# 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:** 14
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/261 "2024-04-11T13:01:20Z")
That was my assumption. There have been various rude words along the way it hasn’t accepted either. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2024, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/262 "2024-04-11T13:48:41Z")
According to [sbsolver.com](http://sbsolver.com), Monday was the first time the word ‘rapping’ has appeared and thus the first time ‘raping’ was disallowed. I don’t have any beef with the word being left out…I’m just surprised it hasn’t come up before. I played around with a few other words just to see how often they occurred and came across a little factoid that made me feel like a complete idiot: The letters ‘r’ and ‘e’ are never used in the same puzzle. I can’t believe I never noticed. 🤦‍♂️ ---
**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 11, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/263 "2024-04-11T13:51:33Z")
Wow! I never noticed that either. I guess it would be a huge puzzle. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/264 "2024-04-11T13:54:29Z")
It makes sense. I tried some other versions of the Bee that included the ‘s’ in the puzzle, and also the ‘e’ and ‘r’ combo. Tedious as hell. ---
**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 11, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/265 "2024-04-11T14:21:41Z")
What was the max on that puzzle a couple of years ago - something in excess of 500? nm - it was 537. Also, I tried backbit on a lark, but lo and behold… ---
**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:** [April 11, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/266 "2024-04-11T14:54:53Z")
537? Wow. What was the pangram? ---
**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 11, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/267 "2024-04-11T14:56:35Z")
There were 7! VECTON-I. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/268 "2024-04-11T14:57:14Z")
Wow again. I just looked it up. **CONNECTIVE, CONVECTION, CONVECTIVE, CONVENIENT, CONVENTION, EVICTION, INCONVENIENT** ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/269 "2024-04-12T18:44:42Z")
I was disappointed today when the Bee failed to recognize dunnage. Anybody who’s ever been involved with loading and/or shipping of cargo knows what the word is and uses it regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/270 "2024-04-12T18:49:26Z")
I’m sorry, but that’s a working class word, and hence Sam will find it obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/271 "2024-04-15T14:28:19Z")
Even though I expected that it wouldn’t accept it, I was still annoyed that yesterday’s puzzle didn’t accept the pangram PAVLOVIAN. ---
**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 15, 2024, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/272 "2024-04-15T14:42:47Z")
Oh man, I was so proud of myself when I found that, only to be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/273 "2024-04-15T15:20:06Z")
I suppose it’s a proper noun but today’s (April 15) wouldn’t take Valhalla. Oh well. Got there in the end anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/274 "2024-04-19T14:02:05Z")
I was kind of disappointed that the Thurs 4/18 Spelling Bee did not accept KILLBOT. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/275 "2024-04-19T14:32:11Z")
Me too! Worth a shot, though. If Letter Boxed is willing to accept BRAINFART, you might as well try everything just in case. (That said, I was immensely disappointed the other day when Spelling Bee wouldn’t accept GLABELLA. It’s a perfectly cromulent word!) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/276 "2024-04-19T16:16:37Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I was kind of disappointed that the Thurs 4/18 Spelling Bee did not accept KILLBOT Heh. Good to know that I wasn’t the only person who tried that word! ---
**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 19, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/277 "2024-04-19T16:29:37Z")
When I’m trying to get the last few words, I usually work my way through the compound words like that, trying to see which ones were included. ---
**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 21, 2024, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/278 "2024-04-21T13:27:25Z")
Today they didn’t take MIDDEN, MUDDED, or DIMED (as in they nickel-and-dimed me to death). ---
**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:** [April 21, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/279 "2024-04-21T13:38:46Z")
I know! They hate anthropology and archaeology. Super common words in those realms (like “midden”) never count. Same with linguistics, perhaps ironically. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/280 "2024-04-21T14:44:26Z")
Also not accepted: UNDINE. (As in the mythical aquatic creature, not the reverse of dining, whatever that may be.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=15)