# 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:** 43
**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:** [November 4, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/841 "2024-11-04T22:56:07Z")
We alternate Bee days. More and more I toss the ED + ING puzzles to my lovely wife. They bore me. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/842 "2024-11-05T18:38:45Z")
DOTCOM isn’t accepted today, unlike previous puzzles. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2024, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/843 "2024-11-12T09:52:23Z")
Welcome to MIDLINE. I dunno. It’s been rejected twice before and they should have kept it that way, imo. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2024, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/844 "2024-11-12T10:28:45Z")
I suppose WILDMEN is properly two words, but still no luck on MIDDEN either which is a shame. ---
**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:** [November 13, 2024, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/845 "2024-11-13T06:22:26Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > but still no luck on MIDDEN I know, what’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/846 "2024-11-13T06:26:51Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I know, what’s up with that? It isn’t an obscure cullinary term from Lower Slobbovia or Elbonia. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2024, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/847 "2024-11-17T08:55:35Z")
Sam still doesn’t know about LIANAs or ANILINE dye. And now we find he doesn’t have a PINEAL gland. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2024, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/848 "2024-11-17T09:17:27Z")
Or ALANINE. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2024, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/849 "2024-11-17T12:21:35Z")
Another slog. Also, it turns out one has more success if one gets one’s vowels in the right order in a certain pangram… Four tries, it took me… 🙄 ---
**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:** [November 18, 2024, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/850 "2024-11-18T05:56:56Z")
Still no INLINE. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2024, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/851 "2024-11-18T09:51:08Z")
There’s a bunch of compound words I might have expected to be accepted today (e.g. WINDDOWN) but not many of them were. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2024, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/852 "2024-11-19T11:30:19Z")
Well, today’s puzzle is one for the record books, I think. Has Genius ever been as low as 46? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2024, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/853 "2024-11-19T11:38:53Z")
Went by quickly, certainly. I didn’t spot any obvious omissions (with the possible exception of HELLA) but one of the included words was REALLY obscure. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2024, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/854 "2024-11-19T14:01:42Z")
Well yes, since you asked. The lowest point score was for the pangram MORTIFY with the ‘F’ in the middle (47 total.) Genius level was 33 points. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/855 "2024-11-19T17:49:03Z")
I don’t know about anyone else, but I hated today’s game. I could tell even before beginning that virtually all the words were going to start with the same letter. I hate that. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/856 "2024-11-19T21:29:58Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > one of the included words was REALLY obscure. You didn’t mean helve by any chance. By comparison, aniline that was wasn’s allowed a few days ago is a very common word. I had to google that word (which I just guessed to get to QB at the end) to see it really existed. On the other hand he allowed both possible spellings of halva(h) which really annoys me. But I did try them both, knowing his attitude to alternate spellings. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/857 "2024-11-19T21:35:52Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > You didn’t mean helve by any chance. I needed a hint to get that word. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/858 "2024-11-19T22:11:04Z")
We’ve had that word before. I remember the first time it showed up going to look it up. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2024, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/859 "2024-11-20T07:44:55Z")
Yes, that was the one. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2024, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/860 "2024-11-20T11:55:35Z")
I had never heard that word, but just put a few letters together that seemed plausible, and got it. The last word before Queen Bee. Oh, and today’s pangram? That’s a thing? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=42) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=44)