# 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:** 148
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2941 "2026-05-16T20:47:46Z")
Presumably with five words left, you achieved Genius status, which is still really good. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2942 "2026-05-16T20:54:30Z")
I struggled to Genius and quit. I usually pick at for the rest of the day and then try for QB if I get close but I’m done ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2943 "2026-05-16T21:29:58Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I struggled to Genius and quit. You and me, brother. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2944 "2026-05-17T01:26:37Z")
I’m 3 points from Genius, and have found 3 pangrams. I’m usually done in the morning, but today’s isn’t the easiest puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2945 "2026-05-17T12:26:26Z")
Had to go to Hints with 4 words to go. That breaks my streak of natural QBs at 7. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2946 "2026-05-18T12:50:09Z")
My wife and I work on most Spelling Bees from our respective tablets, simultaneously using the same account, so we see each other’s contributions. We try for the pangram first, and get it maybe half the time or a little more, but if it isn’t obvious after a few minutes we give up and go on to other words. She is happy once we’ve gotten to Genius and rarely works beyond that point, but I keep going and will start using SBB in the quest for QB, as mentioned [above](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2902). But today my wife got the pangram first and got to Genius before I joined her at the breakfast table. Then we continued on and managed a natural QB, just a couple of days after saying I almost never do that. Of course, it probably helped that Genius is only 42 points and QB is 60. Is that the record for lowest Genius/QB? I don’t recall a lower one. BTW, why was COLLATOR not accepted yesterday, Sam? ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2947 "2026-05-18T13:57:38Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Is that the record for lowest Genius/QB? I don’t recall a lower one. March 27, 2023 had a QB of 47 points. [March 27, 2023 | Spelling Bee Answers | Spelling Bee Solver](https://www.sbsolver.com/s/1784) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2948 "2026-05-18T14:57:38Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > start using SBB SBB?? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2949 "2026-05-18T15:06:35Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > SBB?? Spelling Bee Buddy ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2950 "2026-05-18T15:13:43Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > BTW, why was COLLATOR not accepted yesterday, Sam? I tried that word as well. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2951 "2026-05-18T16:00:53Z")
> **[Spelling Bee Buddy: Personalized Hints That Update as You Play](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/upshot/spelling-bee-buddy.html)** > > Customized hints that update based on your progress in today’s puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2952 "2026-05-18T16:07:53Z")
Ok, thank you. Can I say that I don’t think Captcha is a word? It’s an acronym, and I thought (perhaps erroneously) that acronyms aren’t allowed. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2953 "2026-05-18T16:39:12Z")
Some acronyms, like laser, sonar and radar, are now used as words. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2954 "2026-05-18T16:46:04Z")
Perhaps the standard is whether on not they’re commonly used without capitalization. Pondering RADAR led me to search for GAYDAR, which I remember being accepted. It has been five times, but hasn’t been a playable word since 2020. That led me to a puzzle from the first Spelling Bee year, 2018, where the sole pangram was GRANDBABY. Who on God’s green earth has ever used the term grandbaby? ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2955 "2026-05-18T16:52:32Z")
So is LIDAR, but it’s not accepted. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2956 "2026-05-18T17:06:57Z")
My guess; a grandparent. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2957 "2026-05-18T17:14:22Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Who on God’s green earth has ever used the term grandbaby? Many grandfathers that I’ve known, including me. And some grandmothers, but far fewer than grandpas. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2958 "2026-05-18T17:16:58Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Can I say that I don’t think Captcha is a word? It’s an acronym I don’t think it’s an acronym, but I’m 90 percent sure it IS a trademark. Thus I agree it shouldn’t be included, and probably only was because of the dearth of words from today’s letters. ETA: I stand corrected. [CAPTCHA - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA) ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2959 "2026-05-18T17:21:21Z")
Still, it seems to be all caps everywhere in that article, and everywhere I see it. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2960 "2026-05-18T17:24:32Z")
Granddaughter, grandson, grandchild…but grandbaby? Maybe it’s a regional thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=147) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=149)