# 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:** 33
**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:** [August 21, 2024, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/641 "2024-08-21T12:24:16Z")
Good old Sam, including a word that is noun or verb, but not including its present participle/gerund form. Twice. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2024, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/642 "2024-08-21T15:50:10Z")
What’s wrong with GIMBAL? ---
**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:** [August 21, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/643 "2024-08-21T18:29:14Z")
Why no ballgag? ---
**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:** [August 21, 2024, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/644 "2024-08-21T23:40:31Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > Lambing would be up there in the most mundane omissions category Lambing season is a rural, agricultural phenomenon, and hence obscure. > [@commasense](#): > > What’s wrong with GIMBAL? Gimbals are something that only technicians and engineers care about, and hence obscure. This game is apparently not about having broad knowledge and wide-ranging vocabulary. It’s about having the same interests as a sheltered New Yorker. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/645 "2024-08-22T00:58:29Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Gimbals are something that only technicians and engineers care about, and hence obscure. And since when does obscure matter. Arhat is obscure as are many many words he allows. Yes, disallowing lambing did surprise me ---
**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:** [August 22, 2024, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/646 "2024-08-22T01:02:55Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > And since when does obscure matter. That’s actually in the official game description, in the ‘How to Play’: > [@NYT](#): > > - Our word list does not include words that are obscure, hyphenated, or proper nouns. I personally think that’s dumb, for various reasons I’ve put forth up-thread, but it is in the game’s design brief. ‘Arhat’ may be obscure to you, but it’s apparently not to Sam, and that’s what matters. Meanwhile ‘lambing’ and ‘gimbal’ are perfectly ordinary words to you or I, but they’re obscure to Sam, and that’s what matters. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2024, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/647 "2024-08-22T01:05:38Z")
Apparently Sam likes to eat at Indian restaurants, because I’ve seen raita, naan and roti; more than once I think. And just the other day, the word list included paratha, which I thought was more obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/648 "2024-08-22T04:45:06Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > same interests as a sheltered New Yorker. That’d be New York, Uttar Pradesh… given a recent puzzle had arhat, paratha, and hatha. (All of which have been redlined by my spell checker) ---
**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:** [August 22, 2024, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/649 "2024-08-22T04:50:25Z")
Probably easier to find Indian food and eastern religions in New York than a ewe giving birth. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2024, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/650 "2024-08-22T12:50:40Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Gimbals are something that only technicians and engineers care about, and hence obscure. Ezersky’s degree was in mechanical engineering. I strongly suspect he knows that word. Also, I see repeated NY callouts, he grew up outside Baltimore and attended U Virginia. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2024, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/651 "2024-08-23T12:54:13Z")
I’m going to say -ABLE words are just as annoying as UN- words, in that you have just try all the ones you can think of to see what will or won’t be accepted. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/652 "2024-08-23T13:14:38Z")
Right. And you’d think BOOTABLE would be accepted, but no. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/653 "2024-08-23T15:39:40Z")
Definitely. I’ve said ‘bootable’ many, many times, but I’ve never once said peelable. And please, just say no to boatel. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2024, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/654 "2024-08-23T16:02:22Z")
That second one is just stupid. Ugh. Bootable is way more common than that other B one you mention. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/655 "2024-08-24T14:51:58Z")
I was proud of myself for remembering cioppino, but alas I was unprepared for canopic and poinciana. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/656 "2024-08-24T20:31:11Z")
I know the second word there well, but haven’t a clue what the other two mean. Will have to go look them up. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/657 "2024-08-27T13:59:18Z")
No love for KNOUT today? And I just happened to walk by a Museum of Torture earlier, where they probably had knouts. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2024, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/658 "2024-08-28T08:45:49Z")
TIL it’s officially “end zone”, not “endzone”. ---
**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:** [August 29, 2024, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/659 "2024-08-29T00:44:53Z")
DEIONIZE/D ---
**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:** [August 29, 2024, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/660 "2024-08-29T12:04:31Z")
I know others have done this many times, but today was a first for me. I achieved Genius level without finding the Pangram. Frankly, I thought today’s puzzle was relatively easy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=34)