# 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:** 109
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2161 "2025-09-29T16:09:27Z")
Did anyone else find today’s particularly difficult, or is my brain just not working properly today? It took me an absurdly long time to reach Genius. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2162 "2025-09-29T16:24:20Z")
Someone else I know, who is way better than me at SB, is also having a hard time. Meanwhile, I got the pangram first today and pretty much cruised. I think I have three words left to QB. ---
**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 29, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2163 "2025-09-29T17:02:12Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > Did anyone else find today’s particularly difficult Today Monday? I got through it pretty fast, mostly because it was only like 87 points to genius. It was yesterday that confounded me. I’m not sure why, but I guess with ED, IVE, TION, and NON, there were too many possibilities and my brain wasn’t doing well picking out the real ones. I did finally make genius, but it took me the better part of an hour. ---
**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 29, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2164 "2025-09-29T17:18:05Z")
I find three-vowel problems just a little harder, and I struggled a bit today. ---
**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 29, 2025, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2165 "2025-09-29T19:06:00Z")
Today’s puzzle actually contains a pair of what I call (for lack of a better term) reversible compound words … i.e., the two parts of the compound word can appear in either order. I googled to see if I could find a compilation of words like this and (predictably I guess) the top hit was the SDMB: [Reversible Compound Words](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversible-compound-words/279180/9) ---
**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 29, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2166 "2025-09-29T19:28:09Z")
I reflexively try reversing reversible compound words when I’m entering them, sometimes I get a surprising hit. ---
**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 29, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2167 "2025-09-29T20:00:09Z")
I think today’s counts as a surprising hit. “putout” is a specialized term in baseball. “put out” is more common and has … several … meanings. I feel like there should be an amusing pun around “putout” being a surprising hit, but I’m blanking. Oh, wait, I’m striking out? Nah, lame. ---
**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 29, 2025, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2168 "2025-09-29T21:49:17Z")
Today was a killer. I finally got Genius without the pangram and I am done. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2025, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2169 "2025-10-02T05:07:31Z")
So I was stuck at a few points short of Genius and looked at the hints. I found out there were 30 words, and, surprisingly, 5 pangrams! I had 2 already and didn’t expect 3 more. I struggled on and did make it to QB. One of them, when I eventually found it, struck me as a bit bogus: CITIFICATION ---
**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:** [October 2, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2170 "2025-10-02T13:06:09Z")
It would be appreciated if you could spoil things like pangram counts. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2171 "2025-10-02T21:01:56Z")
Is this the first time tinning was allowed? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2172 "2025-10-02T21:48:42Z")
I got QB today, albeit with some hints and one clue. But that clue was worthless. I ended up guessing some likely words and got the last word that way. How does “Traversing the Golden bridge in Long Island?” (their clue) mean “ligating”. Google doesn’t know about a Golden Bridge on Long Island, so it must be a metaphorical clue. But if so, it’s too obscure for me. According to various dictionaries, the word is a medical term meaning “to tie up (a blood vessel or similar structure) with a ligature”. Besides the obscure clue, it seems a rather too technical term for this game. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2173 "2025-10-02T22:02:19Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > How does “Traversing the Golden bridge in Long Island?” (their clue) mean “ligating”. Google doesn’t know about a Golden Bridge on Long Island, so it must be a metaphorical clue. But if so, it’s too obscure for me. You’re right about the clue being too obscure. It only makes sense(?) if you already know what the word is. LI = Long Island, Golden bridge = Gate, Traversing = “ing” ending. I managed all the words except for the second-to-last one in the list of “You vs Other Bee Buddy Visitors” at the Spelling Bee Buddy. I doubt I’ll ever remember it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2174 "2025-10-02T22:08:31Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > You’re right about the clue being too obscure. It only makes sense(?) if you already know what the word is. LI = Long Island, Golden bridge = Gate, Traversing = “ing” ending. Hmm, looks like a cryptic crossword clue. I suppose someone who’s used to doing those might get it. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2175 "2025-10-02T22:17:12Z")
It annoyed me that atlatl wasn’t allowed. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2176 "2025-10-02T22:20:02Z")
If it’s a cryptic, it looks like a cryptic made by AI or an amateur. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2025, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2177 "2025-10-02T22:49:43Z")
Amused that they allow TALLIT but not TZITZIT You can’t have one without the other ---
**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:** [October 3, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2178 "2025-10-03T14:25:12Z")
Bloody INDIUM. I would have had a ‘natural’ (thanks @carlb) Queen Bee without it. It was first accepted in 2019, then disallowed four times, and now it’s back again. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2179 "2025-10-03T14:59:34Z")
What about tinning from yesterday’s puzzle? ---
**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:** [October 3, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2180 "2025-10-03T15:14:55Z")
You were right. First time being accepted after 17 rejections. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=108) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=110)