# 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:** 46
**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 5, 2024, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/901 "2024-12-05T04:26:59Z")
It was the last word I needed to get to Queen Bee for Tuesday, and I only just got it, by randomly guessing, a few minutes before midnight on Wednesday. In what universe is that not an “obscure or technical” word? Sam must really like birds. Thanks to Spelling Bee Buddy, I’m now shooting not just for Genius, but for Queen Bee, almost every day. Thanks again to @Dewey_Finn for mentioning 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:** [December 5, 2024, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/902 "2024-12-05T04:39:03Z")
You’re welcome. What I’ve been doing is to maintain a list of words like TOWHEE that were the last words I got, mostly by reading the clues. This is helpful because words like that recur. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2024, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/903 "2024-12-05T04:40:46Z")
NANKEEN strikes again today! ---
**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 5, 2024, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/904 "2024-12-05T04:41:58Z")
Also the last word I got before QB. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/905 "2024-12-05T04:43:30Z")
Same here! I’d forgotten all about it and after thinking about it on and off all day had to resort to the reader clue. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2024, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/906 "2024-12-05T10:54:36Z")
Thursday: What’s wrong with GROUNDNUT? Perfectly acceptable world for peanut. Still no DROOG or GURN but that’s not surprising. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/907 "2024-12-05T11:11:53Z")
I don’t know what’s the matter with TURGOR. It used to be accepted. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2024, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/908 "2024-12-05T11:51:17Z")
Well I’ve just learned a new word. RIGIDITY:RIGOR::TURGIDITY:TURGOR. ---
**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:** [December 6, 2024, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/909 "2024-12-06T10:40:45Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > NANKEEN strikes again today! And now the return of POPLIN. Sheesh. Also: I’ve always seen PHYLLO spelled as FILO. The former spelling makes it sound like it’s green. ---
**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 9, 2024, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/910 "2024-12-09T11:46:59Z")
Has the word list never included GINKO or variant GINGKO? That seems uncharacteristic, given Sam’s love of (IMHO) obscure flora and fauna. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2024, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/911 "2024-12-09T13:00:05Z")
Neither has ever been included. ---
**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 9, 2024, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/912 "2024-12-09T13:19:18Z")
Check your spelling, and blur 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:** [December 9, 2024, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/913 "2024-12-09T14:09:25Z")
Sunday’s was missing ACTINIC again, as well as CATENA and both NICTATE and NICTITATE. ---
**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 9, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/914 "2024-12-09T17:06:15Z")
Sorry about that. I realized my mistake too late to edit, but asked a moderator to do so. (Thanks, @What_Exit.) I had never noticed that it was spelled that way. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/915 "2024-12-09T17:21:54Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I had never noticed that it was spelled that way. According the Merriam-Webster, it can be spelled either GINGKO or GINKGO, with the latter the preferred spelling. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2024, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/916 "2024-12-10T11:54:27Z")
Tuesday: still no TIFFIN. And no FENNEC - you know, these little guys: [![](https://www.ourbreathingplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Fennec-Fox.jpg) ](https://www.ourbreathingplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Fennec-Fox.jpg) ---
**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:** [December 10, 2024, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/917 "2024-12-10T22:51:45Z")
I came here to post FENNEC, one of my favorite animals ever since reading about them when I was 10. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2024, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/918 "2024-12-11T10:30:04Z")
_So freaking adorable_ ---
**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 12, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/919 "2024-12-12T12:31:35Z")
Why is it that certain proper nouns are on the word list, like AMAZON today, and GOOGLE and PANAMA (not today)? Yes, the middle one has become genericized, and the last is also a hat. But they’re all still proper nouns! Why them and not a million others? And wasn’t MOONMAN once on the list? ---
**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:** [December 12, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/920 "2024-12-12T14:04:36Z")
I was wondering the same about the proper nouns. About the first one, Merriam-Webster says it is only “often capitalized” when referring to a strong warrior woman, or a breed of parrot. I guess that’s good enough? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=45) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=47)