# 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:** 62
**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:** [March 10, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1221 "2025-03-10T20:20:49Z")
Well, I do the entire puzzle with my eyes closed, so just knowing there are words is a spoiler for me. In real life, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to QB without at least the first page of hints. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2025, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1222 "2025-03-11T04:28:41Z")
Has there ever been a puzzle without at least a couple eight-letter words? ---
**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:** [March 11, 2025, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1223 "2025-03-11T04:42:12Z")
Sure. March 4th had none. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1224 "2025-03-11T04:52:00Z")
Do whatever you want. Two of us politely asked that that sort of thing be spoilered going forward. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2025, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1225 "2025-03-11T04:53:31Z")
I’ll avoid mentioning it. I just never realized it was a thing. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2025, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1226 "2025-03-11T10:59:02Z")
Well, TANKA is a new entry after being rejected a few times. I’m a little weak on ballet terminology, so BATTEMENT isn’t leaping to mind, either. Glad I bailed after reaching ‘genius.’ ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1227 "2025-03-11T15:23:13Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I just never realized it was a thing. I know and I appreciate it. Today had too many similar letters to the one a couple of days ago where GENTLEMAN was the pangram. It should have been more spaced out. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1228 "2025-03-12T03:03:32Z")
Yeah, I’m 70 years old, pretty damn well-read, and have never heard of those two, either. I’d call them technical, obscure, or both. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1229 "2025-03-12T05:54:40Z")
Nm. Can’t get the blur to work right. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1230 "2025-03-12T07:39:02Z")
Hey. Today’s Bee is #2500, and has an S. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1231 "2025-03-12T08:39:26Z")
> [@susan](#): > > and has an S. Despite that, it still doesn’t have a huge number of words. I’m at 39 words and only 21 points more to go. So almost certainly 45 or fewer total words. (I haven’t looks at the hints yet.) I guess Sam doesn’t play bridge, since SLUFF is not accepted. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1232 "2025-03-12T08:45:12Z")
Nor climbed under avalanche conditions. Alas, the FOSSA is not represented, either. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1233 "2025-03-12T09:15:51Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Alas, the FOSSA is not represented, either. SOLFA and SULFA are not accepted either. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1234 "2025-03-12T09:43:31Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I guess Sam doesn’t play bridge, since SLUFF is not accepted. That’s SLOUGH. Very exciting puzzle today, got to genius very quickly without any four letter words. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1235 "2025-03-12T09:48:29Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > I guess Sam doesn’t play bridge, since SLUFF is not accepted. > > That’s SLOUGH. Try googling “ruff and sluff” and you’ll get lots of hits. I tried googling “ruff and slough” and Google included the other spelling, which seems to be more common. Even when I googled only for “ruff and slough”, I still got lots of pages with “ruff and sluff”. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1236 "2025-03-12T09:52:15Z")
Huh, so it does. M-W has it is less common, but that’s probably in the general usage ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1237 "2025-03-12T11:41:50Z")
Weirdly (at least for me), I got to Genius today without a pangram. The one pangram today wasn’t particularly tough, but I obviously didn’t see it for quite some time. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1238 "2025-03-12T11:59:18Z")
Yay! An S! Looks like alfa is off the list again. (Blurred because it’s close to an accepted 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:** [March 12, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1239 "2025-03-12T12:12:06Z")
Got to QB, figured I’d give it a go, it being a special day and all. Also, after LUFF was disallowed 50 times, it has been allowed twice. Ahoy, sailors! ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1240 "2025-03-12T13:29:34Z")
Hopefully the ‘S’ is a one-off so I’ll never have to see FLUS and FOOSBALL again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=61) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=63)