Answers for May 20, 2026
Complete verified solutions for the May 20, 2026 NYT Spelling Bee puzzle. All 51 words, pangrams, and point totals included below.
Last updated: May 20, 2026 at 3:00 AM EST
Looking for Spelling Bee Answers Today? (2026-09-15)
📊 Today's Puzzle Insights
How today's puzzle compares to all-time Spelling Bee history
📊 Words by Length
🅱️ Words Starting with Each Letter
| Metric | Today | Average | Record High | Record Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Words | 51 | ~44.2 | 77 | 16 |
| Total Points | 229 | ~205.15 | 406 | 60 |
| Avg Word Length | 5.31 | ~5.42 | 6.689655172413793 | 4.578947368421052 |
| Pangram Count | 3 | ~1.49 | 4 | 1 |
📅 Previous Puzzles with This Pangram
This is the first time this pangram has appeared in our archives.
🧩 Pangram Pattern Analysis
Today's featured pangram is BACKBOARD. It consists of 9 letters with a vowel-to-consonant ratio of 33% (3 vowels and 6 consonants).
- ⚡ Structure: Standard pangram (features letter repetition)
- ⚡ Repeated letters: B (x2), A (x2)
Today's featured pangram is BACKDOOR. It consists of 8 letters with a vowel-to-consonant ratio of 38% (3 vowels and 5 consonants).
- ⚡ Structure: Standard pangram (features letter repetition)
- ⚡ Repeated letters: O (x2)
Today's featured pangram is CORKBOARD. It consists of 9 letters with a vowel-to-consonant ratio of 33% (3 vowels and 6 consonants).
- ⚡ Structure: Standard pangram (features letter repetition)
- ⚡ Prefix: Starts with the common prefix
co- - ⚡ Repeated letters: O (x2), R (x2)
📚 Etymology & Word Origins
The word displays linguistic traits typical of Latinate vocabulary, evolving through latin-derived prefixes and suffixes.
The word displays linguistic traits typical of Latinate vocabulary, evolving through latin-derived prefixes and suffixes.
The word displays linguistic traits typical of Latinate vocabulary, evolving through latin-derived prefixes and suffixes.
🚫 Rejected Word List
These valid English words can be formed with today's letters but were not accepted by the NYT editor:
Pangrams
4-Letter Words21 words
5-Letter Words15 words
6-Letter Words6 words
7-Letter Words2 words
8-Letter Words3 words
9-Letter Words3 words
11-Letter Words1 words
About Today's Spelling Bee Puzzle
Today's NYT Spelling Bee features A as the center letter, with 51 words worth 229 points total. The pangram is "backboard" — a 9-letter word that uses all seven hive letters.
You need 160 points to reach Genius rank. Want to solve it yourself first? Our hints page gives you two-letter lists without revealing the full answers.
New to Spelling Bee? Check out our complete rules guide or beginner's guide to learn the basics.
🛠️ Useful Tools
🎓 Want to Get Better?
Memorizing answers is fun, but improving your skills is more rewarding. Try our strategy guide with 15 proven tips, explore our Spelling Bee glossary, or install Spelling Bee Buddy for in-game hints.
🧩 NYT Puzzle Hub
Enjoy other daily word games? Check out our Word Solver to find all valid words for any letter set, or play our unlimited Wordle page at Wordle Unlimited.