# 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:** 82
**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:** [June 24, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1621 "2025-06-24T13:54:39Z")
Yes, it definitely would’ve been a sin had Sam included it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1622 "2025-06-24T15:05:47Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Still no CAVITATE This one really annoys me. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1623 "2025-06-24T15:25:21Z")
I tried it and audibly groaned when it was rejected. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1624 "2025-06-24T15:37:40Z")
And yet they allowed APPETITIVE. I’m reasonably well read and have a decent vocabulary, but I’ve never heard or seen this word. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1625 "2025-06-24T15:39:01Z")
Today was pretty easy for me despite the missing words above and including APPETITIVE. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1626 "2025-06-24T21:08:05Z")
I’m still plugging away towards Queen Bee, but pleased that I just made it past Genius with a word I wasn’t sure would be accepted: TITIVATE I’ve seen it only in the Aubrey-Maturin books, nowhere else. Maybe it’s mentioned above, but I don’t want to open spoilers yet. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1627 "2025-06-25T01:33:01Z")
Yes, always pleased to get that one. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1628 "2025-06-25T05:02:23Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > And yet they allowed APPETITIVE. I’m reasonably well read and have a decent vocabulary, but I’ve never heard or seen this word. Same here. I had to look at the clue for it, and even after seeing the definition I got it only after trying out several possible letter combos. And @Gyrate I’m with you on those stupid Spanish pumpkin seeds. Even though I speak Spanish fluently and like eating the seeds ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1629 "2025-06-25T05:09:12Z")
Still no PACA. Which reminds me that he still doesn’t allow CAVY, although it wasn’t an option for this puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1630 "2025-06-25T05:24:55Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > And @Gyrate I’m with you on those stupid Spanish pumpkin seeds. Even though I speak Spanish fluently and like eating the seeds I actually got that one, but not because I know the definition of the word. I probably just remembered the word from an earlier puzzle. I’m stuck on a different obscure foodie word. I’ve given up on trying to get that one. But that brings up a problem I recently realized I have. A number of words I only get because I know they are accepted. I don’t know their meaning and don’t look them up. But that means that the clues are not very useful. So I really should be looking up the meaning of these words. Not sure I’ll remember them, which is why I haven’t looked them up previously. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1631 "2025-06-25T11:37:25Z")
I eat PEPITAS regularly. They’re a good snack. They’re on some of the breads I eat. They’re in one of the cereals I get. They’re in one of the trail mixes I get. In my neck of the woods, they’re not exotic. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1632 "2025-06-25T15:16:44Z")
Zipped through today’s, but no SB yet. Also breezed through Connections and Wordle. I’m on a rampage! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1633 "2025-06-25T15:49:14Z")
That should have been “QB”, not SB. My complaint for today is that it didn’t recognize “boffin” as a word. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1634 "2025-06-25T16:16:01Z")
Always aggravating. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1635 "2025-06-25T16:34:27Z")
I have Genius and a few points more but no pangram yet. I am sure it will come to me. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1636 "2025-06-25T16:40:59Z")
Literally same. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1637 "2025-06-25T17:07:04Z")
Agreed. Another quick one. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1638 "2025-06-25T17:13:10Z")
The pangram was my next to last find. It’s not a word I see much, and I thought it looked bogus, but I looked it up and TIL about the difference in meaning between NONBELIEF and UNBELIEF; the latter would have been my choice for the terms. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1639 "2025-06-25T18:50:42Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > The pangram was my next to last find. Same for me. I had to intuit it from a clue, as I’d never seen it before. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1640 "2025-06-25T20:53:41Z")
I always try a handful of ‘non’ words and hit on NONBELIEF thinking it would be rejected, along with NONFEEL or whatever else I tried. It’s silly, because there are so few accepted in this game. NONUNION. NONCOM. I can’t think of any more off the top of my head right now. Which reminds me: I’ve always thought it might be interesting to play a variation of this game that penalizes wrong guesses. It would have to include a settled dictionary, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=81) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=83)