Thursday, December 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: 1

Maximum Puzzle Score: 231

Number of Answers: 43

Points Needed for Genius: 162

Genius requires between 23 and 35 words. You need at least a 7-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.

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 231 was in the 78th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this high was on December 16, 2024.
The highest score ever was 537 on January 22, 2021.
The lowest score ever was 47 on March 27, 2023.

This puzzle's 43 possible answers rank it in the 62nd percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were more answers than this was on December 18, 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 December 15, 2024.

Today's puzzle has an average word length of 5.8.
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 190
  • loll 180
  • toot 174
  • naan 165
  • nana 165
  • lilt 130
  • till 130
  • tilt 130
  • tint 126
  • mama 121
  • mamma 121
  • nene 119
  • acacia 115
  • acai 115
  • onto 114
  • toon 114
  • anal 110
  • onion 110
  • anon 107
  • boob 106
  • booboo 106
  • olio 103
  • papa 102
  • baba 101
  • lull 101
  • lulu 101
  • poop 101
  • tact 101
  • dodo 100
  • mitt 100
  • allay 98
  • ally 98
  • call 98
  • calla 98
  • ratatat 98
  • tart 98
  • tartar 98
  • attar 97
  • cocci 96
  • tattoo 96
  • tatty 96
  • tutu 96
  • mono 95
  • moon 95
  • ammo 94
  • epee 94
  • momma 94
  • peep 94
  • loon 91
  • roar 91


How long are words in the Bee?

There have been 94,645 answers ever accepted in the Bee - with 10,366 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*:

  • chico
  • choc
  • chon
  • cinchonic
  • cion
  • coccic
  • cochin
  • coco
  • cogging
  • cogon
  • cohog
  • coign
  • coigning
  • comm
  • commo
  • concho
  • congii
  • congo
  • coni
  • conin
  • coning
  • conn
  • cooch
  • coocoo
  • coon
  • gnomic
  • gnomon
  • gnomonic
  • gogo
  • gonch
  • gonion
  • gonococci
  • hogg
  • hominin
  • homo
  • honchoing
  • hong
  • hongi
  • hongiing
  • imino
  • incog
  • ingoing
  • inion
  • mignon
  • mogging
  • moho
  • momi
  • mongo
  • monic
  • ninon
  • nogg
  • nogging
  • nomoi
  • nonionic
  • nonohmic
  • nooning
  • ohing
  • ohmic
  • oohing

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

chignon

noun
  1. A roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun.
  2. A temporary swelling on a neonate's head after a ventouse-assisted delivery.

chino

noun
  1. A coarse cotton fabric commonly used to make trousers and uniforms.

cocci

Etymology 1

noun
  1. Any approximately spherical bacterium.
  2. One of the carpels or seed-vessels of a dry fruit.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. Coccidioidomycosis

cocoon

noun
  1. The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.
  2. Any similar protective case, whether real or metaphorical.
verb
  1. To envelop in a protective case
  2. To withdraw into such a case.

cocooning

verb
  1. To envelop in a protective case
  2. To withdraw into such a case.
noun
  1. The formation of a cocoon.

coho

noun
  1. An anadromus and semelparous salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, found in the coastal regions of the northern Pacific Ocean, used as a symbol by several Native American tribes.

coin

noun
  1. (money) A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle.
  2. A token used in a special establishment like a casino.
  3. That which serves for payment or recompense.
  4. Money in general, not limited to coins.
  5. One of the suits of minor arcana in tarot, or a card of that suit.
  6. A corner or external angle.
  7. A small circular slice of food.
  8. A cryptocurrency.
verb
  1. To make of a definite fineness, and convert into coins, as a mass of metal.
  2. (by extension) To make or fabricate.
  3. To acquire rapidly, as money; to make.

coining

verb
  1. To make of a definite fineness, and convert into coins, as a mass of metal.
  2. (by extension) To make or fabricate.
  3. To acquire rapidly, as money; to make.
noun
  1. A form of alternative medicine from Southeast Asia where a coin is rubbed vigorously on a patient's oiled skin.
  2. A created word or phrase.

comic

noun
  1. A comedian.
  2. A story composed of cartoon images arranged in sequence, usually with textual captions; a graphic novel.
  3. A children's newspaper.
adjective
  1. Funny; amusing; comical.
  2. Relating to comedy.

coming

Etymology 1

verb
  1. To move from further away to nearer to.
  2. To arrive.
  3. To appear, to manifest itself.
  4. (with an infinitive) To begin to have an opinion or feeling.
  5. (with an infinitive) To do something by chance, without intending to do it.
  6. To take a position relative to something else in a sequence.
  7. To achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate.
  8. (with close) To approach a state of being or accomplishment.
  9. (with to) To take a particular approach or point of view in regard to something.
  10. (fossil word) To become, to turn out to be.
  11. To be supplied, or made available; to exist.
  12. To carry through; to succeed in.
  13. Happen.
  14. (with from or sometimes of) To have as an origin, originate.
  15. (of grain) To germinate.
  16. To pretend to be; to behave in the manner of.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. The act of arriving; an arrival
adjective
  1. Approaching; of the future, especially the near future; the next.
  2. Newly in fashion; advancing into maturity or achievement.
  3. Ready to come; complaisant; fond.

common

noun
  1. Mutual good, shared by more than one.
  2. A tract of land in common ownership; common land.
  3. The people; the community.
  4. The right of taking a profit in the land of another, in common either with the owner or with other persons; so called from the community of interest which arises between the claimant of the right and the owner of the soil, or between the claimants and other commoners entitled to the same right.
verb
  1. To communicate (something).
  2. To converse, talk.
  3. To have sex.
  4. To participate.
  5. To have a joint right with others in common ground.
  6. To board together; to eat at a table in common.
adjective
  1. Mutual; shared by more than one.
  2. Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual.
  3. Found in large numbers or in a large quantity; usual.
  4. Simple, ordinary or vulgar.
  5. (grammar) In some languages, particularly Germanic languages, of the gender originating from the coalescence of the masculine and feminine categories of nouns.
  6. (grammar) Of or pertaining to common nouns as opposed to proper nouns.
  7. Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal, i.e., common name vs. scientific name.
  8. Profane; polluted.
  9. Given to lewd habits; prostitute.

conch

noun
  1. A marine gastropod of the family Strombidae which lives in its own spiral shell.
  2. The shell of this sea animal.
  3. A musical instrument made from a large spiral seashell, somewhat like a trumpet.
  4. The semidome of an apse, or the apse itself.
verb
  1. To refine the flavour and texture of chocolate by warming and grinding, either in a traditional concher, or between rollers.
  2. To play a conch seashell as a musical instrument, by blowing through a hole made close to the origin of the spiral.
noun
  1. A machine (rather like a rotating pestle and mortar) used to refine the flavour and texture of chocolate by warming and grinding.
  2. A person who operates such a machine.

conic

noun
  1. A conic section.
adjective
  1. Of or relating to a cone or cones.
  2. Shaped like a cone.
  3. Describing a map projection in which meridians are mapped to equally spaced lines radiating out from the apex and parallels of latitude are mapped to circular arcs centred on the apex.

conning

verb
  1. To study or examine carefully, especially in order to gain knowledge of; to learn, or learn by heart.
  2. To know, understand, acknowledge.
verb
  1. To trick or defraud, usually for personal gain.
verb
  1. To direct a ship; to superintend the steering of (a vessel); to watch the course of (a vessel) and direct the helmsman how to steer (especially through a channel, etc, rather than steer a compass direction).
noun
  1. Reckoning

cooing

verb
  1. To make a soft murmuring sound, as a pigeon.
  2. To speak in an admiring fashion, to be enthusiastic about.
noun
  1. A coo; a cooing sound.

gnocchi

noun
  1. Italian pasta-like dumplings made of potato or semolina.

going

verb
  1. To move:
  2. (chiefly of a machine) To work or function (properly); to move or perform (as required).
  3. To start; to begin (an action or process).
  4. To take a turn, especially in a game.
  5. To attend.
  6. To proceed:
  7. To follow or travel along (a path):
  8. To extend (from one point in time or space to another).
  9. To lead (to a place); to give access to.
  10. To become. (The adjective that follows usually describes a negative state.)
  11. To assume the obligation or function of; to be, to serve as.
  12. To continuously or habitually be in a state.
  13. To come to (a certain condition or state).
  14. To change (from one value to another) in the meaning of wend.
  15. To turn out, to result; to come to (a certain result).
  16. To tend (toward a result).
  17. To contribute to a (specified) end product or result.
  18. To pass, to be used up:
  19. To die.
  20. To be discarded.
  21. To be lost or out:
  22. To break down or apart:
  23. To be sold.
  24. To be given, especially to be assigned or allotted.
  25. To survive or get by; to last or persist for a stated length of time.
  26. To have a certain record.
  27. To be authoritative, accepted, or valid:
  28. To say (something), to make a sound:
  29. To be expressed or composed (a certain way).
  30. To resort (to).
  31. To apply or subject oneself to:
  32. To fit (in a place, or together with something):
  33. To date.
  34. To attack:
  35. To be in general; to be usually.
  36. To take (a particular part or share); to participate in to the extent of.
  37. To yield or weigh.
  38. To offer, bid or bet an amount; to pay.
  39. To enjoy. (Compare go for.)
  40. To urinate or defecate.
noun
  1. A departure.
  2. The suitability of ground for riding, walking etc.
  3. Progress.
  4. Conditions for advancing in any way.
  5. Pregnancy; gestation; childbearing
  6. (in the plural) Course of life; behaviour; doings; ways.
  7. (in the phrase "the going of") The whereabouts (of something).
adjective
  1. Likely to continue; viable.
  2. Current, prevailing.
  3. (especially after a noun phrase with a superlative) Available.

gong

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a sonorous sound when struck with a soft hammer.
  2. A medal or award, particularly Knight Bachelor.
verb
  1. To make the sound of a gong; to ring a gong.
  2. To send a signal to, using a gong or similar device.
  3. To give an award or medal to.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
  2. The contents of an outhouse pit: shit.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. A kind of cultivation energy, more powerful than qi.
  2. An advanced practice that cultivates such energy.

gonging

verb
  1. To make the sound of a gong; to ring a gong.
  2. To send a signal to, using a gong or similar device.
  3. To give an award or medal to.
noun
  1. The sounding of a gong.

goon

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A thug; a usually muscular henchman with little intelligence (also known as a 'hired goon').
  2. A fool; someone considered silly, stupid, awkward, or outlandish.
  3. An enforcer or fighter.
  4. (WWII, PoW slang) A German guard in a prisoner-of-war camp.
  5. A member of the comedy web site Something Awful.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A wine flagon or cask.
  2. Cheap or inferior cask wine.

hogging

verb
  1. To greedily take more than one's share, to take precedence at the expense of another or others.
  2. To clip the mane of a horse, making it short and bristly.
  3. To scrub with a hog, or scrubbing broom.
  4. To cause the keel of a ship to arch upwards (the opposite of sag).
verb
  1. To process (bark, etc.) into hog fuel.
noun
  1. The targeting by men of overweight or obese women for sexual encounters, not due to sexual attraction but for amusement, or to take advantage of low self-esteem.
  2. Taking up too much of something so others cannot use it.
adjective
  1. Drooping at the ends; arching; in distinction from sagging.

homing

verb
  1. (of animals) To return to its owner.
  2. (always with "in on") To seek or aim for something.

honcho

noun
  1. Boss, leader
verb
  1. To lead or manage.

honing

verb
  1. To sharpen with a hone; to whet.
  2. To use a hone to produce a precision bore.
  3. To refine or master (a skill).
  4. To make more acute, intense, or effective.
verb
  1. To grumble.
  2. To pine, lament, or long.
noun
  1. The process by which something is honed.

hooch

Etymology 1

noun
  1. Alcoholic liquor, especially inferior or illicit whisky.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A thatched hut, CHU, or any simple dwelling.

icon

noun
  1. An image, symbol, picture, or other representation usually as an object of religious devotion.
  2. (especially Eastern Christianity) A type of religious painting portraying a saint or scene from Scripture, often done on wooden panels.
  3. (by extension) A person or thing that is the best example of a certain profession or some doing.
  4. A small picture that represents something (such as an icon on a computer screen which when clicked performs some function.)
  5. A word, character, or sign whose form reflects and is determined by the referent; onomatopoeic words are necessarily all icons.

iconic

adjective
  1. Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon.
  2. Famously and distinctively representative of its type.
  3. Representing something; symbolic.

incoming

noun
  1. The act of coming in; arrival.
  2. Enemy fire directed at oneself.
adjective
  1. Coming (or about to come) in; arriving.
  2. Succeeding to an office.
interjection
  1. A warning that something is coming towards you; especially enemy artillery fire

ionic

adjective
  1. Of, relating to, or containing ions

minion

noun
  1. The lowest limit.
  2. The smallest amount.
  3. A period of minimum brightness or energy intensity (of a star).
  4. A lower bound of a set which is also an element of that set.
  5. The smallest member of a batch or sample or the lower bound of a probability distribution.
noun
  1. A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
  2. A sycophantic follower.
  3. A loved one; one highly esteemed and favoured.
  4. An ancient form of ordnance with a calibre of about three inches.
  5. The size of type between nonpareil and brevier, standardized as 7-point.
adjective
  1. Favoured, beloved; "pet".

mochi

No Definition Found.

mono

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A viral infection marked by extreme fatigue, high fever, and swollen lymph nodes.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A bicycle or motorcycle trick where the front wheel is lifted off the ground while riding

Etymology 3

adjective
  1. Monaural or monophonic; having only a single audio channel.

Etymology 4

adjective
  1. Monochrome.

Etymology 5

noun
  1. An injective homomorphism
  2. The absence of sexual dimorphism
  3. A morphism n such that for any other morphisms f and g, if n \circ f = n \circ g then f = g.

Etymology 6

noun
  1. A monogamous person.
adjective
  1. Monoamorous, monogamous.

Etymology 7

adjective
  1. Monosexual.

mooch

noun
  1. An aimless stroll.
  2. One who mooches; a moocher.
  3. A unit of time comprising ten days, used to measure how long someone holds a job.
verb
  1. To wander around aimlessly, often causing irritation to others.
  2. To beg, cadge, or sponge; to exploit or take advantage of others for personal gain.
  3. To steal or filch.

mooching

verb
  1. To wander around aimlessly, often causing irritation to others.
  2. To beg, cadge, or sponge; to exploit or take advantage of others for personal gain.
  3. To steal or filch.
noun
  1. An idle stroll.

mooing

verb
  1. Of a cow or bull, to make its characteristic lowing sound.
noun
  1. The action of the verb moo; a mooing sound.
adjective
  1. (of a steak) very rare

moon

proper noun
  1. The Earth's moon Luna; the sole natural satellite of the Earth, represented in astronomy and astrology by ☾.
  2. The god of the Moon in Heathenry.
  3. A surname.
  4. The 54th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
noun
  1. (by extension of Moon) Any natural satellite of a planet.
  2. A month, particularly a lunar month.
  3. A crescent-like outwork in a fortification.
  4. The eighteenth trump/major arcana card of the Tarot.
  5. The thirty-second Lenormand card.
  6. In hearts, the action of taking all the point cards in one hand.
verb
  1. To display one's buttocks to, typically as a jest, insult, or protest.
  2. (usually followed by over or after) To fuss over something adoringly; to be infatuated with someone.
  3. To spend time idly, absent-mindedly.
  4. To expose to the rays of the Moon.
  5. To adorn with moons or crescents.
  6. (cryptocurrency) Of a coin or token: to rise in price rapidly.
  7. To shoot the moon.

mooning

verb
  1. To display one's buttocks to, typically as a jest, insult, or protest.
  2. (usually followed by over or after) To fuss over something adoringly; to be infatuated with someone.
  3. To spend time idly, absent-mindedly.
  4. To expose to the rays of the Moon.
  5. To adorn with moons or crescents.
  6. (cryptocurrency) Of a coin or token: to rise in price rapidly.
  7. To shoot the moon.
noun
  1. The act of showing one's buttocks.

noggin

noun
  1. A small mug, cup or ladle.
  2. (obsolete outside dialectal) A small measure of spirits equivalent to a gill.
  3. The head.
  4. A signalling molecule involved in embryo development, producing large heads at high concentrations.
noun
  1. A horizontal beam used in the construction of a building, especially to strengthen upright posts.
  2. Rough brick masonry used to fill open spaces.

noncom

noun
  1. A non-commissioned officer, such as a sergeant (army) or petty officer (navy).

noon

Etymology 1

noun
  1. The ninth hour of the day counted from sunrise; around three o'clock in the afternoon.
  2. Time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
  3. The corresponding time in the middle of the night; midnight.
  4. The highest point; culmination.
verb
  1. To relax or sleep around midday

Etymology 2

noun
  1. The letter ن in the Arabic script.

oncoming

verb
  1. To arrive; come to; come on.
noun
  1. Approach, onset
adjective
  1. Approaching; coming closer

ongoing

verb
  1. To be ongoing (occurring, happening); to last, proceed or continue.
noun
  1. Something that is going on; a happening.
adjective
  1. Continuing, permanent, lasting.
  2. Presently or currently happening; being in progress.

onion

noun
  1. A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
  2. The bulb of such a plant.
  3. The genus as a whole.
  4. A ball.
  5. A person from Bermuda or of Bermudian descent.