# 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:** 91
**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:** [July 24, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1801 "2025-07-24T12:12:26Z")
Ha! I wonder why it’s disallowed – it’s a real word, right? ---
**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 24, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1802 "2025-07-24T13:43:51Z")
Why not LIABLY? ---
**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 24, 2025, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1803 "2025-07-24T13:46:37Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > It was allowed exactly once - this most recent February - and disallowed 66 times. > > Sam: “Oopsie!” The back and forth is so weird. Obviously I’m ignorant about how games are constructed but wouldn’t they have a standard acceptable word list and then just stick with it? ---
**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:** [July 24, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1804 "2025-07-24T14:12:36Z")
The way I make peace with it is to tell myself the acceptable word list varies to keep me on my toes. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2025, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1805 "2025-07-24T14:19:11Z")
Still no goddamn LIANA ---
**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:** [July 24, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1806 "2025-07-24T14:23:29Z")
Not a word, according to the credible online dictionaries (e.g., Collins, Mirriam Webster, Cambridge, American Heritage). ---
**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:** [July 24, 2025, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1807 "2025-07-24T15:23:02Z")
I got to Genius with no help, as usual, and then to QB using only the grids at SBB, all before noon. Better than average for me. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1808 "2025-07-24T16:52:46Z")
You would think so, but I watched some panel event on Youtube awhile back about the Bee and it sounded more like Sam had a team of friends who did the puzzles in advance. They would print out their answers, and then Sam would hang them on the wall and throw darts at them. Okay, I made up the last part, but the process did sound rather odd. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1809 "2025-07-24T17:21:57Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > You would think so, but I watched some panel event on Youtube awhile back about the Bee and it sounded more like Sam had a team of friends who did the puzzles in advance. As I said about a week ago in this thread: > [@dtilque](#): > > When I first started paying Spelling Bee, I figured it was 95% automated. Which it could easily be, with just a final approval by the editor. If it were, the same words would be accepted/rejected from one day to another. But obviously that’s not the case. In fact, he says that it’s hand-crafted or something like that somewhere. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1810 "2025-07-24T17:59:34Z")
I bet he used the dreaded ‘curated’ word. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1811 "2025-07-24T19:06:49Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I bet he used the dreaded ‘curated’ word I think he may have. Could have been worse, he could have called it _artisanal_… ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1812 "2025-07-27T14:20:57Z")
_Still_ no cavitating, actinic, or nictitating. I think there were a few more that frustrated me today, but I’ve forgotten what they were. ---
**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 27, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1813 "2025-07-27T16:18:46Z")
I tried the first one on your list and was so proud of myself for finding it. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1814 "2025-07-27T18:35:24Z")
Yeah, those were the big omissions. So annoying. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2025, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1815 "2025-07-27T19:08:35Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > _Still_ no cavitating, actinic, or nictitating. I came in to complain about cavitating. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1816 "2025-07-27T19:17:58Z")
Today was the first time that CAVITATING was a possible word. CAVITATE has been rejected six or seven times. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1817 "2025-07-27T19:22:19Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > _Still_ no cavitating, actinic, or nictitating. I think there were a few more that frustrated me today, but I’ve forgotten what they were. Nor a close cousin, NICTATING . ---
**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:** [July 29, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1818 "2025-07-29T01:50:40Z")
Today I learned that NONWORK is a word, according to M-W. Cambridge and OED spell it with a hyphen. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2025, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1819 "2025-07-29T02:52:35Z")
Yeah, I plugged that one in on a lark, and hey, guess what. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2025, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1820 "2025-07-29T03:11:05Z")
I respect Sam less for including it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=90) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=92)