# 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:** 7
**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 1, 2024, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/121 "2024-03-01T11:43:33Z")
Words not accepted today: FAIN LIEF And although one pangram was INEFFABLE, they didn’t accept EFFABLE. ---
**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 2, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/122 "2024-03-02T17:48:49Z")
Today I wanted it to accept PRUNO, but nope. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/123 "2024-03-02T18:01:20Z")
Those are some power words there, but I was surprised it didn’t like FILEABLE or FILABLE. ---
**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 2, 2024, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/124 "2024-03-02T18:39:10Z")
After trying out some of the other online spelling bee games, I’m starting to appreciate good 'ol Sam, who isn’t old at all (he’s only 27.) Besides the Bee, he’s also a crossword constructor. I remember doing one of his Saturday puzzles several months ago and it was quite well done. Perhaps he’ll take over for Will Shortz someday. ---
**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 2, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/125 "2024-03-02T19:52:48Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > good 'ol Sam, Being as we’re all nitpickers here, I’ll just mention that this should be good ol’ Sam, the apostrophe indicating the missing letter D. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/126 "2024-03-02T19:54:10Z")
Well, it did accept porn and porno. ---
**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 2, 2024, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/127 "2024-03-02T23:08:02Z")
As do I. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/128 "2024-03-03T00:43:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Well, it did accept porn and porno. It accepts a number of not-so-family-friendly words, although not outright crudities. For example, it’ll accept _fellate_ and _dildo_. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2024, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/129 "2024-03-03T00:47:20Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > It accepts a number of not-so-family-friendly words, although not outright crudities Yeah, fuck those vegetable trays! Nobody likes them anyway. ---
**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:** [March 3, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/130 "2024-03-03T00:48:55Z")
Did you think that @dtilque typed _crudités_? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2024, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/131 "2024-03-03T00:50:49Z")
Not actually, no. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/132 "2024-03-03T01:51:13Z")
Just for fun, I wrote a little script to check SOWPODS (a merging of Scrabble Official Words & Official Scrabble Players Dictionary) against the Saturday Spelling Bee, and there are 47 legal Scrabble words, of which 23 were accepted by Sam. If you want to see the full list: GOOR GOOROO GORGON \* GORP \* GROG \* GROUP \* GROW \* GROWN \* GROWNUP \* GRUGRU GURN GURU \* NONPOOR NURR OURN POOR \* PORN \* PORNO \* POUR \* PROG PROGUN PRONG\* PRONOUN \* PROO PROP \* PROW \* PURR \* ROGNON RONG ROON ROOP ROUP RUNG \* RURP RURU UNGROUP \* UNGROWN UNPROP UNWORN \* UNWRUNG UPGROW UPGROWN UPPROP UPRUN WORN \* WRONG \* WRUNG \* The day before that, there are 81 SOWPODS hits, to Sam’s 24 total words. The day before that, 106 to Sam’s 42. This is not to prove anything, but to give an idea of what Sam’s curated space looks like vs. an unbounded word list like SOWPODS. And, yes, whenever I see his byline on the crosswords, I know I’m usually going to enjoy the puzzle. I had no idea he was in his 20s! ---
**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 3, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/133 "2024-03-03T16:10:57Z")
Today, still no NAPHTHA, PHTHALATE, or NAPHTHALENE. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/134 "2024-03-04T01:32:52Z")
Yep, I had to check [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) to make sure I was spelling naphthalene correctly. I was, it’s just not taking it. That’s an 18 point pangram! ---
**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 4, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/135 "2024-03-04T01:49:15Z")
Today I was disappointed that it didn’t take antheap. ---
**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 4, 2024, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/136 "2024-03-04T02:17:26Z")
I’m surprised it still doesn’t take HELLA. it takes words like GOTTA and LOTTA (I think those are the ones they take; I could be wrong). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/137 "2024-03-04T02:18:52Z")
God damn, I’m a fucking English major and the words you lot bitch about that are not being accepted. Come on. ---
**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 4, 2024, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/138 "2024-03-04T04:40:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > God damn, I’m a fucking English major and the words you lot bitch about that are not being accepted. Maybe because you’re an English major? These are common chemical classes. Naphtha is varnish thinner. [Fels-Naptha [sic]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fels-Naptha) used to be a common brand of laundry soap. Naphthalene is mothballs. [Phthalates](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/preterm-birth-more-likely-exposure-phthalates) have been in the news a lot. I’m a complete layman and know these words. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/139 "2024-03-04T12:39:37Z")
First, I apologize for being cranky last night. That was several magnitudes of annoyance too high. I do know what naphtha is. I’ve known it since I was about five years old as my dad always had a hand-labeled bottle of it around in his workroom. I know the full form as well. I was a chemistry major in college until I changed tack. I wouldn’t have it on my word list, either. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/140 "2024-03-04T12:55:52Z")
I guess when I look at these, I think they are largely fair and defensible omissions. I’m also used to this kind of sometimes arbitrary-feeling curating from playing word games on my phone going back to the late 2000s. As long as I’m not playing Scrabble, I don’t expect every possible word to be in there, because for the majority of people that would not be fun (or so I surmise. I know I would not be having fun if I was expected to find a word like oxyphenbutazone in a pile of letters. Or even something like quipu. Hell, playing a casual game of scrabble and throwing down AAS gets me threatening looks and “that’s not a word!” unless I’m playing competitive types. If I’m playing Scrabble with people at a party, unless I know them well, I do not throw down things like AI, AE, SUQ, PYZ, etc., if I ever want to play with them again.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=8)