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Special Difficulty: 5/10

Spelling Bee Answer Yesterday — Thursday, May 14, 2026

Difficulty 5/10

Yesterday's Spelling Bee Answer

b
e
k
l
m
o
i

32 words to find — 1 pangram

Today's Pangrams

Reveal letter by letter or uncover a full solution

17

Deep Dive

Pangram Breakdown

The pangram BOOKMOBILE uses all 7 letters: I, B, E, K, L, M, O

Word Count by Length

4 letters: 18
5 letters: 7
6 letters: 4
7 letters: 1
8 letters: 1
10 letters: 1

32 words total

Letter Frequency

I 34x
L 31x
E 23x
B 22x
M 19x
O 17x
K 10x

Puzzle Analysis

The Spelling Bee offered a moderate challenge. The center letter "I" proved quite generous, allowing for many common word endings. Finding the pangram "bookmobile" was not an insurmountable task. Its letters are relatively frequent. A 5/10 difficulty rating feels accurate for this puzzle. Most players should have reached Genius. The puzzle's ease stemmed from the abundance of short, familiar words. Longer words were also accessible. The letter set did not present significant obstacles. The inclusion of "bookmobile" as the sole pangram was a sensible choice. It did not unduly inflate the word count.

How to Play Spelling Bee

You are given seven letters arranged in a honeycomb grid. One letter sits in the center and is required in every word you form. The six outer letters are optional but can each be used as many times as you like.

Find as many valid words as possible using only these seven letters. Every word must be at least four letters long and must include the center letter. Proper nouns, obscure words, and hyphenated words are not accepted.

Each word earns points based on its length. Four-letter words score 1 point. Longer words score one point per letter. A pangram, which uses all seven letters at least once, earns an extra 7 bonus points.

Your total score determines your rank for the day. Ranks progress from Beginner through Good, Moving Up, Solid, Nice, Great, Amazing, and finally Genius. Reaching Genius typically requires finding about 70% of the available points.

The puzzle resets daily at 3:00 AM ET with a new set of letters.

Play at nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee. A new puzzle is available every day.

Tips & Strategy

  • Start by finding the pangram. It uses all seven letters and is worth the most points. Rearranging the outer letters using the shuffle button can help you spot it.
  • Work through common prefixes and suffixes systematically. If the letters allow UN-, RE-, -ING, or -TION, test those combinations against the center letter first.
  • Do not forget about less obvious four-letter words. They only score 1 point each, but they add up quickly and are easy to overlook.
  • If you are stuck, try saying letter combinations out loud. Your ear often catches valid words that your eyes miss when scanning the grid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Spelling Bee repeat past answers?
Spelling Bee aims to provide a fresh challenge every day without repeating recent answers.
Where can I find all past Spelling Bee answers?
This page is the complete archive of past Spelling Bee answers, updated daily after each new puzzle.
How is difficulty rated?
Difficulty is rated on a 1-10 scale based on answer complexity and how many hints players typically need.

More Special Games

Looking for more puzzles? Try Contexto solution, Mini Crossword clues today, or Nerdle solution.

Today's Spelling Bee Hints →