# 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:** 92
**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 29, 2025, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1821 "2025-07-29T07:59:34Z")
Yeah, that was my last find after sticking the prefix on lots of things to see what worked. ---
**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, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1822 "2025-07-29T11:12:22Z")
Does anyone get that Jimmy Kimmel ad that pops up exactly where you tap the puzzle when you normally open it, so that you inadvertently tap on his smug face and it opens some stupid ad? ---
**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 29, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1823 "2025-07-29T14:08:12Z")
No UNATTACH? Really? ---
**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:** [July 29, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1824 "2025-07-29T14:30:29Z")
I did try a certain four letter word beginning with c. Not at all surprised that it was not accepted. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1825 "2025-07-29T17:51:40Z")
Me too. I used to not try words that seemed obviously too offensive to be permitted, but I’ve accepted that there will always be a point where I break down and try them, so now I just get it out of the way immediately. ---
**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 29, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1826 "2025-07-29T18:08:33Z")
That word also came up as a possibility not that long ago. The good news is that you can’t spell UNCUT without CUNT. ---
**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, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1827 "2025-07-29T18:20:27Z")
I put in names, fictional words, and places just for my own slightly compulsive satisfaction. Today’s puzzle includes ATUAN (local of Le Guin’s second Earthsea book) and CTHULHU (In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming). ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1828 "2025-07-29T18:27:36Z")
I’ll often try Hebrew words, and occasionally it works. Recently it accepted TALLIT (prayer shawl), which I can’t imagine is in the vocabulary of many non-Jews (or wasn’t before that puzzle came out!) ---
**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, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1829 "2025-07-29T18:56:24Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I put in names, fictional words, and places just for my own slightly compulsive satisfaction. Same here. Sometimes there are very fun capitalized words you just punch in for the fun of it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1830 "2025-07-29T19:07:44Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Recently it accepted TALLIT (prayer shawl), which I can’t imagine is in the vocabulary of many non-Jews (or wasn’t before that puzzle came out!) It’s accepted that word for quite a while. It’s one of those words which I don’t (or didn’t) know the meaning of but knew it was accepted in the Bee. There’s at least one very good Scrabble player out there who doesn’t speak much English, but they’ve memorized a large chunk of the words in the Official Scrabble Dictionary. Same thing. You don’t really have to know English to be good at Spelling Bee or many other English-language word games. ---
**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, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1831 "2025-07-29T19:32:34Z")
Same! I tried TAUNTAUN as well. ---
**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 29, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1832 "2025-07-29T19:34:14Z")
I don’t know the meaning of a few words that show up fairly regularly. ---
**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 29, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1833 "2025-07-29T19:39:40Z")
I’ve gone two days in a row without looking at clues. A personal best. I don’t even bother with QB. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1834 "2025-07-29T19:42:22Z")
With a similar set of letters, I have tried lauan, a type of plywood, but it’s 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:** [July 29, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1835 "2025-07-29T19:48:44Z")
No HATUL, but I wouldn’t expect it (cat in Hebrew). ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1836 "2025-07-29T20:08:24Z")
Argh, I’m stuck 2 points away from Genius. If it were 20 points I could give up and do something else, but now I feel obligated to stare at the screen as long as necessary to solve it. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1837 "2025-07-29T20:40:19Z")
OK, spotted the pangram which took me to genius, then was able to identify all the words I knew through hints; the two I didn’t know were TACTUAL and LUNULA I don’t think I’ve ever heard UNCLUTCH used, except maybe to describe an athlete who always chokes in the playoffs. ---
**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 30, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1838 "2025-07-30T02:33:51Z")
Nope. Spoiler tags nor preview functioning. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2025, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1839 "2025-07-30T04:10:43Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Spoiler tags nor preview functioning. The compose function has been redesigned. In order to get preview, you now have to click the button in the upper left corner labeled A. Don’t know about spoiler tags. Let’s see if the ones in this paragraph work. ETA: You have to be in preview mode to get them to work. If you’re in WYSIWYG mode, the editor escapes the square brackets and they don’t work. ---
**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 30, 2025, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1840 "2025-07-30T04:37:23Z")
Thanks. I hope this gets rectified. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=91) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=93)