# NYT Spelling Bee drives me crazy
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739
**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:** 130
### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2581 "2026-02-12T14:17:26Z")
Never heard NATRON.
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2582 "2026-02-12T14:42:55Z")
So we’re even!
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### Author:  [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2583 "2026-02-12T17:50:39Z")
> [@commasense](#):
>
> _I’ve_ never heard it. Looking at the definition, I’d say it’s obscure or technical.
>
> Also not accepted today is NATRON, which IME is less obscure than FORMANT, but maybe that’s just me.
>
> BTW, did anyone notice on Tuesday ( **H** BINORT) that although TION was present, only one word used it, and it _wasn’t_ the pangram. I was all the way past Genius and only a couple of words from Queen Bee when I noticed TION was available, and was stunned that I hadn’t seen, or _needed_, it before.
Yes, I wouldn’t have thought of NATRON, being essential for mummification, as too obscure, and that topic is archaic but well known.
And I noticed TION early yesterday, and was a bit frustrated looking for words with it and not finding them.
For today, I see a word accepted that was rejected in July 2024 according to posts above: FOOTMAN
And I knew they would not be accepted but couldn’t resist trying ANTMAN, FARTMAN
I always thought that OTRANTO was a fictional place. TIL that it’s a real city.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2584 "2026-02-12T17:55:25Z")
Today’s gave me a lot of trouble for some reason. Big head smacks for not seeing common words.
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### Author:  [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2585 "2026-02-12T17:57:37Z")
You’re not alone @Chefguy ! I’m stuck at Amazing and only seeing words that aren’t accepted.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2586 "2026-02-12T18:01:23Z")
Most days I end up seeing Steve’s clues to finish up. It makes me very happy when I can finish without doing that. On an extremely rare occasion I can make it to QB, unlike @Maserschmidt, who must have memorized the OED.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2587 "2026-02-12T18:10:30Z")
BTW, regarding people like Steve G and others who post clues to the Spelling Bee Forum, do they get advance access to the puzzle? Because they post immediately after the puzzle is released at 3am Eastern time.
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2588 "2026-02-12T18:24:27Z")
> [@gkster](#):
>
> Yes, I wouldn’t have thought of NATRON, being essential for mummification, as too obscure, and that topic is archaic but well known.
There’s also [Lake Natron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Natron), so named because it is full of the stuff.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2589 "2026-02-12T18:54:36Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> BTW, regarding people like Steve G and others who post clues to the Spelling Bee Forum, do they get advance access to the puzzle? Because they post immediately after the puzzle is released at 3am Eastern time.
I always assumed they were from earlier puzzles that had the same words. But I don’t read the SB Forum. Don’t even know where it is.
Disappointed MOTORMAN was not accepted today.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2590 "2026-02-12T19:29:37Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> Don’t even know where it is.
Click on “More”, then on “Community”.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2591 "2026-02-14T20:43:38Z")
Disapointed that ABEAM and EMBIGGEN were not accepted. Sam needs to apply the latter to the list of accepted words.
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2592 "2026-02-14T21:12:12Z")
I was one word away from QB yesterday: 8 letters, starting NO. It turned out to be NOUVELLE, which is French, and IME not particularly commonly used as an English word.
It’s all the more irritating to me because today they (once more) didn’t accept MENAGE, which also originated in French, but is, IMHO, a valid English loan word.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2593 "2026-02-14T21:16:27Z")
I also got stuck on that same word yesterday. I agree it’s odd which foreign words are accepted and which are rejected. Checking a website that tracks these things, nouvelle was accepted in two puzzles in 2023.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2594 "2026-02-14T21:45:05Z")
> [@commasense](#):
>
> I was one word away from QB yesterday: 8 letters, starting NO. It turned out to be NOUVELLE, which is French, and IME not particularly commonly used as an English word.
Yeah. Needed a clue to get that one.
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### Author:  [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2595 "2026-02-15T05:43:29Z")
> [@commasense](#):
>
> I was one word away from QB yesterday: 8 letters, starting NO. It turned out to be NOUVELLE, which is French, and IME not particularly commonly used as an English word.
>
> It’s all the more irritating to me because today they (once more) didn’t accept MENAGE, which also originated in French, but is, IMHO, a valid English loan word.
Exactly this! And I’d say that today’s French word is more common than yesterday’s. I speak French haltingly, read it fluently, but never would have thought NOUVELLE would be accepted yesterday without a clue
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2026, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2596 "2026-02-15T06:02:09Z")
> [@gkster](#):
>
> I speak French haltingly, read it fluently, but never would have thought NOUVELLE would be accepted yesterday without a clue
It’s Sam’s love of food terms (nouvelle cuisine).
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### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2026, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2597 "2026-02-15T13:03:28Z")
Today’s pangram is ridiculously obscure in my view.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2598 "2026-02-15T15:00:23Z")
Well, at least I learned a new word today. I only got it because I was trying a few TRI- combos, randomly.
Spelling Bee fans might get a chuckle from one of the answers in the Sunday Crossword Puzzle. TOMTIT
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2599 "2026-02-15T18:00:00Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#):
>
> Spelling Bee fans might get a chuckle from one of the answers in the Sunday Crossword Puzzle.
I know! The one and only time I’ve ever seen that word outside of Spelling Bee.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2600 "2026-02-15T18:39:12Z")
If you were a birdwatcher you might encounter it more frequently!
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/A\_Toitoi\_in\_the\_forest.jpg/500px-A\_Toitoi\_in\_the\_forest.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/A_Toitoi_in_the_forest.jpg/500px-A_Toitoi_in_the_forest.jpg)
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