequence of bits (binary digits) that can be operated on as a unit by a computer; the smallest usable machine word.
  2. (most commonly) A unit of computing storage equal to eight bits, which can represent any of 256 distinct values.

eely

No Definition Found.

eggy

Etymology 1

adjective
  1. Covered with or dipped in egg.
  2. Resembling eggs in some way.
  3. Of or relating to an egg or eggs.

Etymology 2

adjective
  1. Slightly annoyed.

elegy

noun
  1. A mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a poem of lamentation.
  2. A composition of mournful character.

eligibility

noun
  1. The state, quality, or the fact of being eligible.

eligible

noun
  1. One who is eligible.
adjective
  1. Allowed to and meeting the necessary conditions required to participate in or be chosen for something
  2. Worthy of being chosen (for marriage)

eligibly

No Definition Found.

elite

noun
  1. A special group or social class of people which have a superior intellectual, social or economic status as, the elite of society.
  2. Someone who is among the best at a certain task.
adjective
  1. Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.
  2. Representing the choicest or most select of a group.

eyelet

noun
  1. An object that consists of a rim and small hole or perforation to receive a cord or fastener, as in garments, sails, etc. An eyelet may reinforce a hole.
  2. A shaped metal embellishment containing a hole, used in scrapbook. Eyelets are typically set by punching a hole in the page, placing the smooth side of the eyelet on a table, positioning the paper over protruding edge and curling the edge down using a hammer and eyelet setter.
  3. Cotton fabric with small holes.
  4. The contact tip of the base of a light bulb.
  5. A peephole.
  6. A little eye.
verb
  1. To make eyelets in.

gelee

No Definition Found.

gelt

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A lunatic.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. Gilding; gilt.

Etymology 3

verb
  1. To castrate a male (usually an animal).
  2. To deprive of anything essential; to weaken.
noun
  1. A gelding.

Etymology 4

noun
  1. Money.
  2. Tribute; tax.

Etymology 5

noun
  1. Money, especially that given as a gift on Hanukkah or used in games of dreidel.
  2. Chocolate candy in the shape of coins, usually wrapped in metallic foil, usually eaten on Hanukkah and often used for games of dreidel.
  3. Money.

gibe

noun
  1. Alternative spelling of gybe
  2. Alternative spelling of jibe
verb
  1. Alternative spelling of gybe
  2. Alternative spelling of jibe

giblet

noun
  1. (usually in the plural) the edible viscera of a bird

giggle

noun
  1. A high-pitched, silly laugh.
  2. Fun; an amusing episode.
verb
  1. To laugh gently or in a high-pitched voice; to laugh in a silly or giddy way.

glee

noun
  1. Joy; happiness great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune.
  2. Music; minstrelsy; entertainment.
  3. An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices, not necessarily merry.
verb
  1. To sing a glee (unaccompanied part song).

illegibility

No Definition Found.

illegible

adjective
  1. Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.

illegibly

No Definition Found.

leggy

adjective
  1. (chiefly of a woman) Having long, attractive legs; long-legged.
  2. (chiefly of a woman) Exposing the bare or pantyhose-clad legs, especially the thighs.
  3. Taller or longer than usual.

legibility

noun
  1. The property of being legible or easily readable.

legible

adjective
  1. Clear enough to be read; readable, particularly of handwriting.

legibly

No Definition Found.

legit

noun
  1. A legitimate; a legitimate actor.
  2. A legitimate child.
adjective
  1. Legitimate; legal; allowed by the rules; valid.
  2. (by extension, of a thing or person) Genuine, actual, literal or honest.
  3. Genuinely good and possessing all the required or expected qualities; the real deal.
  4. Cool by virtue of being genuine.
adverb
  1. Legitimately; within the law.
  2. Honestly; truly; seriously.

libel

noun
  1. A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
  2. The act or crime of displaying such a statement publicly.
  3. Any defamatory writing; a lampoon; a satire.
  4. A written declaration or statement by the plaintiff of their cause of action, and of the relief they seek.
  5. A brief writing of any kind, especially a declaration, bill, certificate, request, supplication, etc.
verb
  1. To defame someone, especially in a manner that meets the legal definition of libel.
  2. To proceed against (a ship, goods, etc.) by filing a libel.

libelee

No Definition Found.

liege

noun
  1. A free and independent person; specifically, a lord paramount; a sovereign.
  2. (in full liege lord) A king or lord.
  3. The subject of a sovereign or lord; a liegeman.
adjective
  1. Sovereign; independent; having authority or right to allegiance.
  2. Serving an independent sovereign or master; bound by a feudal tenure; obliged to be faithful and loyal to a superior, such as a vassal to his lord; faithful.
  3. Full; perfect; complete; pure.

lite

Etymology 1

noun
  1. Visible electromagnetic radiation. The human eye can typically detect radiation (light) in the wavelength range of about 400 to 750 nanometers. Nearby shorter and longer wavelength ranges, although not visible, are commonly called ultraviolet and infrared light.
  2. A source of illumination.
  3. Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information.
  4. (in the plural) Facts; pieces of information; ideas, concepts.
  5. A notable person within a specific field or discipline.
  6. The manner in which the light strikes a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; opposed to shade.
  7. A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded.
  8. A flame or something used to create fire.
  9. A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or coloured flame.
  10. A window, or space for a window in architecture.
  11. The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue.
  12. A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.
  13. Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity.
  14. The power of perception by vision.
  15. The brightness of the eye or eyes.
  16. A traffic light, or, by extension, an intersection controlled by one or more that will face a traveler who is receiving instructions.
adjective
  1. Having light; bright; clear; not dark or obscure.
  2. Pale or whitish in color; highly luminous and more or less deficient in chroma.
  3. (of coffee) Served with extra milk or cream.
noun
  1. A stone that is not thrown hard enough.
  2. See lights.
adjective
  1. Having little or relatively little actual weight; not cumbrous or unwieldy.
  2. Having little weight as compared with bulk; of little density or specific gravity.
  3. Of short or insufficient weight; weighing less than the legal, standard or proper amount; clipped or diminished.
  4. Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy.
  5. Not heavy or soggy; spongy; well raised.
  6. Gentle; having little force or momentum.
  7. Easy to endure or perform.
  8. Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.
  9. Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.
  10. Unchaste, wanton.
  11. Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.
  12. Easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile.
  13. Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy.
  14. Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.
  15. Easily interrupted by stimulation.
adjective
  1. Light in composition, notably low in fat, calories etc. Most commonly used commercially.
  2. Lightweight
  3. (usually used postpositively) Lacking substance or seriousness; watered down.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A little, bit.
adjective
  1. Few; little

Etymology 3

noun
  1. The act of waiting; a wait.
verb
  1. To expect; wait.
  2. To rely.

little

noun
  1. A small amount.
adjective
  1. Small in size.
  2. Insignificant, trivial.
  3. Very young.
  4. (of a sibling) Younger.
  5. (also Little) Used with the name of a place, especially of a country or its capital, to denote a neighborhood whose residents or storekeepers are from that place.
  6. Small in amount or number, having few members.
  7. Short in duration; brief.
  8. Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous.
adverb
  1. Not much.
  2. Not at all.
pronoun
  1. Not much; not a large amount.

tell

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A reflexive, often habitual behavior, especially one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
  2. That which is told; a tale or account.
  3. A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.
verb
  1. (archaic outside of idioms) To count, reckon, or enumerate.
  2. To narrate.
  3. To convey by speech; to say.
  4. To instruct or inform.
  5. To order; to direct, to say to someone.
  6. To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.
  7. To reveal.
  8. To be revealed.
  9. To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.
  10. To use (beads or similar objects) as an aid to prayer.
  11. To inform someone in authority about a wrongdoing.
  12. (authorship) To reveal information in prose through outright expository statement -- contrasted with show

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A hill or mound, originally and especially in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.

tile

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile etc.
  2. A rectangular graphic.
  3. Any of various flat cuboid playing pieces used in certain games, such as dominoes, Scrabble, or mahjong.
  4. A stiff hat.
verb
  1. To cover with tiles.
  2. To arrange in a regular pattern, with adjoining edges (applied to tile-like objects, graphics, windows in a computer interface).
  3. To optimize (a loop in program code) by means of the tiling technique.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To protect from the intrusion of the uninitiated.

title

noun
  1. A prefix (honorific) or suffix (post-nominal) added to a person's name to signify either veneration, official position or a professional or academic qualification. See also
  2. Legal right to ownership of a property; a deed or other certificate proving this.
  3. In canon law, that by which a beneficiary holds a benefice.
  4. A church to which a priest was ordained, and where he was to reside.
  5. The name of a book, film, musical piece, painting, or other work of art.
  6. A publication.
  7. A section or division of a subject, as of a law or a book.
  8. (chiefly in the plural) A written title, credit, or caption shown with a film, video, or performance.
  9. The panel for the name, between the bands of the back of a book.
  10. The subject of a writing; a short phrase that summarizes the entire topic.
  11. A division of an act of law
  12. The recognition given to the winner of a championship in sports.
verb
  1. To assign a title to; to entitle.

tittle

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A small, insignificant amount (of something); a modicum or speck.
  2. Any small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark, especially if part of a letter, or if a letter-like abbreviation; in particular, the dots over the Latin letters i and j.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To chatter.

yell

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A shout.
  2. A phrase to be shouted.
verb
  1. Shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice.
  2. To convey by shouting
  3. To tell someone off (in a loud and angry manner)

Etymology 2

adjective
  1. Dry (of cow)

yeti

noun
  1. An unidentified humanoid animal said to live in the Himalayas