NYT Spelling Bee Answers for May 22, 2026
Complete verified solutions for the May 22, 2026 NYT Spelling Bee puzzle. All 55 words, pangrams, and point totals included below.
Last updated: May 22, 2026 at 3:00 AM ET
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📊 Puzzle insights for May 22, 2026
Historical comparisons use our archive of 190 daily NYT Spelling Bee puzzles starting May 2, 2026 (2026-05-02).
🧠 Genius path (high-value words first)
Reaching Genius (183 pts) takes about 22 words (185 points) if you prioritize the highest-scoring answers first — typical of a late-day push, not a minimum word count.
- 0 four-letter words · 0 pts
- 9 five–six-letter words · 51 pts
- 13 seven-plus-letter words · 134 pts
High-value examples in this path: annihilation, inhalation, titillation, annotation, initiation, intonation…
Tricky spots on this hive often hide 12-letter stems such as annihilation, titillation, notational, intonation. After you pass 92 points, sweep those lengths before chasing Queen Bee.
📊 Words by Length
🅱️ Words Starting with Each Letter
| Metric | May 22, 2026 | Average | Record High | Record Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Words | 55 | ~45.3 | 79 | 16 |
| Total Points | 262 | ~211.8 | 431 | 60 |
| Avg Word Length | 5.71 | ~5.4 | 6.689655172413793 | 4.578947368421052 |
| Pangram Count | 2 | ~1.5 | 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 ANNIHILATION. It consists of 12 letters with a vowel-to-consonant ratio of 50% (6 vowels and 6 consonants).
- ⚡ Structure: Standard pangram (features letter repetition)
- ⚡ Suffix: Ends with the common suffix
-tion - ⚡ Repeated letters: A (x2), N (x3), I (x3)
Today's featured pangram is INHALATION. It consists of 10 letters with a vowel-to-consonant ratio of 50% (5 vowels and 5 consonants).
- ⚡ Structure: Standard pangram (features letter repetition)
- ⚡ Prefix: Starts with the common prefix
in- - ⚡ Suffix: Ends with the common suffix
-tion - ⚡ Repeated letters: I (x2), N (x2), A (x2)
📚 Etymology & Word Origins
The word displays linguistic traits typical of Latinate/Anglo-Norman vocabulary, evolving through romance language prefixes and noun-forming suffixes.
The word displays linguistic traits typical of Latinate/Anglo-Norman vocabulary, evolving through romance language prefixes and noun-forming suffixes.
The word displays linguistic traits typical of Latinate vocabulary, evolving through latin-derived prefixes and suffixes.
🚫 Near-miss dictionary words
These valid English words can be formed with today's letters but were not accepted by the NYT editor:
Pangrams
Try finding the longest word yourself first with our guide.
4-Letter Words22 words
5-Letter Words14 words
6-Letter Words6 words
7-Letter Words2 words
8-Letter Words3 words
9-Letter Words1 words
10-Letter Words5 words
11-Letter Words1 words
12-Letter Words1 words
About Today's Spelling Bee Puzzle
Today's NYT Spelling Bee features O as the center letter, with 55 words worth 262 points total. The pangram is "annihilation" — a 12-letter word that uses all seven hive letters.
You need 183 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
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