# 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:** 117
**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, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2321 "2025-11-14T21:53:33Z")
Also BALKAN ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2322 "2025-11-15T01:25:02Z")
Also missing KOKANEE. ---
**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 15, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2323 "2025-11-15T15:03:31Z")
So the annoying debut of MIGNONETTE but why not MIGNON? ---
**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 15, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2324 "2025-11-15T16:33:12Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > So the annoying debut of MIGNONETTE but why not MIGNO Glad I’m not the only one who noticed 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:** [November 15, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2325 "2025-11-15T19:17:10Z")
I was wondering earlier this week: to what extent does the QB score provide a clue of the number of pangrams in the puzzle? The answer: the trend is very light…so, not much. [![](https://i.imgur.com/erU0fX4.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/erU0fX4.png) ---
**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 15, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2326 "2025-11-15T19:28:22Z")
I love data! That’s interesting ---
**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 16, 2025, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2327 "2025-11-16T04:18:41Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > > [@BlankSlate](#): > > > > So the annoying debut of MIGNONETTE but why not MIGNO > > Glad I’m not the only one who noticed that. I saw that too! I tried that debut word on a whim and was surprised when it was accepted. ---
**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 16, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2328 "2025-11-16T15:31:02Z")
I’m infuriated beyond reason by today’s pangram. It’s just not a real word. It’s a spelling error, back formed by analogy to ALREADY. It’s as though they had allowed NUCULAR as a variation of NUCLEAR. I’m not a complete prescriptivist. I grant that words like GIMME and GONNA are acceptable in the word list. But making a non-word like ALRIGHT the pangram just pisses me off. I don’t care how many dictionaries it’s in, it’s just WRONG! ---
**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 16, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2329 "2025-11-16T15:31:56Z")
Oh yeah, and why wasn’t GNOMON accepted yesterday? ---
**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 16, 2025, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2330 "2025-11-16T18:06:31Z")
With you 100% on both of these! ALRIGHT is not a word, and even my phone dictionary knows it. And GNOMON is a real word! ---
**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 16, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2331 "2025-11-16T18:08:02Z")
One thousand percent this. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2332 "2025-11-16T18:34:45Z")
I got the word in question today, but even as I was typing it I was saying to myself “That isn’t a word.” It turns out this word has been accepted in two previous puzzles according to sbsolver. But today’s is the first since this thread was started and the first since I started playing regularly. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2333 "2025-11-16T18:44:57Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > I got the word in question today, but even as I was typing it I was saying to myself “That isn’t a word.” And the screed posted above about it was as predictable as the sun coming up tomorrow. Funny no one posts screeds about these somewhat irregular words that are accepted: anyhoo dammit dunno gimme gonna gotta helluva hiya kinda wanna ---
**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 16, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2334 "2025-11-16T19:04:02Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I grant that words like GIMME and GONNA are acceptable in the word list. Not me. I can accept gimme, as in “this was a gimme”, but “gonna” and “wanna” set my teeth on edge. But I do wish he’d accept “hella”, as that’s used as an actual, single word, not just a misspelling of colloquial pronunciation. Just my own quirks, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2335 "2025-11-16T19:20:49Z")
And PFFT ---
**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 16, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2336 "2025-11-16T19:37:39Z")
These are intentional slangy contractions in common use. ALRIGHT is a _mistaken_ backformation. It is inappropriate. PFFT definitely should NOT be in the word 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:** [November 16, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2337 "2025-11-16T21:54:06Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > is a _mistaken_ backformation. Whether the word is appropriate or not, it’s not a backformation…no affix has been removed. I tried the word because of The Kids are Alright, which in my mind made the word altogether fine. ---
**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 17, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2338 "2025-11-17T14:44:41Z")
I whine about those all the time to people I know who do the SB. “Well, the one you’re missing isn’t really a word” – that kind of thing. But, they show up a lot, where this is the first time I’ve seen the A word. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2339 "2025-11-17T17:05:36Z")
ALRIGHT was the principle pet peeve of one of my high school English teachers, so I felt horrible just submitting 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:** [November 19, 2025, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2340 "2025-11-19T05:43:58Z")
The last word I got today (with a user hint) before QB, was MAMMA. I didn’t get it sooner because, although I knew MAMA and MOMMA were accepted, I didn’t remember ever seeing MAMMA before. Am I going crazy? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=116) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=118)