# 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:** 150
**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 19, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2981 "2026-05-19T15:28:44Z")
Your first spoilered word was accepted three times in 2018, and then Sam killed it. ---
**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 19, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2982 "2026-05-19T15:34:14Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > I’m still 5 points from a natural QB. Not sure I’ll get there without a hint, but I’ll keep plugging away. > > Went on a long bike ride. When I came back, CUTUP was one of the first few possible words I thought of. That got me to a natural. It does help to step away from the puzzle. I’ll start it and then go for a shower. ---
**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 20, 2026, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2983 "2026-05-20T04:22:20Z")
I’m regularly annoyed that they accept proper nouns like PANAMA and today’s TUPELO. I mean, even if they become modifiers for hats or honey (if that’s how they come to be on the word list), they’re still proper nouns and shouldn’t be aloowed, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2984 "2026-05-20T05:12:26Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I’m regularly annoyed that they accept proper nouns like […] today’s TUPELO. That’s is a kind of tree. The city was named for that. ---
**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 20, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2985 "2026-05-20T12:34:57Z")
An egregious missing pangram today BACKROAD ---
**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 20, 2026, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2986 "2026-05-20T12:42:54Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > An egregious missing pangram today Agreed. One of the first words I tried. ---
**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 20, 2026, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2987 "2026-05-20T13:21:08Z")
I think I typed that 8 to 10 times today, thinking I must have missed something. ---
**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 20, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2988 "2026-05-20T14:01:54Z")
Ignorance fought. Thanks. What about PANAMA? A little Googling suggests that the name is not derived from some other thing. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2989 "2026-05-20T14:18:56Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > What about PANAMA? A little Googling suggests that the name is not derived from some other thing. I’ve always assumed that was because of the hat. ---
**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 20, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2990 "2026-05-20T14:41:40Z")
Oops. I meant to blur that. Sorry. Yes, I assumed the hat, too. I don’t see why that would make it not a proper noun. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2991 "2026-05-20T14:47:53Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I don’t see why that would make it not a proper noun. I’m going to guess that it depends on what dictionary they use. If that reference lists it uncapitalized, they accept it. This is the same for various compound words, such as the potential pangram mentioned a few posts above. If the dictionary lists it as a two-word entry, it’s not accepted. Of course, this is all assuming there’s a single dictionary they use as a reference. ---
**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 20, 2026, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2992 "2026-05-20T15:09:55Z")
As others have stated, Spelling Bee has its own unique word list. They do not use any standard reference work we could check. Our reactions to which words are and are not on this idiosyncratic custom list are the reason for 90% of the posts in this thread. ---
**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 20, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2993 "2026-05-20T17:44:26Z")
Almost 3,000 posts in, and we’re still (mostly) sticking to the thread premise! ---
**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 20, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2994 "2026-05-20T17:59:25Z")
We’re nothing if not obsessive about the Bee. ---
**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 21, 2026, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2995 "2026-05-21T18:36:06Z")
Amusing that dang is allowed but danged is not. Did Sam not have a grandfather? ---
**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:** [May 21, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2996 "2026-05-21T20:14:02Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Amusing that dang is allowed but danged is not. My thought, too. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2997 "2026-05-22T01:40:26Z")
I was just doing a NYT crossword puzzle on the NYT app on my phone, and 9 or so squares I’d already filled in just vanished. I’ve been having syncing issues with the app, both in the crossword and the Spelling Bee Buddy. Oh well, something else to complain about besides Sam’s vocabulary. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2998 "2026-05-23T17:40:58Z")
So, what’s the matter with CYANIC or CYCAD? ---
**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 24, 2026, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/2999 "2026-05-24T12:09:27Z")
Very easy QB for me today ---
**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 24, 2026, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/3000 "2026-05-24T12:48:36Z")
Yeah, but it’s definitely missing a work that’s gunking up the works. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=149) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=151)