Today’s New York Times Spelling Bee for December 18, 2025, brings us a hive full of liquid sounds and nautical vibes. With a vowel-heavy board, finding words might seem easy at first, but hitting that “Genius” rank will require digging into some specific biological and legal terminology.
If you are stuck at “Great” or just need that one last word to reach Queen Bee, we have the breakdown below.
Puzzle Analysis
Today’s grid features the center letter I, surrounded by a mix of soft consonants.
- Center Letter: I
- Outer Letters: B, E, F, L, N, U
- Total Words: 35+ (approx)
- Difficulty: Moderate. The presence of ‘L’, ‘N’, and ‘E’ allows for many common suffixes, but the ‘U’ and ‘B’ combination adds a tricky layer.
Hints for Today’s Puzzle
Need a nudge without the full list? Here are your clues to help you build your word count.
1. The Pangram Hint
Today’s puzzle contains two pangrams (words that use every letter at least once).
- Hint A: A type of large tuna found in the Atlantic.
- Hint B: Skepticism or a lack of faith.
2. Two-Letter Start List
If you are missing just a few words, check your counts against this list of starting pairs:
- BE- (5 words)
- BI- (5 words)
- BL- (3 words)
- EL- (1 word)
- EN- (1 word)
- FE- (3 words)
- FI- (5 words)
- FU- (1 word)
- IN- (3 words)
- LI- (6 words)
- NI- (3 words)
- NU- (2 words)
- UN- (2 words)
3. General Hints
- Remember that the center letter I must be used in every word.
- Look for compound words involving “LIFE” or “LINE”.
- Don’t forget common culinary terms (think Russian pancakes).
Spoilers Below!
Warning: The sections below contain the direct answers for today’s puzzle.
The Pangrams
- BLUEFIN
- UNBELIEF
4-Letter Words
- BIFF
- BILE
- BILL
- BLIN
- FIEF
- FIFE
- FILE
- FILL
- FINE
- LIEN
- LIEU
- LIFE
- LINE
- NINE
5-Letter Words
- BELIE
- BIBLE
- BLINI
- ELFIN
- ENNUI
- INNIE
- LIBEL
- LINEN
6-Letter Words
- BELIEF
- FELINE
- FULFILL
- INFILL
- NIBBLE
- NUBILE
7-Letter Words and Longer
- BEELINE
- LIBELEE
- LIFELINE
How to Play NYT Spelling Bee
If you are new to the Bee, here is how the hive works:
- The Grid: You are given 7 letters in a honeycomb shape.
- The Rules:
- Words must be at least 4 letters long.
- Words must include the Center Letter.
- Letters can be used more than once.
- Scoring:
- 4-letter words = 1 point.
- Longer words = 1 point per letter.
- Pangrams (using all 7 letters) = 7 bonus points.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the “Queen Bee” rank?
Queen Bee is the hidden highest rank in the game, achieved when you find every single valid word in the puzzle.
Why is “Blin” valid?
“Blin” is the singular form of “Blini,” a type of Russian pancake. It is a common tricky word in the NYT Spelling Bee dictionary.
When does the puzzle reset?
The NYT Spelling Bee resets daily at 3:00 AM ET.
