# NYT Spelling Bee drives me crazy **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [December 17, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739 "2023-12-17T15:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 105
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2081 "2025-09-17T23:27:19Z")
Lord, I have 50 points total. What’s the maximum I’m going for? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2082 "2025-09-17T23:30:08Z")
1. . . ETA: That’s the QB score. Genius is 182. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2083 "2025-09-17T23:30:54Z")
Genius is 182. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2025, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2084 "2025-09-17T23:31:06Z")
182 for Genius. 259 or 260 for QB. I got to G in about an hour and a little beyond but nowhere close to Queen ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2085 "2025-09-18T00:03:03Z")
Oh, whew. I was confusing people’s pangrams records with daily scores… I saw 1138 and was like… I’m nowhere near there! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2086 "2025-09-18T00:04:42Z")
LOL! The highest score ever was probably in the low 400s. I am sure that @Maserschmidt could tell us exactly. I’ve only gotten like 390 pangrams but I came to the game late. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2087 "2025-09-18T00:09:04Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I guess the most obvious word here falls afoul of the obscenity rule They wouldn’t even allow “chink” last week. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2088 "2025-09-18T00:11:04Z")
7 pangrams for me! I haven’t been doing this long. I usually get to Genius but today is tough. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2089 "2025-09-18T00:13:07Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Oh, whew. I was confusing people’s pangrams records with daily scores… I saw 1138 and was like… I’m nowhere near there! Note that those 1138 pangrams are for 778 games. That’s going back only 2 and a fraction years and the game has been around for lots longer. I’ve been playing since 2021, so the stats are missing more than half my games. The stats were all messed up when I started, so they must have done a reset a couple years ago. ETA: I finally got to QB today. Had to go to hints for the last 4 words. One of which was a pangram – what in the hell is a LINOCUT? I got that by seeing a possible word, which I knew had to be a perfect pangram starting with LI, that turned out to be accepted. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2090 "2025-09-18T00:51:06Z")
It’s a form of printmaking using a linoleum block. It’s hard for me to see it as a great pangram. My stats were messed up quite a while ago. I used to punish the Bee by refusing to complete it on days when I found 5 words that didn’t count, but now I punish it by getting to Genius anyway. I also had and have little patience for days with Genius scores over 200. I _do_ have a life, things to do and people to see, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2091 "2025-09-18T00:58:57Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > LOL! The highest score ever was probably in the low 400s. I am sure that @Maserschmidt could tell us exactly. 537, on January 22, 2021. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > 7 pangrams for me! I haven’t been doing this long. I usually get to Genius but today is tough. Coincidentally, that’s how many that puzzle had! You coulda gotten them all in one day. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2092 "2025-09-18T01:02:39Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I _do_ have a life, things to do and people to see, etc. Well, there’s the difference between you and me. I’m retired and don’t have a whole lot going on in my life. So I have lots of time to do this game. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2093 "2025-09-18T01:07:47Z")
Oh, I have the time, but I’d rather be walking or reading or driving all over town looking for the peppers I need for an antipasto platter. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2094 "2025-09-18T01:53:06Z")
Now I’m going through the data, and another funny one: the Sept 29, 2024 SB (FILNVY - G) had 25 words, 167 points…and only one four-letter word. ETA: wait, 10/18/2021 (BGNOUX - I) had 27 words, 174 points…and NO four-letter words. The only one like that in my dataset. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2095 "2025-09-18T14:43:25Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > 537, on January 22, 2021. Thanks for giving me something to aspire to. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2096 "2025-09-18T14:58:59Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Now I’m going through the data, and another funny one: the Sept 29, 2024 SB (FILNVY - G) had 25 words, 167 points…and only one four-letter word. Have you done today’s puzzle? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2097 "2025-09-18T15:05:31Z")
Not yet, but here I go! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2098 "2025-09-18T15:09:48Z")
Today’s 4-letter word total is 1 . You can find the current day’s stats by opening the game, pulling down More, and choosing Hints. This takes you to the page where you can see some basic information if you scroll down to Spelling Bee Grid, including number of words, number of points, number of pangrams and whether any are perfect, whether every letter starts a word (BINGO), how many words of what length start with each letter, and a 2-letter list. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2099 "2025-09-18T15:18:15Z")
Already at Genius with no 4LW and still chugging along. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2100 "2025-09-18T17:52:50Z")
> [@susan](#): > > You can find the current day’s stats by opening the game, pulling down More, and choosing Hints. Yes, I am fully aware of Hints, as well as Spelling Bee Buddy. And I had achieved the Genius level before I made my above comment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=104) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=106)