Sunday, September 20, 2020

Answers to yesterday's bee


The official answers for today's puzzle are:

  • akin
  • alack
  • alkali
  • cackling
  • caking
  • clack
  • clacking
  • clank
  • clanking
  • click
  • clicking
  • clink
  • clinking
  • inking
  • inkling
  • kick
  • kicking
  • kill
  • killing
  • kiln
  • kilning
  • king
  • kinging
  • kink
  • kinking
  • knack
  • knickknack
  • lack
  • lacking
  • lank
  • lick
  • licking
  • liking
  • link
  • linking
  • nick
  • nicking


Number of Pangrams: 4

Maximum Puzzle Score: 213

Number of Answers: 37

Points Needed for Genius: 149

Genius requires between 17 and 33 words. You need at least a 8-letter word to reach genius. If you don't get the pangrams, you need 97% of the total points to reach genius. If you get the pangrams, you only need 57% of the remaining points to reach genius.



How does this puzzle compare to other puzzles?

Today's score of 213 was the in the 83rd percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there was a score this high was on September 18, 2020.
The highest score ever was 444 on April 6, 2019.
The lowest score ever was 50 on May 17, 2019.

This puzzle's 37 possible answers rank it in the 59th percentile of all puzzles.
The last time there were more answers than this was on September 18, 2020.
The highest number of answers was 81 on June 8, 2019.
The lowest number of answers was 21 on August 5, 2018.

It takes a 8-letter word for genius. This is pretty common.



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

  • loll 79
  • toot 71
  • naan 69
  • nana 69
  • noon 68
  • lilt 55
  • till 55
  • tilt 55
  • ratatat 51
  • tart 51
  • tartar 51
  • attar 50
  • lull 49
  • lulu 49
  • anal 48
  • root 48
  • roto 48
  • rotor 48
  • toro 48
  • tort 48
  • trot 48
  • array 46
  • call 44
  • calla 44
  • radar 43
  • tatty 43
  • allay 42
  • ally 42
  • loot 42
  • lotto 42
  • mono 42
  • moon 42
  • tint 42
  • toll 42
  • tool 42
  • mama 41
  • mamma 41
  • poop 41
  • illy 40
  • lily 40
  • loon 40
  • natant 40
  • onto 40
  • toon 40
  • itty 39
  • tall 39
  • boob 37
  • booboo 37
  • coot 37
  • nanny 37


Valid dictionary words not in today's official answers

You may be wondering why these words aren't here*:

  • alkalic
  • alkalin
  • alliak
  • ankling
  • calk
  • calkin
  • calking
  • canakin
  • canikin
  • cannikin
  • gink
  • ilka
  • kaiak
  • kail
  • kain
  • kaka
  • kaki
  • kalian
  • kana
  • kanaka
  • kiack
  • kiang
  • killick
  • kina
  • kinin
  • kinnikinnick
  • klick
  • klik
  • knacking
  • laking
  • nankin
  • nickling
  • nicknack

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