# 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:** 83
**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, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1641 "2025-06-25T21:11:11Z")
I think many people have heard the term non-believer, so nonbelief seems plausible. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1642 "2025-06-26T14:03:26Z")
Here’s something that hasn’t happened to me before. I usually try to get to Genius without any help, and usually do. Before discovering Spelling Bee Buddy, I rarely bothered trying for Queen Bee, but since I found it, I will often use it after achieving Genius. My general practice is that I will only use the remaining words grid and two-letter list, not the hints at the top of the page, and I often get to QB that way. But if it’s getting close to bed time, I may use the hints, resorting to reader clues as an absolute last resort. Yesterday, I was down to one word left before QB, six letters, starting FE. I finally used the reader clue, which was “greenish white licorice-flavored bulb with fronds.” But I already had FENNEL! I was cursing Sam (again) for including _yet another_ obscure culinary term, and went to a site that had all the day’s answers. The word I was missing was FELINE. Somehow SBB hadn’t read my answers on the puzzle page correctly. Weird! Has that happened to anyone else? And I’m still seeing that thing where the gray hexagons for some random letters will be smaller than the others. Has there been any explanation for that? ---
**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 26, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1643 "2025-06-26T15:30:48Z")
Today’s Bee drove me nuts. I had a terrible time coming up with words for some reason and had to resort to clues early on. Couldn’t see the pangram to save my ass. ---
**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 26, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1644 "2025-06-26T16:27:27Z")
I enjoyed today’s, much more so than the several previous. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1645 "2025-06-26T18:05:52Z")
I’m with you on this. Looking at these letters, I’m 90% sure I don’t know the pangram. Let me ask anyone who’s found it (blur your answer, of course): Yes or no: Is the pangram a culinary-based term? ---
**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 26, 2025, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1646 "2025-06-26T18:15:44Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Let me ask anyone who’s found it (blur your answer, of course): Yes or no: Is the pangram a culinary-based term? …. No…….. I found it after a bit. It happened not to frustrate me too much ---
**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 27, 2025, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1647 "2025-06-27T09:07:22Z")
That had to be the easiest and fastest Queen Bee ever. ---
**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 27, 2025, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1648 "2025-06-27T09:24:15Z")
Yes, weak sauce. ---
**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 27, 2025, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1649 "2025-06-27T09:27:42Z")
A walk in the park. Easy as ABC. Like taking candy from a baby. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1650 "2025-06-27T09:32:57Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > That had to be the easiest and fastest Queen Bee ever. I don’t know about the easiest ever, but certainly among them. Unfortunately, I didn’t note the time I started, but something like 20-25 minutes. This is forming a pattern. For the last 7 puzzles, I’ve gotten QB without hints or clues 4 times; one every other day. The last three of those were all very easy. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2025, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1651 "2025-06-27T09:39:55Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Yesterday, I was down to one word left before QB, six letters, starting FE. I finally used the reader clue, which was “greenish white licorice-flavored bulb with fronds.” But I already had FENNEL! I was cursing Sam (again) for including _yet another_ obscure culinary term, and went to a site that had all the day’s answers. > > The word I was missing was FELINE. Somehow SBB hadn’t read my answers on the puzzle page correctly. Weird! > > Has that happened to anyone else? This exact thing happened to me too, except that I _had_ the latter word. And then suddenly it decided I was fine after all. Must have been a glitch. And yes, today’s was a quick one. ---
**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 27, 2025, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1652 "2025-06-27T10:06:17Z")
5 minutes to Genius, even though GEMMED wasn’t accepted. ---
**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 27, 2025, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1653 "2025-06-27T10:42:59Z")
Yes, a very quick one. ---
**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 28, 2025, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1654 "2025-06-28T04:18:50Z")
> [@susan](#): > > 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 Ditto! When I was growing up in the 1960s, we’d go to the dime store and buy little boxes of them still in their shells, covered in a solid white coating of salt. Ooh, I see you can still get them online. My mouth is becoming dessicated just thinking about it… ---
**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 28, 2025, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1655 "2025-06-28T17:39:07Z")
Today was a slog and I am happy to stop at Genius. Remembering the NONBELIEF fiasco of a few days ago, I was able to get a pangram that I might otherwise have missed. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1656 "2025-06-28T19:35:47Z")
I guess Sam doesn’t believe in POLYGYNY… ---
**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:** [June 28, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1657 "2025-06-28T20:00:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Remembering the NONBELIEF fiasco of a few days ago, I was able to get a pangram that I might otherwise have missed. Thank you! Because of your post, I was finally able to get the second pangram. But I also am stopping now at Genius, and not worrying about QB today. ---
**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 28, 2025, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1658 "2025-06-28T20:21:38Z")
I thought of another -ology word early today but now I can’t remember what it was. ---
**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 29, 2025, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1659 "2025-06-29T08:41:34Z")
I need to expand my foodie horizons so I can recall words like BIRRIA and NIGIRI. ---
**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:** [July 1, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1660 "2025-07-01T00:00:37Z")
Another Genius without a Pangram. I have a busy evening so that will probably be how it ends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=82) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=84)