# 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:** 106
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2101 "2025-09-18T17:57:48Z")
I found today’s to be somewhat difficult, even though I nailed a pangram right out of the starting gate. ---
**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, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2102 "2025-09-18T18:05:14Z")
I am one word short of QB. Grrrr…. ---
**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, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2103 "2025-09-18T18:37:15Z")
Today was an interesting one but I got the G. The V center is an interesting challenge ---
**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, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2104 "2025-09-18T18:58:04Z")
QB. My eighth one, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2105 "2025-09-19T04:17:48Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > 537, on January 22, 2021. It’s interesting there was a puzzle with this high a score, because a while ago I was thinking about how people sometimes complain about games with ED or ING or TION. So I went to [SBsolver.com](http://SBsolver.com) to see what a puzzle using ONLY those letters would be like. (Coincidentally, there are exactly seven: DEGINOT.) Depending on which letter is the center, the total points range from 583 (O), with 106 words, to 952 (N), 165 words. The latter is, of course, ridiculous, and I assumed that the former was likewise way too high to ever be considered. But obviously not so completely out of the realm of possibility as I first thought. [Here’s the link,](https://www.sbsolver.com/s/tdeginO) if you want to look at them. ---
**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 19, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2106 "2025-09-19T14:18:37Z")
Fun! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2107 "2025-09-19T17:27:47Z")
There should be a name for words you would slap your head for missing, not because they’re necessarily easy to get, but because they add insult to injury … like MORON or IDIOT, or even PANGRAM. (It would be better example if PANGRAM was actually pangram though.) I was thinking of that because today has LOGOPHILE and yesterday had AGGRAVATING . ---
**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 19, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2108 "2025-09-19T19:24:46Z")
I knew it wouldn’t be accepted but I still had to try POOPHOLE ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2109 "2025-09-19T19:28:21Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > LOGOPHILE I managed to get this, but had to imply it from one of Steve’s clues. And I still have no idea what it means. Ah, just looked it up. Very clever. ---
**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 19, 2025, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2110 "2025-09-19T19:36:28Z")
I guessed that one by playing around with the suffix but didn’t know the word before. I had a tough time today but finally got to G and I am done for the day. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2111 "2025-09-19T21:11:30Z")
I only got it because it’s come up before. I was going to say ‘once before’ but surprisingly it’s the fifth time. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2112 "2025-09-21T23:19:03Z")
Another first word pangram, but otherwise I had problems today and needed clues. Guess you could say I was frantic. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2113 "2025-09-21T23:20:34Z")
It’s easier to get the pangram first when it’s a perfect one (i.e., exactly seven letters). ---
**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 21, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2114 "2025-09-21T23:24:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s easier to get the pangram first when it’s a perfect one (i.e., exactly seven letters) It’d be even easier if it was fewer letters. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2115 "2025-09-22T00:49:23Z")
Three perfect pangrams seemed unusual. I wonder if there have ever been more. ---
**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 22, 2025, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2116 "2025-09-22T01:35:28Z")
Gimme a little while, I think I can answer that. ---
**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 22, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2117 "2025-09-22T02:31:21Z")
There have never been more, but there have been three similar puzzles, including about six weeks ago on August 10. ETA: also, for what it’s worth, about 1 in 4 pangrams (25.5%) is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2118 "2025-09-22T03:05:12Z")
I particularly like puzzles with perfect pangrams in which the center letter is the middle letter of the pangram. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2119 "2025-09-22T18:56:44Z")
We have a poster named Llama\_logophile ---
**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 22, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2120 "2025-09-22T19:52:51Z")
Loach comes up as a word from time to time [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=105) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=107)