# 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:** 140
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2781 "2026-04-17T22:45:39Z")
I should have my Queen Bee 750 badge in a week. I didn’t know pangram first was a thing until last year when I got the 75 badge and previous ones were given retroactively. Just got 200 a few days ago. ---
**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 19, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2782 "2026-04-19T13:47:09Z")
Do you ever look at the points and say to yourself, maybe it’s just not worth the effort today? I got a pangram and got to 150 pretty quickly, but I’m not sure I’m up for 254… ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2783 "2026-04-19T14:22:32Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Do you ever look at the points and say to yourself, maybe it’s just not worth the effort today? Nope. I start during my morning coffee. It’s a rare day that I haven’t gotten Queen Bee by the time I take a shower. Some days I have to finish on my lunch break, but it’s been years since I’ve settled for Genius. ---
**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, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2784 "2026-04-19T14:41:34Z")
Today’s puzzle was a slog. And I _really_ needed hints for one nine-letter word beginning with MA. ---
**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 19, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2785 "2026-04-19T16:35:35Z")
That’s impressive! No hints clues etc? ---
**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 19, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2786 "2026-04-19T16:38:24Z")
It’s been a very long time since I missed Genius. I get QB about 10% of the time. I never use hints or any help. ---
**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, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2787 "2026-04-19T17:24:50Z")
I can usually get to genius without too much trouble or hints. But the last few words can be troublesome. ---
**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 19, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2788 "2026-04-19T17:50:32Z")
I have definitely had more than a few days where those last couple words have taken a while. Today was a weird one with a lot of long words that weren’t regulars. I’m an extra word or two past Genius and I’ll look in from time to time to add a few more but there is no way QB is happening ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2789 "2026-04-19T18:45:29Z")
Not usually, but when I’m pressed for time I’ll have a look at the grid on Bee Buddy. I find that most of the time I get stuck it’s because of easy words I’m sure I already entered. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2790 "2026-04-19T20:27:06Z")
I’ve made it to Genius today without hints, but no pangram. It was a slog, as others have said upthread. Still working on it though. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2791 "2026-04-19T20:37:38Z")
Today was probably my worst showing ever. I think I had 8 words left to go when I lost interest. Two of the ones I missed were words I’d never heard in that format before, and we’re obscure enough that I don’t really care to commit to what little memory I have left. ---
**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 19, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2792 "2026-04-19T20:42:17Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I’ve made it to Genius today without hints, but no pangram. On reddit they call that a Tortured Genius. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2793 "2026-04-19T20:52:45Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > On reddit they call that a Tortured Genius. I still have almost 90 points to go. That’s _tortured_. ---
**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 19, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2794 "2026-04-19T22:40:11Z")
That was a debut and a brand new word to me. I wonder if anyone in the history of English-speaking peoples has used that word in casual conversation. ---
**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, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2795 "2026-04-19T22:42:30Z")
It was new to me as well. ---
**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 19, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2796 "2026-04-19T22:58:02Z")
It appears in Joyce’s _Ulysses_, otherwise I wouldn’t know it. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2026, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2797 "2026-04-19T23:42:07Z")
I’m still slogging away, with another 60 points to go until Genius, but how do other people feel about the pangram ILLUMINATI ? Does anyone else feel a bit unhappy with it, considering other words that they don’t accept? And I missed Pangram First by miscounting and going with ULTIMATUM as my first word. Of course, right after that, I found two pangrams in a row. ---
**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 20, 2026, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2798 "2026-04-20T04:40:43Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > how do other people feel about the pangram ILLUMINATI ? Does anyone else feel a bit unhappy with it, considering other words that they don’t accept? Definitely a proper noun, in my book. Shouldn’t be allowed. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2799 "2026-04-20T04:41:30Z")
I agree. ---
**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 20, 2026, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2800 "2026-04-20T06:24:18Z")
I agree too. I stumbled on it and was surprised it was accepted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=139) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=141)