# 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:** 111
**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:** [October 10, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2201 "2025-10-10T20:46:02Z")
The _last_ pangram? Wasn’t there only one? ---
**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 10, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2202 "2025-10-10T20:47:43Z")
I was intentionally vague to not spoil the number of pangrams ---
**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:** [October 10, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2203 "2025-10-10T20:51:18Z")
Sorry. ---
**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 10, 2025, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2204 "2025-10-10T23:42:37Z")
No PILLY today? I’d say it’s just as much a word as FRATTY, which was accepted the other day. ---
**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:** [October 11, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2205 "2025-10-11T15:49:29Z")
What’s wrong with MUON? Or MOULE? ---
**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:** [October 12, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2206 "2025-10-12T13:07:24Z")
10/12 SB: Why isn’t TILLABLE accepted? ---
**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 12, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2207 "2025-10-12T13:43:55Z")
Yeah, I was wondering that myself. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2208 "2025-10-12T17:41:52Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > What’s wrong with MUON? Or MOULE? ? Yes, MUON for sure. I always type it in anyway, just in case. I’m pretty much OK with MOULE being excluded though. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2209 "2025-10-12T17:49:21Z")
The problem with ABLE is I’m never sure to which words ABLE will addable – if that’s a word. I end up typing a bunch of plausible words that get me nowhere. (That reminds me, if I and A and BLE are all there, it just makes things worse.) Which words are -able, and which are -ible. It depends. On what? The spelling! Silly language. ---
**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 12, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2210 "2025-10-12T18:05:03Z")
I type in anything that could be vaguely -ABLE. Sometimes I’m surprised. ---
**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 12, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2211 "2025-10-12T19:24:48Z")
There’s no harm in trying everything to see what’s ABLEable because god knows what Sam likes. And while we are on the subject, why not CALCABLE? ---
**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:** [October 12, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2212 "2025-10-12T20:25:52Z")
Why not ABATEABLE ABETTABLE ABLATEABLE BAILABLE BAITABLE BALLABLE BELTABLE BITEABLE BLABBABLE LIBELLABLE or TABLEABLE in addition to the few \_\_\_\_ABLE words they did allow? How do they decide which verbs are \_\_\_\_\_ABLE? And why not BETTA, which is one of the more popular tropical fish that people keep in aquariums? I’ve never had an aquarium, and I know that. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2213 "2025-10-13T16:55:35Z")
Anyone else get their badge for Pangram First (100)? Hmm, apparently the Pangram First badges come in increments of 25, since the stats popup has both the PF100 and a PF125 for the next target. BTW, is there a way to see all one’s badges without downloading the app? I’m doing this on my laptop and I don’t know if the app would even work on it. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2025, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2214 "2025-10-13T20:06:56Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Anyone else get their badge for Pangram First (100)? I’ve got 150 pangrams first, and I’m heading for 200 Queen Bees. > [@dtilque](#): > > BTW, is there a way to see all one’s badges without downloading the app? I’m doing this on my laptop and I don’t know if the app would even work on it. Click on “Stats” at the top right. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2215 "2025-10-13T20:11:16Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I’ve got 150 pangrams first, and I’m heading for 200 Queen Bees. You have me beat there, but I have just a few more QBs than that. > [@commasense](#): > > Click on “Stats” at the top right. That doesn’t give all the badges, just three and one of those is an upcoming one for Halloween. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2216 "2025-10-14T04:16:50Z")
Thanks, I didn’t know. I haven’t concerned myself too much with badges. I don’t need no… never mind. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2217 "2025-10-14T19:29:27Z")
Well, I don’t really care that much about badges. I just wanted to see how many different ones there are. If I’m up late (after midnight, which is when the new game drops here in the Pacific Time Zone), I usually do half-hour to an hour worth of Spelling Beeing. That usually gets all the easy words and some of the harder ones (enough to get Genius). Last night was one of those nights. And then I got a natural QB in about a half hour. That’s happened before, but isn’t at all common. But then I don’t have the Bee to drop into for the rest of the day between other things. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2218 "2025-10-14T19:40:54Z")
I’m on the way to 35 pangrams first while I’ve got over 500 Queen Bees. (I only started to look for the pangrams first once they created badges for it, which is why the number is so low.) ---
**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 15, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2219 "2025-10-15T14:56:27Z")
TIL that one of the badges is count of words with 10+ 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:** [October 18, 2025, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2220 "2025-10-18T00:23:57Z")
The lack of EMBOLIZE (or to a lesser extent, EMBOLI), annoyed me today. (spoiled for no reason, I guess) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=110) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=112)