Today's Spelling Bee Answers
Stuck on puzzle #20,917? You're in the right place. Take the hints one rung at a time, or jump straight to the pangram and the full list. Nothing spoils until you tap.
Hints, one at a time
Welcome back, puzzler. Spelling Bee #20,917 for Wednesday, September 2, 2026 is live. Today's hive holds A F I L N P T, with F as the required center letter that has to appear in every word you find.
Here's how this page works: the hints below start with what is on the board in total, then narrow toward the pangram, so reveal them one at a time and stop the moment you can see where the words hide. The pangram sits in the green box further down, locked behind a tap. There's more than one pangram today, the vault reveals the first and finding the rest is up to you. Nothing here reveals itself on its own, not the pangram and not the word list under it.
Counts first, letters later. Stop when you can see where the words are hiding.
Drumroll, please…
Today's Pangram
Spoiler below · tap to revealTap a tile for one letter of the pangram, or reveal it and the full word list with it.
Yesterday's pangram (#21,189): TAILWIND · full breakdown ›
About today's words FLIPPANT
FLIPPANT, PLAINTIFF, using every letter in A F I L N P T at least once.
Today's full list is worth 138 points. The pangram alone is worth 15 points (8 for length, plus the 7-point bonus).
4-letter: 13, 5-letter: 6, 6-letter: 6, 7-letter: 4, 8-letter: 1, 9-letter: 1, for 31 words in total.
Puzzle #20,917, published Wednesday, September 2, 2026, edited by Sam Ezersky.
ANTIFA, AFFIANT, ALFALFA
FAIL, FALL, FIAT, FILL, FLAN, FLAP, FLAT, FLIP, FLIT, FAINT, FATAL, FINAL, FLAIL, FLINT, FILIAL, FILLIP, FINIAL, FANTAIL, FLIPPANT
INFANT, INFILL
LIFT
NAIF
PFFT, PILAF, PITFALL, PLAINTIFF
TIFF
Spelling Bee strategy that actually helps
Proven habits from top solvers, useful today and every day.
Every valid word needs it, so run through common prefixes and suffixes built around it first.
Finding it uses every letter at least once and banks a 7-point bonus on top of the word's length.
Found a word? Every find is free here, so run each word through its plural and past-tense forms before moving on. One find often unlocks three more.
Unlike some word games, any of the 7 letters can be reused as many times as you like in one word.
Words need at least 4 letters to count. Shorter combinations, however clever, won't score.
A word the game rejects is often one letter swap away from a valid one. Try nearby endings before giving up.
How to play NYT Spelling Bee
The rules in full, for anyone arriving without them.
Spelling Bee gives you seven letters arranged in a honeycomb, with one letter in the center. You build as many words as you can from those letters, and every word has to contain the center letter.
- 1 Build words of four letters or more
Three-letter words do not count. Letters may be reused as often as you like within a single word.
- 2 Always include the center letter
A word made only from the outer six is rejected no matter how valid it is in English.
- 3 Score by length, then chase the pangram
A four-letter word scores 1 point. Longer words score one point per letter. A pangram uses all seven letters and adds a 7-point bonus.
- 4 Climb the ranks
Points move you from Beginner up through Solid, Great, Amazing, and finally Genius. Finding every word earns Queen Bee.
The New York Times, edited by Sam Ezersky
7 letters, one required center letter
No limit, wrong guesses cost nothing
3am Eastern
No proper nouns, no hyphens, and no words the editors consider obscure or offensive, which is why a perfectly real word sometimes bounces. When you stall, cycle the center letter through each starting position rather than hunting randomly.
Spelling Bee, answered
Quick answers to the questions we get every day.
What time does the new Spelling Bee come out?
Spelling Bee resets at midnight in your local timezone, wherever you are. Spelling Bee is the outlier: it turns over at 3am Eastern rather than at your local midnight.
What does Genius or Queen Bee mean?
Those are rank labels the NYT awards based on what share of the day's total points you've earned, not a fixed word count. Genius sits around 70 percent, and Queen Bee means you found every word.
Why doesn't a word I know work?
The NYT's answer list is curated by an editor and skips obscure, hyphenated, or proper words even if a dictionary allows them. It also excludes anything under 4 letters.
Can I play past Spelling Bee puzzles?
Yes, if you're an NYT Games subscriber. Our past pangrams table below covers recent puzzles if you just want to check one.
How many points do I need for Genius?
Genius sits at 70% of the day's total points, so the target moves with the puzzle rather than being a fixed number. That is why some days reach Genius in twenty words and others take forty. Queen Bee, the rank above it, requires every single word on the list.
Today's hints for every game
Same spoiler-safe format, for each daily puzzle we cover.
Past Spelling Bee pangrams
Recent Spelling Bee pangrams, organized by month. Useful for checking a day you missed, or for seeing which letters the editors keep putting in the middle. Today's pangram stays blurred until you ask for it.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 02Today | #20,917 | FLIPPANT |
| Sep 01 | #21,189 | TAILWIND |
| Aug 31 | #26,852 | ADORABLY |
| Aug 30 | #23,583 | EXCITING |
| Aug 29 | #13,395 | NATIONHOOD |
| Aug 28 | #21,042 | VALIDITY |
| Aug 27 | #16,960 | MOTORWAY |
| Aug 26 | #19,573 | CHUNKED |
| Aug 25 | #21,453 | BUTTONING |
| Aug 24 | #25,529 | DORMANT |
| Aug 23 | #15,943 | BITUMEN |
| Aug 22 | #19,807 | CURTAIN |
| Aug 21 | #27,728 | GROUNDHOG |
| Aug 20 | #9,545 | QUOTING |
| Aug 19 | #27,767 | PROVOLONE |
| Aug 18 | #19,513 | HEADBANG |
| Aug 17 | #23,497 | PRODIGY |
| Aug 16 | #12,718 | BECLOUD |
| Aug 15 | #10,241 | RADICCHIO |
| Aug 14 | #22,505 | ADMITTING |
| Aug 13 | #27,681 | HALCYON |
| Aug 12 | #14,101 | WEIGHTY |
| Aug 11 | #22,527 | ELEMENTALLY |
| Aug 10 | #17,923 | GLAMOUR |
| Aug 09 | #21,737 | CHOCOLATE |
| Aug 08 | #14,198 | MULTILEVEL |
| Aug 07 | #13,897 | EXPENDING |
| Aug 06 | #27,489 | CATBIRD |
| Aug 05 | #13,940 | HAYFORK |
| Aug 04 | #16,628 | HONEYDEW |
| Aug 03 | #26,714 | FLORIDLY |
| Aug 02 | #24,817 | CHANNELED |
| Aug 01 | #21,877 | BRICKBAT |
| Jul 31 | #19,242 | OPTIMAL |
| Jul 30 | #26,743 | TOUGHEN |
| Jul 29 | #27,512 | OUTBOARD |
| Jul 28 | #20,983 | IMPEDING |
| Jul 27 | #20,255 | INACTIVITY |
| Jul 26 | #17,820 | CATHOLIC |
| Jul 25 | #20,310 | ATOMIZATION |
| Jul 24 | #17,503 | EVOKING |
| Jul 23 | #23,735 | COFOUNDED |
| Jul 22 | #8,714 | HARDTACK |
| Jul 21 | #24,607 | INFALLIBLY |
| Jul 20 | #20,242 | MILLIONTH |
| Jul 19 | #22,628 | GALLIVANT |
| Jul 18 | #25,128 | ELLIPTICAL |
| Jul 14 | #897 | VITRIOLIC |
| Jul 07 | #21,065 | LAPBOARD |
| Jul 06 | #20,560 | AVALANCHE |
| Jul 05 | #23,419 | FIVEFOLD |
| Jul 04 | #11,308 | BIATHLETE |
| Jul 03 | #15,188 | DOORNAIL |
| Jul 02 | #23,806 | MELTING |
| Jul 01 | #23,283 | HICCUPED |
| Jun 30 | #1,519 | WOMANHOOD |
| Jun 29 | #13,410 | FANCIFUL |
| Jun 28 | #22,229 | DELVING |
| Jun 27 | #25,947 | BLOWPIPE |
| Jun 26 | #23,229 | MAGICALLY |
| Jun 25 | #18,865 | FIXATED |
| Jun 24 | #17,196 | ENCAMPMENT |
| Jun 23 | #21,619 | MARIJUANA |
| Jun 22 | #17,631 | CHEMICAL |
| Jun 21 | #24,165 | VIROLOGY |
| Jun 20 | #24,671 | DROWNING |
| Jun 19 | #9,752 | IMMEDIACY |
| Jun 18 | #26,984 | DETOXIFIED |
| Jun 17 | #27,711 | ROLLBACK |
| Jun 16 | #23,375 | NAIVELY |
| Jun 15 | #10,940 | APATHETIC |
| Jun 14 | #25,681 | HEADPIN |
| Jun 13 | #23,334 | TALKATIVE |
| Jun 12 | #17,992 | APPLICANT |
| Jun 11 | #23,052 | ETYMOLOGY |
| Jun 10 | #23,634 | MOOCHING |
| Jun 09 | #27,688 | LIFELONG |
| Jun 08 | #23,059 | OBJECTED |
| Jun 07 | #16,823 | VIADUCT |
| Jun 06 | #23,159 | TOWLINE |
| Jun 05 | #23,573 | FORCING |
| Jun 04 | #12,467 | DALMATIAN |
| Jun 03 | #25,447 | ADAPTIVITY |
| Jun 02 | #20,401 | WINDMILLED |
| Jun 01 | #14,892 | INEXACT |
| May 31 | #25,652 | GODCHILD |
| May 30 | #10,587 | INNOVATIONAL |
| May 29 | #27,754 | SQUEAKY |
| May 28 | #18,001 | UNJAMMING |
| May 27 | #27,404 | FLEXION |
| May 26 | #24,684 | CLICKABLE |
| May 25 | #11,448 | VARMINT |
| May 24 | #9,993 | UNKNOTTING |
| May 23 | #20,885 | CYANIDE |
| May 22 | #19,893 | ANNIHILATION |
| May 21 | #19,258 | CHANGED |
| May 20 | #27,586 | BACKBOARD |
| May 19 | #12,563 | OUTPOLLED |
| May 18 | #23,258 | CHUTZPAH |
| May 17 | #12,471 | CARTLOAD |