# 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:** 116
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2301 "2025-11-09T12:16:22Z")
Cranially would be a pangram today and seems to be a dictionary word. The SB allows two related words, so it can’t be that obscure. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2302 "2025-11-09T18:20:26Z")
I agree. There have been quite a few excluded licit, reasonable words (including pangrams) in the last couple of weeks. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2303 "2025-11-10T05:33:16Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Cranially would be a pangram today and seems to be a dictionary word. The SB allows two related words, so it can’t be that obscure. I tried that one too after finding the 2 related words and was disappointed that it wasn’t accepted. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2304 "2025-11-10T15:23:37Z")
PAVLOVIAN would have been a great pangram. I get why it wasn’t. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2305 "2025-11-10T16:40:04Z")
Yeah, me too. In fact, I couldn’t find a pangram today. I wonder why anil isn’t accepted. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2306 "2025-11-10T16:52:00Z")
Pavlov is a proper noun and therefore excluded. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2307 "2025-11-10T17:00:11Z")
Obviously ---
**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:** [November 10, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2308 "2025-11-10T17:13:19Z")
Ha. Me no read comprehensive England. In an exciting twist, PAVLOVA was named for a person but became generic. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2309 "2025-11-12T14:56:44Z")
Annoyed that BAIRN and TRINITARIAN aren’t accepted today. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2310 "2025-11-12T16:27:13Z")
Today, I tried bivariant unsuccessfully though both variant and invariant were included. I also tried bairn, though you mentioned that. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2311 "2025-11-12T18:36:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Today, I tried bivariant unsuccessfully That was my first guess for a pangram. Fortunately, rejected words don’t count against the First Pangram thing. So I persisted and got another FP anyway. ---
**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:** [November 13, 2025, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2312 "2025-11-13T02:08:26Z")
I tried BIVARIANT too as my first pangram guess. And for those of us noticing fantasy world words, NARNIA was a possible today and a few days ago as well. And yesterday VORPAL (for Jabberwocky fans) was almost possible, just the L was missing but I kept seeing it, and remembering the line about it going “snicker-snack” ---
**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:** [November 13, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2313 "2025-11-13T21:54:45Z")
No MANIOC. Maybe someday, knowing his penchant for food. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2314 "2025-11-14T16:26:53Z")
Can someone please explain to me why ANKLEBONE is ok but not KNEEBONE? ---
**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:** [November 14, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2315 "2025-11-14T19:03:39Z")
I mean, if you at least _tried_ BONKABLE, we are fam. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2316 "2025-11-14T19:23:24Z")
Meanwhile, I tried bankbook without success. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2317 "2025-11-14T19:24:23Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I mean, if you at least _tried_ BONKABLE, we are fam. Well, duh > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Meanwhile, I tried bankbook without success. and BANKLOAN ---
**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:** [November 14, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2318 "2025-11-14T19:28:16Z")
Tried that as well, though I think it’s usually two words. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2319 "2025-11-14T20:00:59Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > KNEEBONE > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > bankbook Heh, tried both of those also! Neither worked for me… ---
**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:** [November 14, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2320 "2025-11-14T21:07:51Z")
I put in [OBABAKOAK](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7200342) just for fun, as I type proper nouns and names in case I stumble upon another PANAMA, say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=115) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=117)