Friday, January 16, 2026

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: 178

Number of Answers: 45

Points Needed for Genius: 125

Genius requires between 20 and 39 words. You need at least a 6-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 178 was in the 53rd percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this high was on January 13, 2026.
The highest score ever was 537 on January 22, 2021.
The lowest score ever was 47 on March 27, 2023.

This puzzle's 45 possible answers rank it in the 64th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were more answers than this was on January 14, 2026.
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 6-letter word for genius.
The last time this happened was on January 15, 2026.

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 227
  • loll 210
  • toot 207
  • naan 189
  • nana 189
  • lilt 151
  • till 151
  • tilt 151
  • nene 148
  • tint 145
  • mama 142
  • mamma 142
  • onion 137
  • acacia 136
  • acai 136
  • onto 136
  • toon 136
  • anal 129
  • anon 128
  • olio 124
  • dodo 120
  • papa 120
  • tact 120
  • baba 119
  • boob 117
  • booboo 117
  • poop 117
  • lull 116
  • lulu 116
  • cocci 114
  • call 113
  • calla 113
  • mitt 113
  • mono 112
  • moon 112
  • tutu 112
  • ratatat 111
  • tart 111
  • tartar 111
  • tattoo 111
  • attar 110
  • loon 109
  • allay 108
  • ally 108
  • ammo 107
  • momma 107
  • tatty 107
  • epee 104
  • meme 104
  • peep 104


How long are words in the Bee?

There have been 112,326 answers ever accepted in the Bee - with 10,894 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*:

  • acmic
  • aecia
  • aecial
  • alcaic
  • alec
  • allelic
  • amice
  • amici
  • caca
  • caeca
  • caecal
  • caff
  • calami
  • calcic
  • calcific
  • calicle
  • calif
  • callee
  • camail
  • camelia
  • cammie
  • ceca
  • cecal
  • ceil
  • ceili
  • cella
  • cellae
  • cicala
  • cicale
  • cilice
  • emic
  • facia
  • faciae
  • faecal
  • fecial
  • felicific
  • fice
  • filmic
  • flic
  • ileac
  • macle
  • mafic
  • malacca
  • melic
  • mellific
  • micell
  • micella
  • micellae
  • micelle
  • mimical

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

acacia

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
  2. The thickened or dried juice of several species in Acacieae, in particular Vachellia nilotica (syn. Acacia nilotica), the Egyptian acacia.
  3. A false acacia; robinia tree, Robinia pseudoacacia.
  4. Gum arabic; gum acacia.
  5. Any of several related trees, such as the locust tree.
  6. A light to moderate greenish yellow with a hint of red.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. (history) A roll or bag, filled with dust, borne by Byzantine emperors, as a memento of mortality. It is represented on medals.

acai

noun
  1. Any of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
  2. The fruit of these trees, harvested for its juice.

acclaim

Etymology 1

verb
  1. To shout; to call out.
  2. To express great approval (for).
  3. To salute or praise with great approval; to compliment; to applaud; to welcome enthusiastically.
  4. To claim.
  5. To declare by acclamations.
  6. To elect to an office by having no opposition.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. An acclamation; a shout of applause.
  2. A claim.

acme

noun
  1. The top or highest point; pinnacle; culmination.
  2. The crisis or height of a disease.
  3. Mature age; full bloom of life.

cafe

noun
  1. A convenience store, originally one that sold coffee and similar basic items.
noun
  1. A coffee shop; an establishment selling coffee and sometimes other non-alcoholic beverages, simple meals or snacks, with a facility to consume them on the premises.
  2. A small restaurant of any genre.

calf

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A young cow or bull.
  2. Leather made of the skin of the calf; especially, a fine, light-coloured leather used in bookbinding.
  3. A young deer, elephant, seal, whale or giraffe (also used of some other animals).
  4. A chunk of ice broken from a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg.
  5. A small island, near a larger island.
  6. A cabless railroad engine.
  7. An awkward or silly boy or young man; any silly person; a dolt.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. The back of the leg below the knee.
  2. The muscle in the back of the leg below the knee.

call

noun
  1. A telephone conversation.
  2. A short visit, usually for social purposes.
  3. A visit by a ship or boat to a port.
  4. A cry or shout.
  5. A decision or judgement.
  6. The characteristic cry of a bird or other animal.
  7. A beckoning or summoning.
  8. The right to speak at a given time during a debate or other public event; the floor.
  9. An option to buy stock at a specified price during or at a specified time.
  10. The act of calling to the other batsman.
  11. The state of being the batsman whose role it is to call (depends on where the ball goes.)
  12. A work shift which requires one to be available when requested (see on call).
  13. The act of jumping to a subprogram, saving the means to return to the original point.
  14. A statement of a particular state, or rule, made in many games such as bridge, craps, jacks, and so on.
  15. The act of matching a bet made by a player who has previously bet in the same round of betting.
  16. A note blown on the horn to encourage the dogs in a hunt.
  17. A whistle or pipe, used by the boatswain and his mate to summon the sailors to duty.
  18. A pipe or other instrument to call birds or animals by imitating their note or cry. A game call.
  19. An invitation to take charge of or serve a church as its pastor.
  20. Vocation; employment; calling.
  21. A reference to, or statement of, an object, course, distance, or other matter of description in a survey or grant requiring or calling for a corresponding object, etc., on the land.
  22. (prostitution) A meeting with a client for paid sex; hookup; job.
verb
  1. (heading) To use one's voice.
  2. (heading) To visit.
  3. (heading) To name, identify or describe.
  4. (heading) Direct or indirect use of the voice.
  5. (sometimes with for) To require, demand.
  6. To announce the early extinction of a debt by prepayment, usually at a premium.
  7. To demand repayment of a loan.
  8. To jump to (another part of a program) to perform some operation, returning to the original point on completion.

calla

noun
  1. A marsh plant native to cooler areas throughout the northern hemisphere, Calla palustris, having pale green flowers in a white spathe.
  2. The calla lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica.

calm

noun
  1. (in a person) The state of being calm; peacefulness; absence of worry, anger, fear or other strong negative emotion.
  2. (in a place or situation) The state of being calm; absence of noise and disturbance.
  3. A period of time without wind.
verb
  1. To make calm.
  2. To become calm.
adjective
  1. (of a person) Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.
  2. (of a place or situation) Free of noise and disturbance.
  3. (of water) with few or no waves on the surface; not rippled.
  4. Without wind or storm.

came

Etymology 1

preposition
  1. Used to indicate that the following event, period, or change in state occurred in the past, after a time of waiting, enduring, or anticipation
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.
verb
  1. To have an orgasm, to feel the sensation of an orgasm.
  2. To ejaculate.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A grooved strip of lead used to hold panes of glass together.

camel

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus.
  2. A light brownish color, like that of a camel (also called camel brown).
  3. Loaded vessels lashed tightly, one on each side of another vessel, and then emptied to reduce the draught of the ship in the middle.
adjective
  1. Of a light brown color like that of a camel.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A ruminant, of the genus Giraffa, of the African savannah with long legs and highly elongated neck, which make it the tallest living animal; yellow fur patterned with dark spots, often in the form of a network; and two or more short, skin-covered horns, so-called; strictly speaking the horn-like projections are ossicones.
  2. A giraffe unicycle.
  3. A laugh.

camellia

noun
  1. Any plant of the genus Camellia, shrubs and small trees native to Asia; Camellia japonica is the most popular as a garden plant; Camellia sinensis is the tea plant.

cami

noun
  1. A camisole.

celiac

noun
  1. Someone who has celiac disease.
adjective
  1. Of, pertaining to or located within the abdomen or abdominal cavity.
  2. Of or pertaining to celiac disease.

cell

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A single-room dwelling for a hermit.
  2. A small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger religious establishment.
  3. A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person.
  4. A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates.
  5. Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb.
  6. Any of various chambers in a tissue or organism having specific functions.
  7. The discal cell of the wing of a lepidopteran insect.
  8. Specifically, any of the supposed compartments of the brain, formerly thought to be the source of specific mental capacities, knowledge, or memories.
  9. A section or compartment of a larger structure.
  10. Any small dwelling; a remote nook, a den.
  11. A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery.
  12. The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself.
  13. A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front.
  14. The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior.
  15. In FreeCell-type games, a space where one card can be placed.
  16. A small group of people forming part of a larger organization, often an outlawed one.
  17. (communication) A short, fixed-length packet as in asynchronous transfer mode.
  18. (communication) A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network.
  19. A three-dimensional facet of a polytope.
  20. The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect.
  21. The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof.
  22. A cella.
  23. An area of an insect wing bounded by veins
verb
  1. To place or enclose in a cell.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A cellular phone.

celli

No Definition Found.

cilia

noun
  1. Hairs or similar protrusions along the margin of a plant organ.
  2. A hairlike organelle projecting from a eukaryotic cell (such as a unicellular organism or one cell of a multicelled organism). These structures serve either for locomotion by moving or as sensors.
  3. One of the fine hairs along an insect's wing.

claim

noun
  1. A demand of ownership made for something.
  2. The thing claimed.
  3. The right or ground of demanding.
  4. A new statement of something one believes to be the truth, usually when the statement has yet to be verified or without valid evidence provided.
  5. A demand of ownership for previously unowned land.
  6. A legal demand for compensation or damages.
verb
  1. To demand ownership of.
  2. To state a new fact, typically without providing evidence to prove it is true.
  3. To demand ownership or right to use for land.
  4. To demand compensation or damages through the courts.
  5. To be entitled to anything; to deduce a right or title; to have a claim.
  6. To cause the loss of, usually by violent means.
  7. To proclaim.
  8. To call or name.

clam

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
  2. Strong pincers or forceps.
  3. A kind of vise, usually of wood.
  4. A dollar (usually used in the plural).
  5. A Scientologist.
  6. A vagina.
  7. One who clams up; a taciturn person, one who refuses to speak.
verb
  1. To dig for clams.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A crash or clangor made by ringing all the bells of a chime at once.
verb
  1. To produce, in bellringing, a clam or clangor; to cause to clang.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. Clamminess; moisture
verb
  1. To be moist or glutinous; to stick; to adhere.
  2. To clog, as with glutinous or viscous matter.
adjective
  1. Clammy.

Etymology 4

noun
  1. Acronym of Clip-on Load Adjusting Mechanism. A device that can be fitted onto an oar to adjust set.

clef

noun
  1. A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff

cliff

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
  2. A point where something abruptly fails or decreases in value etc.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff

clime

noun
  1. A particular region defined by its weather or climate.
  2. Climate.

efface

verb
  1. To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible.
  2. To cause to disappear as if by rubbing out or striking out.
  3. To make oneself inobtrusive as if due to modesty or diffidence.
  4. Of the cervix during pregnancy, to thin and stretch in preparation for labor.

emcee

noun
  1. A rapper.
  2. Initialism of main colour.
  3. Initialism of matching colour.
  4. Initialism of movie clip.
  5. Initialism of mail code.
  6. Initialism of main character.
  7. Initialism of military cross.
  8. Initialism of Member of Congress.
  9. Initialism of medical college.
  10. Initialism of Mars-crosser.
  11. Initialism of medium coeli, the midheaven or highest point in the sky. Contrasted to Imum Coeli.
noun
  1. A medical facility, such as a hospital, especially one for the treatment and diagnosis of outpatients.
  2. (by extension) A hospital session to diagnose or treat patients.
  3. A school, or a session of a school or class, in which medicine or surgery is taught by the examination and treatment of patients in the presence of the pupils.
  4. A group practice of several physicians.
  5. A meeting for the diagnosis of problems, or training, on a particular subject.
  6. A temporary office arranged on a regular basis to allow politicians to meet their constituents.
  7. A series of workouts used to build skills of practitioners regardless of team affiliation.
  8. One confined to bed by sickness.
  9. One who receives baptism on a sickbed.
verb
  1. To act as the master of ceremonies (for).
  2. To rap as part of a hip-hop performance.
noun
  1. A large medical facility, usually in a building with multiple floors, where seriously ill or injured patients are given extensive medical and/or surgical treatment.
  2. A building founded for the long-term care of its residents, such as an almshouse. The residents may have no physical ailments, but simply need financial support.
  3. A place of lodging.
noun
  1. Someone who acts as a host at a formal event.
  2. Someone who conducts a programme of varied entertainment, for example by introducing performers to the audience.
  3. A rapper.
noun
  1. Dichloromethane
noun
  1. A viral infection of the skin or (occasionally) mucous membranes, caused by Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), a DNA poxvirus.
noun
  1. A group of individuals whose primary interests and activities involve motorcycles.
noun
  1. A place used as a hospital on board a ship, on a spaceship (in science fiction).
  2. A room or area for the treatment of the sick or injured in a school.

face

noun
  1. The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose and mouth, and the surrounding area.
  2. One's facial expression.
  3. (in expressions such as 'make a face') A distorted facial expression; an expression of displeasure, insult, etc.
  4. The public image; outward appearance.
  5. The frontal aspect of something.
  6. An aspect of the character or nature of someone or something.
  7. Presence; sight; front.
  8. The directed force of something.
  9. Good reputation; standing in the eyes of others; dignity; prestige. (See lose face, save face).
  10. Shameless confidence; boldness; effrontery.
  11. Any surface, especially a front or outer one.
  12. Any of the flat bounding surfaces of a polyhedron. More generally, any of the bounding pieces of a polytope of any dimension.
  13. The numbered dial of a clock or watch, the clock face.
  14. The mouth.
  15. Makeup; one's complete facial cosmetic application.
  16. (metonymic) A person.
  17. A familiar or well-known person; a member of a particular scene, such as music or fashion scene.
  18. A headlining wrestler with a persona embodying heroic or virtuous traits and who is regarded as a "good guy", especially one who is handsome and well-conditioned; a baby face.
  19. The front surface of a bat.
  20. The part of a golf club that hits the ball.
  21. The side of the card that shows its value (as opposed to the back side, which looks the same on all cards of the deck).
  22. The head of a lion, shown face-on and cut off immediately behind the ears.
  23. The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end.
  24. A typeface.
  25. Mode of regard, whether favourable or unfavourable; favour or anger.
  26. The amount expressed on a bill, note, bond, etc., without any interest or discount; face value.
verb
  1. (of a person or animal) To position oneself or itself so as to have one's face closest to (something).
  2. (of an object) To have its front closest to, or in the direction of (something else).
  3. To cause (something) to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction.
  4. To be presented or confronted with; to have in prospect.
  5. To deal with (a difficult situation or person); to accept (facts, reality, etc.) even when undesirable.
  6. To have the front in a certain direction.
  7. To have as an opponent.
  8. To be the batsman on strike.
  9. To confront impudently; to bully.
  10. To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon.
  11. To line near the edge, especially with a different material.
  12. To cover with better, or better appearing, material than the mass consists of, for purpose of deception, as the surface of a box of tea, a barrel of sugar, etc.
  13. To make the surface of (anything) flat or smooth; to dress the face of (a stone, a casting, etc.); especially, in turning, to shape or smooth the flat surface of, as distinguished from the cylindrical surface.
  14. (retail) To arrange the products in (a store) so that they are tidy and attractive.

facial

noun
  1. A personal care beauty treatment which involves cleansing and moisturizing of the human face.
  2. A kind of early silent film focusing on the facial expressions of the actor.
  3. (in some contact sports) A foul play which involves one player hitting another in the face.
  4. A sex act of male ejaculation onto another person's face.
adjective
  1. Of or affecting the face.
  2. (by extension) (of a law or regulation validity) on its face; as it appears (as opposed to as it is applied)

facile

adjective
  1. Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy.
  2. Amiable, flexible, easy to get along with.
  3. Effortless, fluent (of work, abilities etc.).
  4. Lazy, simplistic (especially of explanations, discussions etc.).
  5. Of a reaction or other process, taking place readily.

fecal

adjective
  1. Of or relating to feces.

fleece

noun
  1. Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal
  2. Insulating skin with the wool attached
  3. A textile similar to velvet, but with a longer pile that gives it a softness and a higher sheen.
  4. An insulating wooly jacket
  5. (roofing) Mat or felts composed of fibers, sometimes used as a membrane backer.
  6. Any soft woolly covering resembling a fleece.
  7. The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine.
verb
  1. To con or trick (someone) out of money.
  2. To shear the fleece from (a sheep or other animal).
  3. To cover with, or as if with, wool.

icefall

noun
  1. A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice, somewhat analogous to a waterfall.

icicle

noun
  1. A drooping, tapering shape of ice.

iliac

adjective
  1. Of or pertaining to the ilium.

lace

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread. Wp
  2. A cord or ribbon passed through eyelets in a shoe or garment, pulled tight and tied to fasten the shoe or garment firmly. Wp
  3. A snare or gin, especially one made of interwoven cords; a net.
  4. Spirits added to coffee or another beverage.

Etymology 2

verb
  1. To fasten (something) with laces.
  2. To add alcohol, poison, a drug or anything else potentially harmful to (food or drink).
  3. To interweave items.
  4. To interweave the spokes of a bicycle wheel.
  5. To beat; to lash; to make stripes on.
  6. To adorn with narrow strips or braids of some decorative material.

laic

noun
  1. A layperson, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
adjective
  1. Lay, relating to laypersons, as opposed to clerical.

laical

No Definition Found.

lice

noun
  1. A small parasitic wingless insect of the order Psocodea.
  2. (not usually used in plural form) A contemptible person; one who is deceitful or causes harm.

lilac

noun
  1. A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink or purple flowers.
  2. A flower of the lilac shrub.
  3. (color) A pale purple color, the color of some lilac flowers.
adjective
  1. Having a pale purple colour.

mace

Etymology 1

noun
  1. A heavy fighting club.
  2. A ceremonial form of this weapon.
  3. A long baton used by some drum majors to keep time and lead a marching band. If this baton is referred to as a mace, by convention it has a ceremonial often decorative head, which, if of metal, usually is hollow and sometimes intricately worked.
  4. An officer who carries a mace as an emblem of authority.
  5. A knobbed mallet used by curriers in dressing leather to make it supple.
  6. A billiard cue.
verb
  1. To hit someone or something with a mace.

Etymology 2

noun
  1. An old money of account in China equal to one tenth of a tael.
  2. An old weight of 57.98 grains.

Etymology 3

noun
  1. A spice obtained from the outer layer of the kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg.

Etymology 4

noun
  1. Tear gas or pepper spray, especially for personal use.
verb
  1. To spray in defense or attack with mace (pepper spray or tear gas) using a hand-held device.
  2. To spray a similar noxious chemical in defense or attack using an available hand-held device such as an aerosol spray can.

malefic

noun
  1. A malefic planet
adjective
  1. Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful.

malic

No Definition Found.

malice

noun
  1. Intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way. Desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune.
  2. An intention to do injury to another party, which in many jurisdictions is a distinguishing factor between the crimes of murder and manslaughter.
verb
  1. To intend to cause harm; to bear malice.

mecca

No Definition Found.

mica

noun
  1. Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic.

mice

noun
  1. Any small rodent of the genus Mus.
  2. A member of the many small rodent and marsupial species resembling such a rodent.
  3. A quiet or shy person.
  4. (plural mice or, rarely, mouses) An input device that is moved over a pad or other flat surface to produce a corresponding movement of a pointer on a graphical display.
  5. Hematoma.
  6. A turn or lashing of spun yarn or small stuff, or a metallic clasp or fastening, uniting the point and shank of a hook to prevent its unhooking or straightening out.
  7. A familiar term of endearment.
  8. A match used in firing guns or blasting.
  9. A small model of (a fragment of) Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with desirable properties (depending on the context).
  10. A small cushion for a woman's hair.

mimic

noun
  1. A person who practices mimicry, or mime.
  2. An imitation.
verb
  1. To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
  2. To take on the appearance of another, for protection or camouflage.
adjective
  1. Pertaining to mimicry; imitative.
  2. Mock, pretended.
  3. Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry.