# 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:** 94
**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:** [August 5, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1861 "2025-08-05T12:27:47Z")
Unlikely. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1862 "2025-08-05T13:31:26Z")
I mean, any adventure story taking place in a tropical rainforest will inevitably mention lianas, even if no one is swinging from them. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2025, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1863 "2025-08-05T13:45:13Z")
LIANA has been refused 73 times, and never accepted. Interestingly, on the NYT’s own puzzle detail page it is not listed under words that are in the dictionary, but not included…time to get a new dictionary! ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1864 "2025-08-05T17:24:56Z")
My bugbear along those lines is [ACTINIC](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actinic). It’s a perfectly cromulent word, but it’s never been accepted. That said, today’s (5 August) SB was one of the simplest I’ve experienced. Helps that I do know a couple of long-ish obscure words that fit the letters. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1865 "2025-08-06T09:29:39Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > There will come a day when I will remember the word MENTEE without blanking on it for hours. But that day is not this one. Or this one, although at least it wasn’t hours this time. But it was the last word found. Also: Sam doesn’t like cute furry animals but apparently he does like ballet. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1866 "2025-08-06T12:13:25Z")
Today’s pangram is a doozy. I have certainly never heard of it, and just thought, well, this looks like it could be a word, and I don’t know how else I’m going to get a J in there with the rest of them. I was shocked when it 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:** [August 6, 2025, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1867 "2025-08-06T12:44:34Z")
Exact same! ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1868 "2025-08-06T12:58:15Z")
Me too. Desperately making up words like BANTAMJET. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1869 "2025-08-06T13:34:12Z")
Disappointed but not surprised that (lowercase) “batman” isn’t accepted. Too British. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1870 "2025-08-06T13:38:13Z")
Always worth a try (or so I tell myself). ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1871 "2025-08-06T13:38:31Z")
I tried batman as well. And yes, the pangram today was _really_ obscure (as was battement and I think the letter j only appeared twice. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1872 "2025-08-06T14:20:59Z")
I thought the word is batsmen? ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1873 "2025-08-06T14:23:31Z")
From Wikipedia, “a batman or orderly is a soldier or airman assigned to a commissioned officer as a personal servant.” It’s a British term. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1874 "2025-08-06T14:32:44Z")
Ah. I was thinking of a cricket term. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1875 "2025-08-06T15:40:44Z")
I actually had to do a search using Steve’s definition to get the pangram. Never heard or seen that word in my life. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1876 "2025-08-06T15:53:58Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I actually had to do a search using Steve’s definition to get the pangram. Never heard or seen that word in my life Same on both counts. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1877 "2025-08-06T17:57:37Z")
I got it through sheer dumb luck, taking a four letter root and patching on prefixes and suffixes. Agreed(!) on the second count. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1878 "2025-08-06T18:00:42Z")
I got to G without the pangram and I don’t think I will given the comments here. I played around a bit with plausible sounding words but no luck so far. I should probably get on with my day ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1879 "2025-08-06T18:14:40Z")
Now Batman isn’t a word?, British Officer’s servants and Homer Simpson will be so disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739/1880 "2025-08-06T18:35:30Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Now Batman isn’t a word?, British Officer’s servants and Homer Simpson will be so disappointed To the Bat-dictionary, Robin! Got to QB. I needed a hint (but not the Buddy) to get the word @Dewey_Finn posted. That was pretty obscure and was the only word I needed a hint for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=93) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-spelling-bee-drives-me-crazy/994739.md?page=95)