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Image via The New York Times Games

How to play Spelling Bee (New York Times)?

It's a lot harder than it looks.

The New York Times is best known for its crosswords, but the recent hype for single-player Scrabble games has brought newfound love for another of the publication's classic pastimes, Spelling Bee. The goal of the game is to find as many four-or-more-letter words as possible using letters within a honeycomb.

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How to Access Spelling Bee

You can access the game through The New York Times' official site, but keep in mind that a paid subscription to The New York Times Games is necessary to fully enjoy the game. The subscription is separate from the site's journalism segment.

Related: All Wordle Answers in 2022 (Updated Daily)

How to Play Spelling Bee

Screenshot by Pro Game Guides

Each round of Spelling Bee contains seven letters arranged in a honeycomb. Inside the yellow hexagon at the center is the special letter that must be used in every word combination. The word-building rules are as follows:

  • You can repeat letters, including the special letter.
  • Hyphenated and obscure words are not included in the lineup. Proper nouns can't be formed either.
  • Each puzzle contains a pangram, which is a seven-letter word that uses one of each letter from the honeycomb (no duplicates).

Each word will merit you one point per letter. Since the pangram is a special word, it will grant you seven extra points. After forming a word, click Enter to submit it. The game will tell you if the word is valid or not. You will not be deducted any points for entering an incorrect word.

The puzzle refreshes every day. If you don't have a subscription to The New York Times Games, you can only form a maximum of around five words per day.

For more guides about Spelling Bee and other word games, check out Pro Game Guides.


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Author
Image of Nicki Si
Nicki Si
Nicki is a freelance writer with 5 years of writing experience. She's a fan of anything from HoYoverse, from Genshin Impact to Tears of Themis and Honkai: Star Rail. She also loves rhythm games like BanG Dream! and D4DJ.