Today’s Spelling Bee hints & answers

Use this page when you're close to your next rank in NYT Spelling Bee but don't want a full spoiler. We start with hive structure and pangram hints, then gradually move toward full answers only if you really need them.

Hive overview

This hive centers on I with six outer letters. It has 70 stored words, 1 pangram, and about 284 available points before rank thresholds.

Show structure hint

This hive has 70 playable words worth about 284 points in total. Aim to unlock the pangram and a few long words early to get ahead of the ranking curve.

There is 1 pangram hidden in this hive.

Show word-count hints

Word count matrix (starting letter × length):

	4	5	6	7+	Σ
I	4 letters1	5 letters–	6 letters3	7+ letters1	Total5
A	4 letters3	5 letters2	6 letters2	7+ letters1	Total8
L	4 letters6	5 letters1	6 letters1	7+ letters–	Total8
M	4 letters4	5 letters–	6 letters1	7+ letters5	Total10
P	4 letters6	5 letters3	6 letters2	7+ letters5	Total16
R	4 letters3	5 letters1	6 letters–	7+ letters1	Total5
T	4 letters7	5 letters6	6 letters3	7+ letters2	Total18
Σ	4 letters30	5 letters13	6 letters12	7+ letters15	Total70

Approximate rank thresholds for this hive:

Good Start: 0 pts
Moving Up: 6 pts
Good: 14 pts
Solid: 23 pts
Nice: 43 pts
Great: 71 pts
Amazing: 114 pts
Genius: 199 pts
Queen Bee: 284 pts

Check your current score in the NYT game to see how close you are to each rank.

Reveal full answer list (spoiler)

Full answer list for today's hive (alphabetical):

WordLengthScorePangram

AIRMAIL
7
7
No
ALIT
4
1
No
ARIA
4
1
No
ARIL
4
1
No
ARMPIT
6
6
No
ATILT
5
5
No
ATRIA
5
5
No
ATRIAL
6
6
No
IMAM
4
1
No
IMPAIR
6
6
No
IMPALA
6
6
No
IMPART
6
6
No
IMPARTIAL
9
16
Yes
LAIR
4
1
No
LARIAT
6
6
No
LIAR
4
1
No
LILT
4
1
No
LIMA
4
1
No
LIMIT
5
5
No
LIMP
4
1
No
LIRA
4
1
No
MAIL
4
1
No
MAIM
4
1
No
MALARIA
7
7
No
MALARIAL
8
8
No
MARITAL
7
7
No
MARTIAL
7
7
No
MILITIA
7
7
No
MILL
4
1
No
MITRAL
6
6
No
MITT
4
1
No
PAIL
4
1
No
PAIR
4
1
No
PALATIAL
8
8
No
PAPILLA
7
7
No
PARTIAL
7
7
No
PARTITA
7
7
No
PILL
4
1
No
PILLAR
6
6
No
PIMP
4
1
No
PIPIT
5
5
No
PITA
4
1
No
PITAPAT
7
7
No
PLAIT
5
5
No
PRIM
4
1
No
PRIMAL
6
6
No
PRIMP
5
5
No
RAIL
4
1
No
RAITA
5
5
No
RATTAIL
7
7
No
RIAL
4
1
No
RILL
4
1
No
TAIL
4
1
No
TAILLAMP
8
8
No
TALI
4
1
No
TALLIT
6
6
No
TAMARI
6
6
No
TAPIR
5
5
No
TATAMI
6
6
No
TIARA
5
5
No
TILAPIA
7
7
No
TILL
4
1
No
TILT
4
1
No
TIPI
4
1
No
TRAIL
5
5
No
TRAIT
5
5
No
TRIAL
5
5
No
TRILL
5
5
No
TRIM
4
1
No
TRIP
4
1
No

Today's puzzle date (NYT print date): Sep 12, 2026 (2026-09-12 · Puzzle #22360).

Xfire treats Spelling Bee as a New York print-date puzzle, so this page does not shift by your local timezone.

For older hives, browse the Spelling Bee hints & answers archive. For pangram-only coaching, use the pangram helper. To filter every answer, open the word finder.

More Spelling Bee routes

Start from the family hub, then move between today's hints, the archive, the pangram helper, and the full word finder.

Spelling Bee toolsOpen the main Spelling Bee helper surface.Spelling Bee archiveJump to stored hives by NYT print date.Pangram helperGet targeted pangram hints before revealing it.Word finderFilter today's answers by length, score, and pattern.