# 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:** 133
### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2641 "2026-02-21T17:37:54Z")
That’s another Sam mystery. It was accepted several times before being arbitrarily removed.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2642 "2026-02-21T23:12:15Z")
I don’t know if there were more, but I found five pangrams in today’s puzzle before hitting Genius.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2643 "2026-02-21T23:12:15Z")
Also didn’t accept Manioc or Amnion
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2644 "2026-02-22T16:54:32Z")
The puzzle today didn’t accept lignin today. It’s rejected scientific and technical terms previously but that one doesn’t seem that obscure.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2645 "2026-02-22T17:13:26Z")
Huh. I feel like I’ve got a decent vocabulary, and I don’t recognize it.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2646 "2026-02-22T18:26:08Z")
Neither do I but I am a Queen today so there’s that.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2647 "2026-02-22T19:22:18Z")
After seeing the non-word on Presidents Day and LUGING today, is stuff like this intentional? Have their been other examples (possibly coincidental)?
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2648 "2026-02-22T21:05:00Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> After seeing the non-word on Presidents Day and LUGING today,
Are you implying that’s not a real word? What do you think certain athletes [Luge](https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/sports/luge) at the Winter Olympics are doing?
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2649 "2026-02-22T21:23:36Z")
Yeah, I got that one and didn’t think it was unusual. I may not have gotten it as early if it wasn’t going on right now. I’m still fuming over “manioc” in yesterday’s puzzle.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2650 "2026-02-22T22:39:54Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> Are you implying that’s not a real word? What do you think certain athletes [Luge](https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/sports/luge) at the Winter Olympics are doing?
I’m implying the opposite
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2651 "2026-02-22T22:41:49Z")
The opposite of luging?
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2652 "2026-02-22T22:43:27Z")
The first was a non-word that was relevant to the day. The second was an actual word that was relevant to the day.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2653 "2026-02-22T23:06:37Z")
The first was two unavailable words, both BARACK and OBAMA.
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### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2654 "2026-02-22T23:12:55Z")
Isn’t INULIN a pretty normal word?
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2655 "2026-02-22T23:17:04Z")
I thought that lignin was a normal word that should have appeared, but apparently not. And knurl appeared but _not_ knurling.
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### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2656 "2026-02-22T23:28:00Z")
Yeah, that last part was weird.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2657 "2026-02-23T00:23:05Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> The second was an actual word that was relevant to the day.
The word luging has been accepted many times before today. It’s not special that it was accepted today. In fact, it was accepted on the 27th of last month, which was before the Olympics.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2658 "2026-02-23T01:29:46Z")
Me again. I was wondering how many puzzles had only had 1 start letter (or 2, or 3); well here it is:
[ ](https://i.imgur.com/qMUkCAV.png)
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2659 "2026-02-23T19:02:43Z")
I have very clearly been explaining myself poorly.
I know that it’s a real word and am not surprised that it’s been used in the past. I was pondering if that word being available on that day was by design.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2660 "2026-02-23T19:17:08Z")
I very much doubt that.
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