How to play Spelling Bee
Seven letters, one honeycomb, and as many words as you can find. Here are the rules, how points are counted and what the ranks mean.
The rules
Each puzzle shows seven letters in a honeycomb: one gold letter in the center and six around it. Make words from these letters:
- Every word must contain the center letter.
- Words are at least four letters long.
- Letters can be used more than once: from A, B and N you can make BANANA.
- Only real words count. Proper nouns, hyphenated words, abbreviations and offensive words are not in the list.
Type on your keyboard or tap the hexagons, then press Enter. Shuffle rearranges the outer letters, which often helps you see a new word.
Scoring
- Four-letter words: 1 point.
- Five letters or more: 1 point per letter.
- Pangram, a word using all seven letters: its length plus 7 bonus points. THERAPY from the letters A, E, H, P, R, T, Y is 7 + 7 = 14 points.
Ranks
Your rank shows what share of the puzzle's total score you have reached: Beginner (0%), Good Start (5%), Moving Up (12%), Good (20%), Solid (30%), Nice (42%), Great (56%), Amazing (70%), Genius (85%) and Queen Bee (100%, every word). Genius is a good day; Queen Bee takes real persistence.
Game modes
- Daily: one puzzle a day, the same for everyone.
- Archive: every earlier daily puzzle.
- Unlimited: as many random puzzles as you like.
- Bee Blitz: three minutes on the clock.
- Big Bee: eight letters.
- Mini Bee: six letters for a quick game.
- Double Bee: every word uses both gold letters.
- Pangram Hunt: each word reveals a letter of the hidden pangram.
When you get stuck
The Hints button in the game shows how many words start with each letter and pair of letters. Our tips explain how to find more words, the answers page has hints for today and all words of past days, and the solver lists every word for any set of letters.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a letter twice?
Yes. Any letter, including the center letter, can appear as many times as you like.
Does every puzzle have a pangram?
Yes, at least one. Some puzzles have several.
What is a perfect pangram?
A pangram that uses each letter exactly once, so it is exactly seven letters long. It scores the same as any other pangram of that length.
When does the next puzzle start?
At midnight in your time zone. Your progress on the current day is saved until then, and afterwards in the archive.