# 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:** 126
**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:** [January 16, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2501 "2026-01-16T18:21:01Z")
Born in December 1963. Retired in May 2020. Close enough. 🙂 ---
**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:** [January 16, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2502 "2026-01-16T19:06:38Z")
🙂 I’m looking at the results, not unexpected but kind of fascinating though I seem to have dropped a letter (it adds to 42) 1 e 2 2 i 13 3 o 8 4 u 9 5 y 10 ---
**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:** [January 17, 2026, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2503 "2026-01-17T05:23:31Z")
@Maserschmidt or anyone else, are there stats on how easy or difficult it is to find the pangram? According to the Buddy, today’s pangram was the most difficult word to find, with only 37% of players finding it. I don’t remember ever seeing that before? And Sam’s love of plant words strikes again, with CAMELLIA being the next most difficult word, at 41%. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2026, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2504 "2026-01-18T03:21:25Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > And Sam’s love of plant words strikes again, with CAMELLIA being the next most difficult word, Those are super common where I live. 10 feet away, in fact. Surprised there was no PLAYA or PAYOR allowed today. I did terribly today. I gave up with 6 words left to find, including some very easy ones and 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:** [January 21, 2026, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2505 "2026-01-21T05:41:41Z")
Excited to find TAILFIN! Disappointed that it wasn’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:** [January 21, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2506 "2026-01-21T20:13:40Z")
Can someone please take CALLALOO and COLCANNON and beat those DOODADS into my CICADA sized brain? ---
**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:** [January 22, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2507 "2026-01-22T01:25:15Z")
Only if you promise to be my MENTEE ---
**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:** [January 22, 2026, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2508 "2026-01-22T04:21:24Z")
If you get hold of a BAOBAB branch for me, sure! ---
**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:** [January 22, 2026, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2509 "2026-01-22T04:23:49Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > If you get hold of a BAOBAB branch for me, sure!  Personally, I prefer a nice ACACIA branch. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2510 "2026-01-22T04:33:09Z")
Don’t bother swinging on a LIANA to get it, though. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2026, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2511 "2026-01-23T04:35:17Z")
Disappointed that it doesn’t take MENAGE and, as a Beatles fan, EGGMAN ---
**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:** [January 23, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2512 "2026-01-23T16:02:41Z")
Why not COCKBLOCK or more seriously CODEBOOK? ---
**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:** [January 23, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2513 "2026-01-23T16:10:19Z")
Or BOLLOCK? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2514 "2026-01-23T20:46:24Z")
Yes…and yet, they _did_ accept TALI. Were they thinking of an Indian wedding necklace, or more than one boulder-filled slope at the base of a cliff (or more than one part of your leg where it meets your foot, on top)? Nice to see ANTIFA finally getting some love, though. > [@susan](#): > > Don’t bother swinging on a LIANA to get it, though. That one annoys me every time. It’s not just one plant, it’s an entire kind of plant. It’s like saying “tree” or “bush”! ---
**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:** [January 23, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2515 "2026-01-23T21:08:58Z")
I tried both of those. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2026, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2516 "2026-01-24T00:35:28Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Nice to see ANTIFA finally getting some love, though. They also allow NEOCON but not MAGA. Got my first QB in a while today. No hints but I did guess one word that seemed like a word although I’d never heard of it. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2517 "2026-01-24T00:45:15Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Got my first QB in a while today. No hints but I did guess one word that seemed like a word although I’d never heard of it. That’s gotta be DECKLE. I got Queen Bee without hints for the first time in quite awhile. I almost always manage to blank on a word or two, even if they’re common. I’ve somehow omitted TOOL and NONE several times. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2518 "2026-01-24T00:51:34Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > They also allow NEOCON but not MAGA. The former is a shortening of a longer word; there’s lots of words like that and they’re often accepted. The latter is an acronym, so not allowed. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2519 "2026-01-24T01:49:08Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > That’s gotta be DECKLE. Yet they didn’t allow DECKLED. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2026, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2520 "2026-01-24T01:51:05Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > That’s gotta be DECKLE. Yep .. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=125) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=127)