# 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:** 36
**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:** [September 16, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/701 "2024-09-16T20:52:58Z")
chicly is a word? Really. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/702 "2024-09-17T00:11:35Z")
Agree with @Hari_Seldon! And the only reason I guessed CICELY was having seen it as a solution weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/703 "2024-09-18T12:17:55Z")
One of today’s words is captcha. No, no, NO!!! A thousand times, no! Sam Ezersky needs to go sit in the corner and think about what he’s done. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/704 "2024-09-18T12:55:51Z")
Agreed. I thought there was no way that would be accepted, but there it is. I eventually gave up and looked at the user hints for the last one I couldn’t find. And then still had to Google it, because I have never encountered that word before. I guess I don’t go to enough Jewish weddings. Or indeed any. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/705 "2024-09-18T18:01:55Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > One of today’s words is captcha. No, no, NO!!! A thousand times, no! He’s used that one before. I got all the words today using the hints for the second half (not the clues). It’s pretty rare that I get them all. > [@Gyrate](#): > > I guess I don’t go to enough Jewish weddings. I got it, but it took four tries to get the spelling right. I almost gave up on it. It was the last word I got. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/706 "2024-09-18T18:37:38Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@carlb](#): > > > > One of today’s words is captcha. No, no, NO!!! A thousand times, no! > > He’s used that one before. The previous time was probably when this pangram was last used, which was last December. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. I’m fairly sure it’s not a trademark. So what else disqualifies it? ---
**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:** [September 19, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/707 "2024-09-19T00:43:39Z")
Having been to many Jewish weddings (including mine), I got that word, having to guess how to spell it, but the word I have never heard of and would not have gotten in a million years was matcha. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2024, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/708 "2024-09-19T03:01:25Z")
I tried CAPTCHA on a whim, never thinking it would be accepted. And looking it up I was surprised that it’s an acronym of sorts, not a trademark. As for MATCHA, the only reason I know it is because of my kids and nephews, all in their 20s, who drink it, as well as CHAI ---
**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:** [September 19, 2024, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/709 "2024-09-19T11:33:44Z")
Sigh. No luck on BLEB, GILET, GIBBET, YEGG, YEET, or BEIGEL\* (alternate spelling of “bagel”), most of which have been noted as non-starters previously. Still, one tries. \*Beigel Bake and the Beigel Shop were the Pat’s and Geno’s of the East End for generations. [Now sadly the latter has closed](https://www.ft.com/content/338c54a9-18fe-4919-a569-3cf8b1bc4d20). ---
**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:** [September 19, 2024, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/710 "2024-09-19T12:37:47Z")
If CUPPA was allowed yesterday, then TELLY should be allowed today. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/711 "2024-09-19T16:48:27Z")
Gibbets and crows! (as I post every time this possibility appears) ---
**Author:** ![mattgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@mattgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattgg)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/712 "2024-09-21T20:27:31Z")
I don’t look at the hints until I get to genius and then only to see the number of words and maximum score. After that I only use the hints when there’s one word left to find out what letter the last word starts with. More often than not I immediately know what the last word is. Wyt is that? What can’t I figure out the last word without knowing its first letter even if I go through the letters one by one beforehand to try to find the last word? ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/713 "2024-09-21T20:37:50Z")
Sam is evidently not into jai a’lai ---
**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:** [September 23, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/714 "2024-09-23T15:37:12Z")
Even though it’s appeared in 55 Bees, my brain just will not accept TUTTI being a word. Sigh. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/715 "2024-09-24T02:22:21Z")
I’m familiar with TUTTI because of musical scores and choir, but the one that stumped me today was TALI. I knew there was just 1 word left starting with T, 4 letters, but had to just go through every possible combo to find it. And @mtnmatt I saw the jai alai word too, my grandmother would occasionally bet on the game. From a few days ago, any ideas on why COITION isn’t accepted? ---
**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:** [September 24, 2024, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/716 "2024-09-24T02:39:57Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > Has any poster here ever contacted Sam / the Times about words that should be included and aren’t? Yes, I did it once and so did my SO, a few months apart. We both got the same form letter response. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/717 "2024-09-24T11:31:39Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > From a few days ago, any ideas on why COITION isn’t accepted? Because it’s smutty? I found FORINT (Hungarian currency) in one of the puzzles last week, which wasn’t accepted. And yet BAHT is fine. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/718 "2024-09-24T11:39:13Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Because it’s smutty? Hardly. There’s other “smutty” words that are accepted. _Dildo_ and _fellate_ are two that come to mind. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/719 "2024-09-24T12:27:42Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > From a few days ago, any ideas on why COITION isn’t accepted? I appealed to Sam a few times on Twitter about this one, but got no response. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2024, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/720 "2024-09-24T22:51:24Z")
Today porgy was not accepted. Any explanation? Just the name of a quite ordinary fish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=37)