# 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:** 136
### Author:  [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2701 "2026-03-16T15:42:13Z")
I doubt anyone but Sam Ezersky knows **why** certain words are accepted but others aren’t. For example, _catarrh_ is a medical term and is equally as obscure as _cardial_. He hates nautical terms too. _Luff_ is a common enough word for anyone who sails, but it’s never been acceptable. _Alee_ on the other hand is just fine. I also can’t think of a single reason that _gimme_ is an acceptable word, but it is. I have learned to just roll with it because no one at NYT is going to respond to emails about what should be accepted in Spelling Bee. I’m pretty sure the intent of the game is to drive word nerds insane - that’s why I still play every morning.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2702 "2026-03-16T15:49:42Z")
> [@Thumper668](#):
>
> _Luff_ is a common enough word for anyone who sails, but it’s never been acceptable. _Alee_ on the other hand is just fine.
_Luff_ has been accepted 6 times since February of last year. _Alee_ has never been accepted.
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### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2703 "2026-03-16T15:53:43Z")
Yeah, missing alee has always annoyed me, because it’s so common in the crossword.
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### Author:  [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2704 "2026-03-16T15:56:03Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#):
>
> _Luff_ has been accepted 6 times since February of last year. _Alee_ has never been accepted.
Oops, scratch that - reverse it. There are so many examples of what is accepted versus what isn’t that I confuse them (and still try both of them when they arise).
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2705 "2026-03-16T16:04:17Z")
> [@Thumper668](#):
>
> For example, _catarrh_ is a medical term and is equally as obscure as _cardial_.
And as far as I can remember, it’s not been accepted either. I’ve tried it a number of times.
> [@Thumper668](#):
>
> I’m pretty sure the intent of the game is to drive word nerds insane - that’s why I still play every morning.
You gone insane yet?
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### Author:  [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2706 "2026-03-16T16:06:57Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> You gone insane yet?
Just about every morning.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2707 "2026-03-16T16:09:16Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> And as far as I can remember, it’s not been accepted either. I’ve tried it a number of times.
It [_catarrh_] was disallowed once in 2018 and has been accepted 12 times since then.
On a different topic, I’ve learned that there was a day in 2021 with no 4-letter words!
[Spelling Bee Answers: October 18, 2021 - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/crosswords/spelling-bee-forum.html)
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2708 "2026-03-16T16:18:01Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#):
>
> It [_catarrh_] was disallowed once in 2018 and has been accepted 12 times since then.
I must be thinking of some other word, then.
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### Author:  [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2709 "2026-03-16T23:03:33Z")
> [@Thumper668](#):
>
> Apparently EXIGENCE is a problem.
Yes, I was disappointed by that.
Other disappointments were today’s NIXIE , apparently Sam doesn’t like Germanic water spirits, and yesterday, CARACAL, which is not that rare an animal.
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2026, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2710 "2026-03-19T13:41:26Z")
Today they took GNOMON (the pointer on a sundial) for the first time ever. I have tried it many times without success, and don’t know why I thought it might work today, but finally it did.
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### Author:  [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2711 "2026-03-19T15:26:32Z")
Thanks for confirming my memory. I tried it (and really needed the points) but didn’t expect to work
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2712 "2026-03-19T15:57:56Z")
I never would have thought to even try that. I got Genius today but it took some effort. I checked the spoiler because I am done for the day.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2713 "2026-03-19T16:13:49Z")
I try it every time just out of annoyance, and was surprised today. Now I’m interested in what happens the next time it’s available.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2714 "2026-03-19T18:06:18Z")
I’m still annoyed with yesterday’s NONART
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2715 "2026-03-20T00:48:16Z")
He’s not fond of NORN, either.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2716 "2026-03-20T02:12:37Z")
Natural QB today. That’s four in the last six days. I think I’m getting the hang of this game.
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### Author:  [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2717 "2026-03-20T02:25:36Z")
> [@commasense](#):
>
> Today they took GNOMON (the pointer on a sundial) for the first time ever. I have tried it many times without success, and don’t know why I thought it might work today, but finally it did.
That’s what I came in to say. It’s been disallowed 16 times before this, but it’s finally in! It’s just been bloody-mindedness that has kept me trying it over the years.
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### Author:  [@WalterBishop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WalterBishop)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2718 "2026-03-20T23:34:09Z")
Could anyone tell me why today’s puzzle is accepting MEATHEAD but not MEATHEADED? Is there an actual reason for it? Or is it just more Spelling Bee fuckery?
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2719 "2026-03-21T00:21:47Z")
Remember to spoiler the current puzzle.
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### Author:  [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2026, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2720 "2026-03-21T10:22:03Z")
Edit: Nevermind - I forgot that E was the center letter today
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