This Spelling Bee solver lists every word you can make from the seven letters in a honeycomb puzzle, with the centre letter in each one. It also marks the pangrams, adds up the points and builds the same kind of hint grid and two-letter list that players use when they get stuck.
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This is an independent fan tool for the Spelling Bee puzzle from The New York Times. Canuckle is not affiliated with The New York Times.
How to use the Spelling Bee solver
- Type the centre letter into the first box. That is the letter every answer has to contain.
- Type the six outer letters into the second box, in any order. Upper or lower case both work.
- Press Find words. You get the word count, the total points and the number of pangrams, then the hint grid, the two-letter list and the words themselves.
If you only want a nudge, press Hide the words. The counts and grids stay on screen so you can keep hunting on your own, and you can bring the list back whenever you like. Tick Also show rarer words to see extra dictionary words in a separate list underneath.
Worked example: centre N with D, G, L, A, I, O
We ran a made-up board through the solver: N in the middle and D, G, L, A, I and O around it. Here is what came back from the main word list:
- 80 words worth 461 points in total.
- 2 pangrams: DIAGONAL (8 letters plus the 7 point bonus, so 15 points) and LOADING (7 letters, which uses each letter once, so it is a perfect pangram worth 14 points).
- 31 of the 80 words have seven letters, mostly -ING words such as LANDING, GLIDING and NODDING. The grid row for G alone holds 21 words.
- Ticking Also show rarer words added 83 less common dictionary words below the main list.
That spread is typical of a board with I, N and G in it: the -ING ending opens up dozens of long words, and every one of them is worth its full length in points.
How Spelling Bee scoring works
| Word | Points |
|---|---|
| 4 letters | 1 |
| 5 letters or more | 1 per letter |
| Pangram (uses all 7 letters) | Its length plus a 7 point bonus |
Words must be at least four letters long and must include the centre letter. Letters can be used more than once, so a word like GOING is fine even though there is only one G tile. Every puzzle has at least one pangram. Finding every word on the official list earns the Queen Bee title, and a high share of the total points earns Genius.
The solver scores each word the same way, and the small number beside each word in the results is its score.
Reading the hint grid and two-letter list
The grid shows how many words start with each letter, split by length. The bottom row totals each length and the right column totals each starting letter. The two-letter list counts words by their first two letters, so "GL 2" means two words begin with GL.
Players use these to check what they are missing without seeing the answers. If the grid says there are five 6-letter words starting with I and you have found three, you know exactly where to look.
Tips for finding more Spelling Bee words
- Look for the pangram first. It is worth the most and it often points to a word family. Try common endings like -ING, -ED, -ER, -TION and -ABLE with the letters you have.
- Build on short words. Once you have a four letter word, try adding letters to the front or back. LOAN leads to LOANING once you spot the -ING.
- Double letters count. Since letters repeat freely, test doubled consonants: NODDING, DIGGING, GALLON.
- Work one row of the grid at a time. Pick a starting letter, then go through its two-letter combinations in order.
- Shuffle the board in your head. Write the letters in a line in a different order. New pairings jump out that the hexagon shape hides.
Why a few results may differ from the game
The official puzzle uses its own word list. It leaves out some obscure words and some it considers offensive, and it occasionally includes words that a general dictionary would skip. The solver's main list sticks to frequent words so it lines up closely, but treat the counts as a strong guide rather than an exact match. If the game rejects a word from the rarer list, that is expected.
More word game helpers
The Blossom solver handles the flower-shaped puzzle with a bonus petal, and the Letter Boxed solver works out two-word answers for the square puzzle. For mixed-up letters with no centre rule, try the anagram solver. And if you want a five letter guessing game with a Canadian twist, play today's Canuckle.