How to play Spelling Bee
Spelling Bee is a daily word puzzle: seven letters sit in a honeycomb, and you make as many words from them as you can. Every word must contain the gold center letter, be at least four letters long, and may use any letter more than once. Proper nouns, hyphenated words and abbreviations don't count.
Scoring
- A four-letter word is worth 1 point.
- Longer words score 1 point per letter: SPRING is 6 points.
- A pangram uses all seven letters at least once and earns 7 bonus points. Every puzzle has at least one.
Points move you up the ranks, from Beginner through Good, Solid, Great and Amazing to Genius at 85% of the possible score, and Queen Bee when you find every word.
A new puzzle appears at midnight in your time zone. Missed a day? Every earlier puzzle waits in the archive, and Unlimited deals a fresh hive whenever you want one. Stuck? Open Hints in the game, read our tips, or check the answers once the day is over.
Frequently asked questions
When does a new Spelling Bee puzzle come out?
At midnight in your own time zone. Everyone gets the same puzzle for the same calendar date.
Why wasn't my word accepted?
It has to be at least four letters, contain the center letter and use only the seven letters shown. Proper names, hyphenated words, abbreviations and offensive words are left out, and very obscure words may be missing from the list.
Where can I find today's answers?
The answers page shows hints for today (word counts, first letters, two-letter starts) and every word of each puzzle once the day has ended everywhere in the world.
Is this the New York Times Spelling Bee?
No. spellingbee.game is an independent, free game with its own daily puzzles and word list. It is not affiliated with The New York Times.
Is it free?
Yes. Every mode is free, with no sign-up. Your progress is saved in your browser.
Spelling Bee Unlimited
Unlimited is Spelling Bee without the daily limit. Each hive is a complete puzzle with its own pangrams, and you can move on to the next one whenever you like. The rules are the same as in the daily game: use the center letter, four letters or more, letters may repeat, and a pangram earns 7 extra points.
It is the best way to practise. Play a few hives in a row and you start to see the patterns: endings that fit almost any word, letter pairs that open long words, and how pangrams are built. Our tips page lists the ones that help most.
Your progress in every Unlimited puzzle is saved in this browser, and the link of a puzzle opens exactly that hive, so you can send it to a friend and compare scores.
Frequently asked questions
How many Unlimited puzzles are there?
Thousands. You will not run out, and each one has been checked to have at least one pangram and a good number of words.
Can I go back to an Unlimited puzzle?
Yes. Open its link again (the address changes for every hive) and your found words are still there.
Spelling Bee archive
The archive holds every daily Spelling Bee since the first one. Pick a day in the calendar to play it: finished puzzles are marked, started ones show how far you got, and you can pick up any of them where you left off.
Archive puzzles score the same way as the daily game. If you would rather see the words, each day also has its own answers page with every word, the pangrams and the total score.
Frequently asked questions
How far back does the archive go?
To the first daily puzzle. Every day since then can be played.
Is my archive progress saved?
Yes, in this browser. Clearing the site data or switching device starts the archive afresh.
Bee Blitz: Spelling Bee against the clock
Bee Blitz gives you a fresh seven-letter hive and three minutes. The usual rules apply (center letter, four letters or more, 7 bonus points for a pangram), but there's no time to dig for obscure words: grab the obvious ones, rattle off plurals and endings, and keep an eye out for the pangram.
There is one Blitz a day, the same for everyone, so your score is directly comparable with your friends'. Share it when the clock stops.
Frequently asked questions
When does the clock start?
When you press Start or type the first letter. Until then the letters are hidden, so you can't look ahead.
Is a long word better than several short ones?
Usually. A six-letter word is worth 6 points, six times a four-letter word, and typing it takes only a couple of seconds longer.
Big Bee: eight letters
Big Bee adds an eighth letter to the hive. Every word still has to use the center letter, but with eight letters there are many more of them, often more than a hundred. A pangram has to use all eight letters, so it is longer and harder to spot, and it is still worth 7 bonus points on top of its length.
A new Big Bee comes out every day. Played to the end, it is a long session.
Frequently asked questions
Are the ranks the same?
Yes. Ranks are percentages of the possible score, so Genius still means 85%. It simply takes more words to get there.
Double Bee: two center letters
In Double Bee there are two gold letters, and every word has to use both. That removes many of the easy words and makes you look for the combinations: which words fit both letters, and in which order do they usually appear?
Lists are shorter than in the daily game, so every word counts. A new Double Bee appears every day.
Frequently asked questions
Do both gold letters have to be next to each other?
No. They can be anywhere in the word, in any order. Each must appear at least once.
Mini Bee: a quick six-letter puzzle
Mini Bee is Spelling Bee with six letters instead of seven, for when you have a few minutes. Same rules: use the center letter and four letters or more. The pangram uses all six letters and earns 7 bonus points.
With fewer letters there are fewer words, so Queen Bee is within reach in one sitting. A new Mini Bee comes out every day.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mini Bee easier?
It is shorter. With fewer letters there are fewer words to find, but the pangram can still be tricky.
Pangram Hunt
Pangram Hunt has a single goal: find the hidden pangram, the word that uses every letter of the hive. Its length and slots are shown from the start. Each ordinary word you find reveals one of its letters, so the more words you collect, the clearer the pangram becomes.
The fewer words you need, the better. Can you find it straight away, or only when it is almost spelled out? A new hunt starts every day.
Frequently asked questions
Do ordinary words still score?
Yes, they score as usual and each one reveals a letter. The hunt ends when you enter the pangram.