# 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:** 3
**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:** [December 19, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/41 "2023-12-19T01:32:09Z")
It bothers me that it takes DUNNO but not AMINE. TEFF was finally added. Several friends and I have a Messenger chat used only for listing words that should be in the Bee and aren’t. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/42 "2023-12-19T01:45:45Z")
They added “gigging” at some point. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/43 "2023-12-19T01:53:20Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The easiest way to make sure there is one is to start with a word that is composed of exactly 7 different letters and then choose an index letter. Occasionally, however, there is one pangram and it’s composed of 8 or more letters. For instance, the 11/24 puzzle had one pangram: FACTOTUM I remember this because that’s a word that I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen before. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/44 "2023-12-19T02:05:05Z")
Amnion, anomia, anoxia, agonal, adit, hatful, inguinal, hiatal, lardon, landau, ling, manioc, nicotinic, pithing, pruno, tartaric, rarify, tigon… They have chica, but not chico. I’ll try to calm down now. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/45 "2023-12-19T02:08:37Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > The easiest way to make sure there is one is to start with a word that is composed of exactly 7 different letters and then choose an index letter. > > Occasionally, however, there is one pangram and it’s composed of 8 or more letters. Not just occasionally, but rather usually. Perfect pangrams (those with 7 total letters) are less common than those with more than 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:** [December 23, 2023, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/46 "2023-12-23T14:23:50Z")
Today they took lorry! ---
**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:** [December 23, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/47 "2023-12-23T16:10:22Z")
But not yoyo. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/48 "2023-12-23T16:14:22Z")
I admit that I needed a hint to get the pangram today. The combination of letters made it not so obvious. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/49 "2023-12-23T19:56:40Z")
Hyphenated, sadly. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/50 "2023-12-23T19:57:25Z")
And yet today, it accepted yoohoo. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2023, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/51 "2023-12-24T04:45:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > it accepted yoohoo I can’t remember it not accepting that. Also boohoo and booboo. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/52 "2023-12-24T14:53:16Z")
Nappy doesn’t mean Afrotextured hair here so the ambiguity doesn’t come up, although I’m aware of the American connotations. ---
**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:** [December 25, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/53 "2023-12-25T15:33:56Z")
I was disappointed that it didn’t take **porphyry** the other day. Hey, if it comes up in autocorrect it must be a word, right? ---
**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:** [January 5, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/54 "2024-01-05T14:12:13Z")
So today it accepted ‘diddle’ and ‘diddled’ but not ‘doddle’ or ‘doddled’. I can’t even begin to formulate a rule that would accept the former but not the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2024, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/55 "2024-01-05T14:19:41Z")
Has it occurred to you that the NYT might be running an elaborate Turing test of some sort with its « contestants » ? ---
**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:** [January 5, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/56 "2024-01-05T17:06:25Z")
I’m not familiar with “doddle” but was able to use “doodle” today. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2024, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/57 "2024-01-05T17:08:44Z")
I know the word “diddle” but I don’t think I’ve ever heard “doddle.” “Dawdle,” sure. And “dodder.” But “doddle” is new to me. ETA: Looks to be British slang for “an easy task.” ---
**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:** [January 5, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/58 "2024-01-05T17:09:12Z")
It didn’t like “Lido”. Must be too British. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/59 "2024-01-05T17:24:38Z")
BTW, one of the things I do is look to see if it’s a bingo today (meaning there’s at least one word starting with each of the seven letters) and if it is, trying to come up with a word for each. ---
**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:** [January 8, 2024, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/60 "2024-01-08T07:15:05Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It didn’t like “Lido”. Must be too British It’s capitalized over here, I guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=4)