Monday, December 15, 2025

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: 215

Number of Answers: 35

Points Needed for Genius: 151

Genius requires between 21 and 28 words. You need at least a 7-letter word to reach genius. If you don't get the pangram, you need 76% 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 215 was in the 70th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this high was on December 14, 2025.
The highest score ever was 537 on January 22, 2021.
The lowest score ever was 47 on March 27, 2023.

This puzzle's 35 possible answers rank it in the 38th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were fewer answers than this was on December 14, 2025.
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 12, 2025.

Today's puzzle has an average word length of 6.3.
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 225
  • loll 209
  • toot 203
  • naan 186
  • nana 186
  • lilt 149
  • till 149
  • tilt 149
  • nene 145
  • tint 144
  • mama 141
  • mamma 141
  • onion 136
  • onto 135
  • toon 135
  • acacia 134
  • acai 134
  • anal 128
  • anon 127
  • olio 122
  • dodo 120
  • baba 118
  • tact 118
  • papa 117
  • boob 116
  • booboo 116
  • poop 115
  • lull 114
  • lulu 114
  • call 112
  • calla 112
  • cocci 112
  • mitt 112
  • mono 112
  • moon 112
  • tutu 110
  • loon 109
  • ratatat 109
  • tart 109
  • tartar 109
  • allay 108
  • ally 108
  • attar 108
  • ammo 107
  • momma 107
  • tattoo 107
  • tatty 106
  • roar 104
  • epee 103
  • meme 103


How long are words in the Bee?

There have been 110,872 answers ever accepted in the Bee - with 10,875 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*:

  • agin
  • faffing
  • fagging
  • fagin
  • fain
  • figging
  • finnan
  • finning
  • fugging
  • fuguing
  • funning
  • gaffing
  • gaging
  • giga
  • guanin
  • gunging
  • igging
  • iguanian
  • infauna
  • inia
  • naffing
  • niff
  • niffing
  • unaging
  • unai
  • unwaning
  • waffing
  • waifing
  • wain
  • wanigan
  • wannigan
  • wanning
  • wifing
  • wigan

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

again

adverb
  1. Another time; once more.
  2. Over and above a factor of one.
  3. Used metalinguistically, with the repetition being in the discussion, or in the linguistic or pragmatic context of the discussion, rather than in the subject of discussion.
  4. Back in the reverse direction, or to an original starting point.
  5. Back (to a former place or state).
  6. In return, as a reciprocal action; back.
  7. In any other place.
  8. On the other hand.
  9. Moreover; besides; further.
preposition
  1. (obsolete or dialectal) Against.

aging

verb
  1. To cause to grow old; to impart the characteristics of age to.
  2. To postpone an action that would extinguish something, as a debt.
  3. To categorize by age.
  4. To grow aged; to become old; to show marks of age.
noun
  1. The process of becoming older or more mature.
  2. The deliberate process of making something (such as an antique) appear (or, in science fiction, become) older than it is.
  3. Becoming senescent; accumulating damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs with the passage of time; progressing loss of health, mobility, vibrancy and body functionality, resulting in biological death.
  4. Wear, wear and tear.
adjective
  1. Becoming elderly.

angina

noun
  1. An inflammatory infection of the throat, particularly quinsy.
  2. Short for angina pectoris.
  3. A chest pain or shortness of breath occurring with lesser degrees of arterial blockage.

awing

Etymology 1

adverb
  1. On the wing; flying; fluttering.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To inspire fear and reverence in.
  2. To control by inspiring dread.

awning

noun
  1. A rooflike cover, usually of canvas, extended over or before any place as a shelter from the sun, rain, or wind.
  2. That part of the poop deck which is continued forward beyond the bulkhead of the cabin.

fanning

verb
  1. To blow air on (something) by means of a fan (hand-held, mechanical or electrical) or otherwise.
  2. To slap (a behind, especially).
  3. (usually to fan out) To move or spread in multiple directions from one point, in the shape of a hand-held fan.
  4. To dispel by waving a hand-held fan.
  5. To perform a maneuver that involves flicking the top rear of an old-style gun.
  6. (metaphoric) To invigorate, like flames when fanned.
  7. To winnow grain.
noun
  1. The act by which something is fanned.
  2. A very small fragment of tea leaf.

fawning

verb
  1. To give birth to a fawn.
verb
  1. To exhibit affection or attempt to please.
  2. To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour (with on or upon).
  3. (of a dog) To show devotion or submissiveness by wagging its tail, nuzzling, licking, etc.
noun
  1. Servile flattery.
adjective
  1. Seeking favor by way of flattery; flattering, servile.

fifing

verb
  1. To play this instrument.

fining

verb
  1. To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.
  2. To become finer, purer, or cleaner.
  3. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.
  4. To change by fine gradations.
  5. To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.
  6. To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).
verb
  1. To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).
  2. To pay a fine.
verb
  1. To finish; to cease.
  2. To cause to cease; to stop.

fungi

Etymology 1

noun
  1. Any member of the kingdom Fungi; a eukaryotic organism typically having chitin cell walls but no chlorophyll or plastids. Fungi may be unicellular or multicellular.
  2. A spongy, abnormal excrescence, such as excessive granulation tissue formed in a wound.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A style of folk and popular music from the Virgin Islands, traditionally performed by bands consisting of ukulele, banjo, guitar and washboard with various percussion instruments on rhythm.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. A cornmeal dish eaten in the Caribbean, usually made with okra and served with salt fish, shellfish or chicken; variant recipes are also known as cou-cou (coucou) or coo-coo (coocoo).

gagging

verb
  1. To experience the vomiting reflex.
  2. To cause to heave with nausea.
  3. To restrain someone's speech by blocking his or her mouth.
  4. To pry or hold open by means of a gag.
  5. To restrain someone's speech without using physical means.
  6. To choke; to retch.
  7. To deceive (someone); to con.
noun
  1. A gag motion or reflex.

gain

Etymology 1

noun
  1. The act of gaining; acquisition.
  2. What is gained.
  3. The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
verb
  1. To acquire possession of.
  2. To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
  3. To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
  4. To increase.
  5. To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
  6. To reach.
  7. To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
  8. To put on weight.
  9. (of a clock or watch) To run fast.

Etymology 2

preposition
  1. Against.

Etymology 3

adjective
  1. Straight, direct; near; short.
  2. Suitable; convenient; ready.
  3. Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
  4. Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
adverb
  1. Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
  2. Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
  3. Tolerably; fairly.

Etymology 4

noun
  1. A square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.

gaining

verb
  1. To acquire possession of.
  2. To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
  3. To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
  4. To increase.
  5. To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
  6. To reach.
  7. To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
  8. To put on weight.
  9. (of a clock or watch) To run fast.
noun
  1. Gain; profit.

ganging

verb
  1. To go; walk; proceed.
verb
  1. To attach similar items together to form a larger unit.
verb
  1. To participate in a gangbang.
  2. To beat one or a smaller amount of people as a gang.
  3. To belong to a gang; to commit criminal acts as part of a gang.
noun
  1. A leader used to attach a fishhook to the main line, especially in commercial fishing

gauging

verb
  1. To measure or determine with a gauge; to measure the capacity of.
  2. To estimate.
  3. To appraise the character or ability of; to judge of.
  4. To draw into equidistant gathers by running a thread through it.
  5. To mix (a quantity of ordinary plaster) with a quantity of plaster of Paris.
  6. To chip, hew or polish (stones, bricks, etc) to a standard size and/or shape.
noun
  1. Measurement or estimation, with or as if with a gauge.
  2. The addition of various materials to lime mortar.
  3. A shirring.

gigging

verb
  1. To fish or catch with a gig, or fish spear.
  2. To engage in musical performances.
  3. To make fun of; to make a joke at someone's expense, often condescending.
  4. To impose a demerit for an infraction of a dress or deportment code.
verb
  1. To engender.

ginning

verb
  1. To remove the seeds from cotton with a cotton gin.
  2. To trap something in a gin.
verb
  1. To begin.
noun
  1. The act of removing seeds from cotton with a cotton gin.

gnawing

verb
  1. To bite something persistently, especially something tough.
  2. To produce excessive anxiety or worry.
  3. To corrode; to fret away; to waste.
noun
  1. The process by which something is gnawed.
  2. A sensation of being gnawed.
adjective
  1. (of pain or hunger) severe or intense

guffawing

verb
  1. To laugh boisterously.
noun
  1. Boisterous laughter

gunning

No Definition Found.

iguana

noun
  1. A green iguana (Iguana iguana), a large tropical American lizard often kept as a pet
  2. In zoology, any member of the genus Iguana
  3. Colloquially, in America and the Pacific, any of several members of the lizard family Iguanidae.
  4. Colloquially, in Africa, any large member of the genus Varanus, especially the aquatic Nile monitor -- see leguan
  5. Colloquially, in Australia, any member of the genus Varanus -- see goanna

inning

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A period of play in which members of a visiting baseball team attempt to hit a baseball pitched by the opposing home team until three players are called out, followed by a similar attempt by members of the home baseball team against the visiting team's pitching. There are nine or more innings in a regulation baseball game.
  2. A similar period of play.
  3. A player (or team)'s turn at the table to make shots until ended by a miss or a foul.
  4. A chance or opportunity to perform some deed or act.
  5. The gathering of a crop; harvesting.
  6. Lands recovered from the sea.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To house; to lodge.
  2. To take lodging; to lodge.

nagging

verb
  1. To continuously remind or complain to (someone) in an annoying way, often about insignificant or unnecessary matters.
  2. To bother with persistent thoughts or memories.
  3. To bother or disturb persistently in any way.
noun
  1. The action of the verb nag.
adjective
  1. Causing persistent mild pain, or annoyance.

naif

noun
  1. One who is naive.
adjective
  1. Naive.

wagging

verb
  1. To swing from side to side, such as of an animal's tail, or someone's head, to express disagreement or disbelief.
  2. To play truant from school.
  3. To be in action or motion; to move; progress.
  4. To go; to depart.
noun
  1. The motion of something that is wagged.

waging

verb
  1. To wager, bet.
  2. To expose oneself to, as a risk; to incur, as a danger; to venture; to hazard.
  3. To employ for wages; to hire.
  4. To conduct or carry out (a war or other contest).
  5. To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out.
  6. To give security for the performance of.

waif

noun
  1. A castaway; a homeless child.
  2. (of a plant outside its native range) A plant that has been introduced but is not persistently naturalized.
  3. Goods found of which the owner is not known; originally, such goods as a pursued thief threw away to prevent being apprehended, which belonged to the king unless the owner made pursuit of the felon, took him, and brought him to justice.
  4. Hence, anything found, or without an owner; that which comes along, as it were, by chance.

waning

Etymology 1

verb
  1. To progressively lose its splendor, value, ardor, power, intensity etc.; to decline.
  2. Said of light that dims or diminishes in strength.
  3. Said of the Moon as it passes through the phases of its monthly cycle where its surface is less and less visible.
  4. Said of a time period that comes to an end.
  5. To decrease physically in size, amount, numbers or surface.
  6. To cause to decrease.
adjective
  1. Becoming weaker or smaller.
  2. Of the lunar phase: as it shrinks when viewed from the Earth.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. The fact or act of becoming less or less intense.
  2. The fact or act of becoming smaller.

wigging

verb
  1. To put on a wig; to provide with a wig (especially of an actor etc.).
  2. To upbraid, reprimand.
  3. To become extremely emotional or excitable; to lose control of one's emotions.
noun
  1. The action of the verb to wig.
  2. A telling-off or reprimand.
  3. The practice of male stuntmen performing for actresses.

wigwag

noun
  1. An act of wigwagging.
  2. Any of a number of mechanical or electrical devices which cause a component to oscillate between two states.
  3. A signal sent by waving a flag to and fro.
verb
  1. To move gently in one direction and then another; to wig or wiggle, to wag or waggle.
  2. To oscillate between two states.
  3. To send a signal by waving a flag to and fro.
adverb
  1. With a wigwagging or to-and-fro motion.

wigwagging

verb
  1. To move gently in one direction and then another; to wig or wiggle, to wag or waggle.
  2. To oscillate between two states.
  3. To send a signal by waving a flag to and fro.

wing

noun
  1. An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly; a similar fin at the side of a ray or similar fish
  2. Human arm.
  3. Part of an aircraft that produces the lift for rising into the air.
  4. One of the large pectoral fins of a flying fish.
  5. One of the broad, thin, anterior lobes of the foot of a pteropod, used as an organ in swimming.
  6. Any membranaceous expansion, such as that along the sides of certain stems, or of a fruit of the kind called samara.
  7. Either of the two side petals of a papilionaceous flower.
  8. A side shoot of a tree or plant; a branch growing up by the side of another.
  9. Passage by flying; flight.
  10. Motive or instrument of flight; means of flight or of rapid motion.
  11. A part of something that is lesser in size than the main body, such as an extension from the main building.
  12. Anything that agitates the air as a wing does, or is put in winglike motion by the action of the air, such as a fan or vane for winnowing grain, the vane or sail of a windmill, etc.
  13. A protruding piece of material on a tampon to hold it in place and prevent leakage.
  14. An ornament worn on the shoulder; a small epaulet or shoulder knot.
  15. A cosmetic effect where eyeliner curves outward and ends at a point.
  16. A fraction of a political movement. Usually implies a position apart from the mainstream center position.
  17. An organizational grouping in a military aviation service:
  18. A panel of a car which encloses the wheel area, especially the front wheels.
  19. A platform on either side of the bridge of a vessel, normally found in pairs.
  20. That part of the hold or orlop of a vessel which is nearest the sides. In a fleet, one of the extremities when the ships are drawn up in line, or when forming the two sides of a triangle.
  21. A position in several field games on either side of the field.
  22. A player occupying such a position, also called a winger
  23. A háček.
  24. One of the unseen areas on the side of the stage in a theatre.
  25. (in the plural) The insignia of a qualified pilot or aircrew member.
  26. A portable shelter consisting of a fabric roof on a frame, like a tent without sides.
  27. On the Enneagram, one of the two adjacent types to an enneatype that forms an individual's subtype of his or her enneatype
verb
  1. To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm.
  2. To fly.
  3. (of a building) To add a wing (extra part) to.
  4. To act or speak extemporaneously; to improvise; to wing it.
  5. To throw.
  6. To furnish with wings.
  7. To transport with, or as if with, wings; to bear in flight, or speedily.
  8. To traverse by flying.

winging

verb
  1. To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm.
  2. To fly.
  3. (of a building) To add a wing (extra part) to.
  4. To act or speak extemporaneously; to improvise; to wing it.
  5. To throw.
  6. To furnish with wings.
  7. To transport with, or as if with, wings; to bear in flight, or speedily.
  8. To traverse by flying.

wining

verb
  1. To entertain with wine.
  2. To drink wine.
noun
  1. A session of drinking wine socially.

winning

verb
  1. To conquer, defeat.
  2. To reach some destination or object, despite difficulty or toil (now usually intransitive, with preposition or locative adverb).
  3. To triumph or achieve victory in (a game, a war, etc.).
  4. To gain (a prize) by succeeding in competition or contest.
  5. To obtain (someone) by wooing; to make an ally or friend of (frequently with over).
  6. To achieve victory.
  7. To have power, coercion or control.
  8. To obtain (something desired).
  9. To cause a victory for someone.
  10. To extract (ore, coal, etc.).
noun
  1. The act of obtaining something, as in a contest or by competition.
  2. (chiefly in the plural) The money, etc., gained by success in competition or contest, especially in gambling.
  3. A new opening.
  4. The portion of a coalfield out for working.
adjective
  1. That constitutes a win.
  2. That leads to success.
  3. Attractive.