# 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:** 138
**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:** [March 27, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2741 "2026-03-27T18:59:20Z")
I called those ring-grams, but I think donutgram might be better. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2026, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2742 "2026-03-31T02:19:34Z")
Today’s most challenging word, BOTNET, found by only 25% of players, really had me stumped. I needed clues from 3 different NYT forum users to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2743 "2026-03-31T02:46:39Z")
That word has come up before and I remembered that it had. I got a natural QB today with the most difficult word being LENTO. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2744 "2026-04-01T07:26:30Z")
Disappointed that MINIBI was not accepted. For those who don’t recognize the word, it’s the plural of MINIBUS. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2745 "2026-04-01T12:07:43Z")
Haha! Excellent point. Going back to yesterday or the day before, if SB will accept botnet, it should start accepting telnet again. Both are kind of obscure computer portmanteaux (ooh, fancy plural!) and telnet has certainly been around longer. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2746 "2026-04-01T12:29:40Z")
It accepts TELETYPE for goodness sake, certainly telnet should be viable. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2747 "2026-04-01T12:30:41Z")
Yeah, and, as I’m sure you know, it was consciously removed from the list of acceptable words. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2748 "2026-04-01T12:31:52Z")
It appeared 33 times before it was killed off! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2749 "2026-04-01T12:34:18Z")
I keep hoping that “tarn” will eventually be acceptable. It’s not an unusual word. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2750 "2026-04-01T20:24:02Z")
Today drove me bonkers for some reason. I was one point away forever until I finally found IMPUGN/IMPUGNING. I have to get to the Seder soon and I was about to resort to hints. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2751 "2026-04-02T08:35:57Z")
ANTIMONY accepted, ANTINOMY rejected. I guess this shouldn’t be a surprise, since the latter is a more obscure word. I know the latter mostly because it’s a simple swap of two letters of the former, although I think we discussed it once in English class many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2026, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2752 "2026-04-05T05:08:40Z")
I just noticed they did not accept a perfectly good pangram: BULLYRAG. ---
**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:** [April 5, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2753 "2026-04-05T15:41:48Z")
The game continues to reject a ballgag, for some reason. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2754 "2026-04-07T03:50:40Z")
HAKA (a variety of ceremonial dances in Māori culture)?!? Really, Sam? Maybe on the other side of the world it’s not obscure, but here in the USA it sure is, in my book. Sheesh! ---
**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:** [April 7, 2026, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2755 "2026-04-07T04:08:41Z")
I’d definitely heard of it and it was the final word that got me QB. It took me a bit to get that last point but I put in the word because I knew it and hoped it would be accepted. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2026, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2756 "2026-04-07T12:31:35Z")
One point short of natural G yesterday and it turned out to be a variation on another word (i think). Bleh. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2757 "2026-04-07T13:40:48Z")
You mean YECH and YECCH? I don’t think they belong in the game. They’re not real words, IMHO. There are a few others like that, too, that I can’t bring to mind right now. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2758 "2026-04-07T13:42:30Z")
The second one was in the puzzle. I needed help to find 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:** [April 7, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2759 "2026-04-07T13:44:09Z")
Both were in the puzzle. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2760 "2026-04-07T13:45:12Z")
Indeed they were. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=137) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=139)