Today’s New York Times Spelling Bee for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, puts on quite a show! With the center letter R anchoring a versatile group of letters, you can spell everything from “ARCTIC” chills to “DRAMATIC” flair.
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 R, surrounded by a mix of vowels and consonants that favor scientific and artistic terms.
- Center Letter: R
- Outer Letters: A, C, D, I, M, T
- Difficulty: Moderate. Words like “CATARACT” and “DIACRITIC” are long but can be tricky to spot.
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 one pangram (a word that uses every letter at least once).
- Hint: Relating to drama; sudden and striking.
2. Two-Letter Start List
If you are missing just a few words, check your counts against this list of starting pairs:
- AC- (1 word)
- AR- (3 words)
- AT- (2 words)
- CA- (3 words)
- CI- (2 words)
- CR- (2 words)
- DA- (2 words)
- DI- (3 words)
- DR- (3 words)
- MA- (4 words)
- MI- (1 word)
- RA- (5 words)
- TA- (6 words)
- TI- (1 word)
- TR- (5 words)
3. General Hints
- Remember that the center letter R must be used in every word.
- Look for “R” blended with “T” (TR-) or “D” (DR-).
- Don’t forget geographical terms like “ARCTIC”.
Spoilers Below!
Warning: The sections below contain the direct answers for today’s puzzle.
The Pangram
- DRAMATIC
4-Letter Words
- ARIA
- ARID
- CARD
- CART
- CRAM
- DART
- DIRT
- DRAM
- DRAT
- MARM
- MART
- RAID
- TART
- TRAM
- TRIM
5-Letter Words
- ACRID
- ATRIA
- ATTAR
- CARAT
- CIRCA
- CIRRI
- DRAMA
- RADAR
- RADII
- RAITA
- TIARA
- TRACT
- TRAIT
- TRIAD
6-Letter Words and Longer
- ARCADIA
- ARCTIC
- ARMADA
- ATTRACT
- CARDIAC
- CATARACT
- CITRIC
- CRITIC
- DIACRITIC
- MARACA
- MIDAIR
- RAMADA
- RATATAT
- TAMARI
- TARMAC
- TARMACADAM
- TARTAR
- TRAMCAR
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.
When does the puzzle reset?
The NYT Spelling Bee resets daily at 3:00 AM ET.
