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Saturday, February 21, 2026

Welcome to today’s New York Times Spelling Bee hints and answers. Today’s puzzle features a substantially larger than average board today, promising plenty of opportunities with a center letter of “M”. With a total of 66 words to find resulting in 383 total possible points, we are looking at a massively high scoring ceiling. Impressively, there are 6 pangrams to uncover. Whether you’re stuck looking for those elusive final few words to reach Genius rank, or simply seeking a gentle nudge to get the ball rolling, you’re in the right place. Dive into our comprehensive two-letter lists, explore our word length grid, and uncover targeted Merriam-Webster definitions tailored specifically to help you without giving the entire game away immediately. Good luck mastering the hive!

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Puzzle Stats

Total Words :

66

Total Pangrams :

6

Total Points:

383

Genius Score :

268

Pangram

Finding the nyt pangram is key to reaching “Genius” status.
Below is progressive reveal to help you achieve it.

8-letter pangram 0 / 8 letters revealed
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8-letter pangram 0 / 8 letters revealed
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11-letter pangram 0 / 11 letters revealed
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13-letter pangram 0 / 13 letters revealed
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9-letter pangram 0 / 9 letters revealed
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9-letter pangram 0 / 9 letters revealed
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NYT Spelling Bee Hints & Grid

Maximize your score without ruining the fun.

The grid shows how many words start with each letter, broken down by word length.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 Σ
A 2 3 1 1 2 1 10
C 3 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 13
I 1 1 1 3
M 12 9 5 1 1 3 1 32
N 1 1 2
O 1 1 2
T 4 4
Σ 19 14 14 4 4 6 3 1 1 66

Knowing the first two letters of a missing word is often the perfect clue. Here is the two letter list for today’s puzzle.

  • AM 5
  • AN 3
  • AT 2
  • CA 4
  • CI 1
  • CO 8
  • IM 2
  • IN 1
  • MA 12
  • MI 9
  • MO 11
  • NO 2
  • OM 1
  • OT 1
  • TA 1
  • TO 3

Dictionary Clues for Todays List.

AM

  1. AM5sounds like casino, keno, mean, meaner, means
  2. AM4sounds like arrow, mow
  3. AM7sounds like kimono, pneumonia
  4. AM5sounds like acne, cameo
  5. AM8sounds like antic

AN

  1. AN8 — of or relating to the structure of living bodies or their parts; physiological; animal; bodily; carnal sounds like atomic, diatomic
  2. AN5sounds like alma, asthma, edema, prima
  3. AN9 — the quality or state of having abundant or intense activity; briskness; exuberance; jazziness; liveliness sounds like adulation, affirmation, agitation, allegation, allocation

AT

  1. AT4 — a very small piece; bit; crumb; dribble; fleck sounds like alum, annum, autumn, datum, item
  2. AT6 — very small in size; bitsy; bitty; infinitesimal; itty-bitty sounds like anemic, comic, di******, tonic, topic

CA

  1. CA6sounds like common, omen
  2. CA4sounds like balmy, cocky, coffee, collie, comma
  3. CA4 — as in camouflage; camouflage; greasepaint; cold cream; cream sounds like combo, comma, commie
  4. CA7sounds like chemist, claimant, comment, commit, culminate

CI

  1. CI8

CO

  1. CO4 — as in sleep, rest; hibernation; hypnosis; repose; rest sounds like aroma, soma
  2. CO5 — a person (as a writer) noted for or specializing in humor; a series of drawings that tell a story or part of a story; the amusing quality or element in something; card; comedian sounds like calming
  3. CO5 — as in space, window; caesura; interspace; lag; pause sounds like calm, calmer, mama
  4. CO6 — to carry through (as a process) to completion; to obligate by prior agreement; to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another; accomplish; achieve
  5. CO6 — often observed or encountered; being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events; belonging or relating to the whole; common or garden; commonplace sounds like caution
  6. CO9 — a state of noisy, confused activity; ado; alarums and excursions; ballyhoo; blather
  7. CO11 — something that is or that makes impure; adulterant; contamination; defilement; impurity
  8. CO13 — something that is or that makes impure; adulterant; contaminant; defilement; impurity sounds like de*************

IM

  1. IM4sounds like mom
  2. IM9 — something that is made to look exactly like something else; carbon; carbon copy; clone; copy sounds like agitation, dilatation, emanation, emulsion, inhalation

IN

  1. IN10 — a slight or indirect pointing to something (as a solution or explanation); clue; cue; hint; indication sounds like animation, automation, estimation

MA

  1. MA4 — to cause severe or permanent injury to; cripple; disable; incapacitate; lame sounds like aim, came, dame, fame, game
  2. MA4 — coming before all others in importance; arch; big; capital; cardinal sounds like arraign, bane, cane, chain, feign
  3. MA8 — to keep in good condition; to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections; to pay the living expenses of; conserve; keep up sounds like contain, mountain, mundane
  4. MA4 — a female human parent; ma; mammy; mater; mom sounds like comma, mom
  5. MA5 — a female human parent; ma; mammy; mater; mom sounds like comma, mom
  6. MA6sounds like famine, salmon
  7. MA5 — a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life; something about which one is constantly thinking or concerned; aberration; dementia; derangement
  8. MA6 — a person who lacks good sense or judgment; a person with a strong and habitual liking for something; berk; booby; charlie
  9. MA5sounds like panic
  10. MA9sounds like panicked, panicky
  11. MA5 — a source of great satisfaction; something that provides happiness or does good for a person or thing; delectation; delight; feast
  12. MA5 — any of several extremely large rays; devilfish; manta ray; sea devil

MI

  1. MI4sounds like mecca
  2. MI5 — to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of; to use (someone or something) as the model for one’s speech, mannerisms, or behavior; burlesque; caricature; do sounds like gimmick, mythic
  3. MI4 — a very small automobile; compact; coupe; intermediate; limousine sounds like genie, many, mealy, mean, meaner
  4. MI7sounds like cynical, income, modicum
  5. MI5 — as in tiny, minuscule; bitty; inappreciable; infinitesimal; little bitty
  6. MI6 — as in semblances, modicums; hoots; iotas; jots; minims sounds like cinema, edema, mania
  7. MI6 — a person or thing that is preferred over others; darling; fave; favorite; pet
  8. MI4 — being in an original and unused or unspoiled state; brand-new; fresh; pristine; span-new sounds like hint, lint, meant
  9. MI4sounds like bit, chit, emit, fit, hit

MO

  1. MO4 — a long low sound indicating pain or grief; a crying out in grief; an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment; groan; wail sounds like bone, cone, hone, known, loan
  2. MO4 — a deep, wide excavation that is usually filled with water and that goes around the walls of a place (such as a castle) to protect it from being attacked; ha-ha; stank; sunk fence; dike sounds like boat, coat, goat, mat, mate
  3. MO5 — a female human parent; ma; mammy; mater; mom sounds like comma, mana
  4. MO9
  5. MO4
  6. MO9 — as in obsession, phobia; obsession; phobia; delusion; hallucination sounds like condominium, ignominious, mammalian, mania, megalomania
  7. MO10 — as in obsessed, monomaniacal; fixated; monomaniacal; obsessed; distracted sounds like maniac, megalomaniac, nymphomaniac
  8. MO4 — a long or seemingly long period of time; age; blue moon; coon’s age; cycle sounds like boon, dune, goon, loon, main
  9. MO4 — open to question or dispute; arguable; controvertible; debatable; disputable sounds like boot, chute, hoot, jute, loot
  10. MO6 — the act or an instance of changing position; move; movement; shift; shifting sounds like e******, lotion, mission, notion, ocean
  11. MO5 — a short sentence or phrase that expresses a rule guiding the behavior of a particular person or group; axiom; precept; truism; truth sounds like macho, mater

NO

  1. NO10 — as in election, choice; as in recommendation, advancement; choice; choosing; destination sounds like domination
  2. NO6sounds like calm, concave, condom, encore, gendarme

OM

  1. OM4 — to miss the opportunity or obligation; fail; forget; neglect sounds like emit, mitt

OT

  1. OT7 — as in bench, banquette; banquette; bench; daybed; sofa bed sounds like omen, showman, stolen, token, yachtsman

TA

  1. TA6sounds like anatomy, atom, balmy, battery, catty

TO

  1. TO6sounds like automate, potato, teammate
  2. TO6 — as in gib; gib; alley cat; tabby; kit sounds like combat
  3. TO6sounds like admit, armpit, atomic, bombing, calming

The Complete Word List (Spoiler Alert!)

Ready to see the words? Use the toggles below to reveal today’s nyt spelling bee answers.

  • ammo
  • atom
  • cami
  • camo
  • coma
  • imam
  • maim
  • main
  • mama
  • mica
  • mini
  • mint
  • mitt
  • moan
  • moat
  • mono
  • moon
  • moot
  • omit

  • amino
  • ammonia
  • amnio
  • amniotic
  • anatomic
  • anima
  • animation
  • atomic
  • caiman
  • catmint
  • cinnamon
  • comic
  • comma
  • commit
  • common
  • commotion
  • contaminant
  • contamination
  • imitation
  • intimation
  • maintain
  • mamma
  • mammon
  • mania
  • maniac
  • manic
  • manicotti
  • manna
  • manta
  • mimic
  • minicam
  • minim
  • minima
  • minion
  • momma
  • monatomic
  • monomania
  • monomaniac
  • motion
  • motto
  • nomination
  • noncom
  • ottoman
  • tatami
  • tomato
  • tomcat
  • tomtit

Valid dictionary words not in today’s official answers

Today’s puzzle have total of 142 valid dictionary words that are excluded. If you found a valid dictionary word that wasn’t accepted, it’s likely due to the New York Times Spelling Bee’s strict editorial criteria. Sam Ezersky, the puzzle’s editor, manually curates the daily word list to balance difficulty and fairness.

  • Obscure or Highly Technical Words: Medical, legal, and intensely specific scientific jargon is frequently omitted to keep the puzzle accessible to a general audience.
  • Offensive Language: Vulgar or derogatory words are universally banned.
  • Proper Nouns: Capitalized names of people or places are never allowed.
  • Hyphenated Words: Multi-word combinations containing hyphens are excluded.
  • Letter S / Plurals: The letter “S” is generally never included on a Spelling Bee board to avoid making the game too simple by tacking plurals onto every word.

  • ACMATIC
  • ACMIC
  • AMAIN
  • AMANITA
  • AMANITIN
  • AMATION
  • AMIA
  • AMICI
  • AMIN
  • AMINIC
  • AMITOTIC
  • AMMAN
  • AMMINO
  • AMMON
  • AMMONIAC
  • AMMONIATION
  • AMMONIC
  • AMMONITIC
  • AMMONO
  • AMNIA
  • AMNIC
  • AMNION
  • AMNIONIC
  • AMOTION
  • AMTMAN
  • ANAMNIOTIC
  • ANATMAN
  • ANIMATIC
  • ANIMATO
  • ANIMI
  • ANOMIC
  • ANTIATOM
  • ANTIMAN
  • ANTIMITOTIC
  • ANTIMONIC
  • ANTINOMIAN
  • ANTINOMIC
  • ATAMAN
  • ATMA
  • ATMAN
  • CAIMAC
  • CAIMACAM
  • CAMA
  • CAMAN
  • CAMION
  • CINNAMIC
  • CINNAMONIC
  • COCOMAT
  • COMATIC
  • COMITIA
  • COMM
  • COMMATA
  • COMMINATION
  • COMMO
  • COMMOT
  • CONCOMITANT
  • CONIMA
  • COOM
  • ICONOMATIC
  • IMINO
  • IMITANT
  • IMMANATION
  • IMMIT
  • INANIMATION
  • INTIMA
  • MACACO
  • MACON
  • MACTATION
  • MAMMATI
  • MANA
  • MANAIA
  • MANANA
  • MANAT
  • MANATI
  • MANI
  • MANIOC
  • MANIOCA
  • MANITO
  • MANNAN
  • MANNITIC
  • MANO
  • MANOAO
  • MANTIC
  • MANTO
  • MAOMAO
  • MATAI
  • MATAMATA
  • MATATA
  • MATICO
  • MATIN
  • MATT
  • MATTIN
  • MICO
  • MICTION
  • MINA
  • MINIATION
  • MINICOM
  • MINIMOTO
  • MINO
  • MIOTIC
  • MITOTIC
  • MOAI
  • MOIT
  • MOMI
  • MONA
  • MONACT
  • MONITION
  • MONOAO
  • MONOATOMIC
  • MONOCOT
  • MONOTINT
  • MONOTONIC
  • MONTAN
  • MONTANT
  • MONTANTO
  • MOOI
  • MOOTMAN
  • MOTI
  • MOTMOT
  • MOTT
  • NAAM
  • NAMMA
  • NIMONIC
  • NINCOM
  • NOMA
  • NOMIC
  • NOMINA
  • NOMOI
  • NONANATOMIC
  • NONATOMIC
  • NONMAN
  • OCCAM
  • OMNIANA
  • OOMIAC
  • TAMIN
  • TIMON
  • TINMAN
  • TITMAN
  • TOMAN
  • TOMIA
  • TOMO
  • TOOM