Monday, December 23, 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: 103

Number of Answers: 21

Points Needed for Genius: 72

Genius requires between 9 and 19 words. You need at least an 8-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 65% 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 103 was in the 16th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this low was on December 11, 2024.
The highest score ever was 537 on January 22, 2021.
The lowest score ever was 47 on March 27, 2023.

This puzzle's 21 possible answers rank it in the 2nd percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were fewer answers than this was on December 11, 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 December 21, 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 190
  • loll 180
  • toot 174
  • naan 165
  • nana 165
  • lilt 130
  • till 130
  • tilt 130
  • tint 127
  • mama 121
  • mamma 121
  • nene 120
  • acacia 115
  • acai 115
  • onto 114
  • toon 114
  • anal 110
  • onion 110
  • anon 107
  • boob 107
  • booboo 107
  • olio 103
  • baba 102
  • papa 102
  • 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 94,822 answers ever accepted in the Bee - with 10,370 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*:

  • dhow
  • holddown
  • indow
  • inwind
  • lown
  • nonwool
  • whid
  • whin
  • wold

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

down

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A negative aspect; a downer.
  2. A grudge (on someone).
  3. An act of swallowing an entire drink at once.
  4. A single play, from the time the ball is snapped (the start) to the time the whistle is blown (the end) when the ball is down, or is downed.
  5. (crosswords) A clue whose solution runs vertically in the grid.
  6. A downstairs room of a two-story house.
  7. Down payment.
verb
  1. To knock (someone or something) down; to cause to come down, to fell.
  2. To lower; to put (something) down.
  3. To defeat; to overpower.
  4. To disparage, to put down.
  5. To go or come down; to descend.
  6. To drink or swallow, especially without stopping before the vessel containing the liquid is empty.
  7. To render (the ball) dead, typically by touching the ground while in possession.
  8. (pocket billiards) To sink (a ball) into a hole or pocket.
adjective
  1. Sad, unhappy, depressed, feeling low.
  2. (normally in the combination 'down with') Sick or ill.
  3. At a lower level than before.
  4. Having a lower score than an opponent.
  5. (following the noun modified) Out.
  6. (with "on") Negative about, hostile to.
  7. Comfortable with, accepting of, approachable.
  8. Inoperable; out of order; out of service.
  9. Finished (of a task); defeated or dealt with (of an opponent or obstacle); elapsed (of time). Often coupled with to go (remaining).
  10. (police, of a person) Wounded and unable to move normally, or killed.
  11. (of an aircraft) Mechanically failed, collided, shot down, or otherwise suddenly unable to fly.
  12. Thoroughly practiced, learned or memorised; mastered. (Compare down pat.)
  13. Downright; absolute; positive.
  14. Accepted or respected, especially in the black or thug community.
  15. Facing downwards.
adverb
  1. From a higher position to a lower one; downwards.
  2. At a lower or further place or position along a set path.
  3. South (as south is at the bottom of typical maps).
  4. Away from the city (regardless of direction).
  5. At or towards any place that is visualised as 'down' by virtue of local features or local convention, or arbitrarily, irrespective of direction or elevation change.
  6. Towards the opponent's side (in ball-sports).
  7. Into a state of non-operation.
  8. To a subordinate or less prestigious position or rank.
  9. In the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.
  10. (sentence substitute) Get down.
  11. (academia) Away from Oxford or Cambridge.
  12. From a remoter or higher antiquity.
  13. So as to lessen quantity, level or intensity.
  14. So as to reduce size, weight or volume.
  15. From less to greater detail.
  16. So as to secure or compress something to the floor, ground, or other (usually horizontal) surface.
  17. (intensifier) Used with verbs to add emphasis to the action of the verb.
  18. Used with verbs to indicate that the action of the verb was carried to some state of completion, rather than being of indefinite duration.
preposition
  1. From the higher end to the lower of.
  2. From nouth to south of.
  3. From one end to another of (in any direction); along.
  4. At (a given place that is seen as removed from one's present location or other point of reference).

Etymology 2

noun
  1. (especially southern England) A hill, especially a chalk hill; rolling grassland
  2. (usually in the plural) A field, especially one used for horse racing.
  3. (chiefly in the plural) A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. Soft, fluffy immature feathers which grow on young birds. Used as insulating material in duvets, sleeping bags and jackets.
  2. The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, such as the thistle.
  3. The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.
  4. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down.
verb
  1. To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down.

downhill

noun
  1. The fastest of the disciplines of alpine skiing.
  2. A rapid descent of a hill in related sports, especially in alpine skiing.
verb
  1. To take part in downhill skiing.
adjective
  1. Located down a slope or hill.
  2. Going down a slope or a hill.
  3. (by extension) Easy.
  4. (by extension) Deteriorating, getting worse.
adverb
  1. Down a slope.

downwind

adverb
  1. In the same direction as the wind is blowing
  2. (+ from) positioned relative to something in such a way that it can be smelled in the wind
  3. In the direction opposite that of landing in a traffic pattern

hollow

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A small valley between mountains.
  2. A sunken area or unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.
  3. A sunken area.
  4. A feeling of emptiness.
verb
  1. To make a hole in something; to excavate

Etymology 2

adjective
  1. (of something solid) Having an empty space or cavity inside.
  2. (of a sound) Distant, eerie; echoing, reverberating, as if in a hollow space; dull, muffled; often low-pitched.
  3. Without substance; having no real or significant worth; meaningless.
  4. Insincere, devoid of validity; specious.
  5. Concave; gaunt; sunken.
  6. Pertaining to hollow body position
adverb
  1. Completely, as part of the phrase beat hollow or beat all hollow.

Etymology 3

interjection
  1. Hey, hello
verb
  1. To call or urge by shouting; to hollo.

howl

noun
  1. The protracted, mournful cry of a dog or a wolf, or other like sound.
  2. A prolonged cry of distress or anguish; a wail.
verb
  1. To utter a loud, protracted, mournful sound or cry, as dogs and wolves often do.
  2. To utter a sound expressive of pain or distress; to cry aloud and mournfully; to lament; to wail.
  3. To make a noise resembling the cry of a wild beast.
  4. To utter with outcry.

lowdown

noun
  1. The story or truth.
adjective
  1. Unfair; shameful.

nohow

adverb
  1. In no way; not at all; by no available means.

widow

noun
  1. A woman whose spouse has died (and who has not remarried); feminine of widower.
  2. A person whose spouse has died (and who has not remarried).
  3. (in combination) A woman whose husband is often away pursuing a sport, etc.
  4. An additional hand of cards dealt face down in some card games, to be used by the highest bidder.
  5. A single line of type that ends a paragraph, carried over to the next page or column.
  6. A venomous spider, of the genus Latrodectus.
verb
  1. To make a widow or widower of someone; to cause the death of the spouse of.
  2. To strip of anything valued.
  3. To endow with a widow's right.
  4. To be widow to.

widowhood

noun
  1. The state or period of being a widow or widower.

wild

Etymology 1

noun
  1. The undomesticated state of a wild animal
  2. (chiefly in the plural) a wilderness
verb
  1. To commit random acts of assault, robbery, and rape in an urban setting, especially as a gang.
adjective
  1. Untamed; not domesticated; specifically, in an unbroken line of undomesticated animals (as opposed to feral, referring to undomesticated animals whose ancestors were domesticated).
  2. From or relating to wild creatures.
  3. Unrestrained or uninhibited.
  4. Raucous, unruly, or licentious.
  5. Visibly and overtly anxious; frantic.
  6. Disheveled, tangled, or untidy.
  7. Enthusiastic.
  8. Inaccurate.
  9. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered.
  10. Hard to steer; said of a vessel.
  11. (of a knot) Not capable of being represented as a finite closed polygonal chain.
  12. Amazing, awesome, unbelievable.
  13. Able to stand in for others, e.g. a card in games, or a text character in computer pattern matching.
adverb
  1. Inaccurately; not on target.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A wood or forest
  2. An open country

wildwood

noun
  1. Woodland that has developed naturally, especially where a suitable climate has developed with it.

will

Etymology 1

verb
  1. (now uncommon or literary) To wish, desire (something).
  2. (nowadays rare) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).
  3. (auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action).
  4. (auxiliary) To choose to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive), often in negation.
  5. (auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall.
  6. (auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to.
  7. (auxiliary) Expressing a present tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".

Etymology 2

noun
  1. One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.
  2. One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.
  3. The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition.
  4. Law A formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes.
  5. That which is desired; one's wish.
  6. Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.)

Etymology 3

verb
  1. To wish, desire.
  2. To instruct (that something be done) in one's will.
  3. To try to make (something) happen by using one's will (intention).
  4. To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document).

willow

noun
  1. Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae, found primarily on moist soils in cooler zones in the northern hemisphere.
  2. The wood of these trees.
  3. A cricket bat.
  4. (1800s) The baseball bat.
  5. A rotating spiked drum used to open and clean cotton heads.
verb
  1. To open and cleanse (cotton, flax, wool, etc.) by means of a willow.
  2. To form a shape or move in a way similar to the long, slender branches of a willow.

wind

Etymology 1

noun
  1. Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air usually caused by convection or differences in air pressure.
  2. Air artificially put in motion by any force or action.
  3. The ability to breathe easily.
  4. News of an event, especially by hearsay or gossip. (Used with catch, often in the past tense.)
  5. One of the five basic elements in Indian and Japanese models of the Classical elements).
  6. Flatus.
  7. Breath modulated by the respiratory and vocal organs, or by an instrument.
  8. The woodwind section of an orchestra. Occasionally also used to include the brass section.
  9. A direction from which the wind may blow; a point of the compass; especially, one of the cardinal points, which are often called the "four winds".
  10. Types of playing-tile in the game of mah-jongg, named after the four winds.
  11. A disease of sheep, in which the intestines are distended with air, or rather affected with a violent inflammation. It occurs immediately after shearing.
  12. Mere breath or talk; empty effort; idle words.
  13. A bird, the dotterel.
  14. The region of the solar plexus, where a blow may paralyze the diaphragm and cause temporary loss of breath or other injury.
verb
  1. To blow air through a wind instrument or horn to make a sound.
  2. To cause (someone) to become breathless, as by a blow to the abdomen, or by physical exertion, running, etc.
  3. To cause a baby to bring up wind by patting its back after being fed.
  4. To turn a boat or ship around, so that the wind strikes it on the opposite side.
  5. To expose to the wind; to winnow; to ventilate.
  6. To perceive or follow by scent.
  7. To rest (a horse, etc.) in order to allow the breath to be recovered; to breathe.
  8. To turn a windmill so that its sails face into the wind.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. The act of winding or turning; a turn; a bend; a twist.
verb
  1. To turn coils of (a cord or something similar) around something.
  2. To tighten the spring of a clockwork mechanism such as that of a clock.
  3. To entwist; to enfold; to encircle.
  4. To travel in a way that is not straight.
  5. To have complete control over; to turn and bend at one's pleasure; to vary or alter or will; to regulate; to govern.
  6. To introduce by insinuation; to insinuate.
  7. To cover or surround with something coiled about.
  8. To cause to move by exerting a winding force; to haul or hoist, as by a winch.
  9. To turn (a ship) around, end for end.

window

noun
  1. The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
  2. Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.
  3. Any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
  4. Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
  5. Loose material, e.g. small strips of aluminum foil dropped from aircraft, intended to interfere with radar detection.
noun
  1. An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.
  2. An opening, usually covered by glass, in a shop which allows people to view the shop and its products from outside; a shop window.
  3. The shutter, casement, sash with its fittings, or other framework, which closes a window opening.
  4. A period of time when something is available.
  5. A restricted range.
  6. A rectangular area on a computer terminal or screen containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer processes.
  7. A figure formed of lines crossing each other.
  8. The time between first infection and detectability.
verb
  1. To furnish with windows.
  2. To place at or in a window.

winnow

noun
  1. That which winnows or which is used in winnowing; a contrivance for fanning or winnowing grain.
verb
  1. To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
  2. To separate, sift, analyze, or test by separating items having different values.
  3. To blow upon or toss about by blowing; to set in motion as with a fan or wings.
  4. To move about with a flapping motion, as of wings; to flutter.

wino

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A chronic or heavy drinker of cheap wine or other alcohol; a drunk or drunkard.
  2. A wine enthusiast; an oenophile.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A hypothetical particle that is the superpartner of the W boson.

wood

Etymology 1

noun
  1. The substance making up the central part of the trunk and branches of a tree. Used as a material for construction, to manufacture various items, etc. or as fuel.
  2. The wood of a particular species of tree.
  3. A forested or wooded area.
  4. Firewood.
  5. A type of golf club, the head of which was traditionally made of wood.
  6. A woodwind instrument.
  7. An erection of the penis.
  8. Chess pieces.
verb
  1. To cover or plant with trees.
  2. To hide behind trees.
  3. To supply with wood, or get supplies of wood for.
  4. To take or get a supply of wood.

Etymology 2

adjective
  1. Mad, insane, crazed.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. (sometimes offensive, of a person) A peckerwood.

woodwind

noun
  1. Any (typically wooden) musical instrument that produces sound by the player blowing into it, through a reed, or across an opening. Woodwind instruments include the recorder, flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe, cor anglais and bassoon.

wool

noun
  1. The hair of the sheep, llama and some other ruminants.
  2. A cloth or yarn made from the wool of sheep.
  3. Anything with a texture like that of wool.
  4. A fine fiber obtained from the leaves of certain trees, such as firs and pines.
  5. Short, thick hair, especially when crisped or curled.
  6. Yarn (including that which is made from synthetic fibers.)
  7. Derogatory term for residents of the satellite towns outside Liverpool, such as St Helens or Warrington. See also Yonner.

woohoo

No Definition Found.