Spelling Bee glossary: bingo, pangram, Queen Bee and more
What does bingo mean in Spelling Bee? What is a perfect pangram? Here are plain definitions of every term you will meet in the puzzle, the forum and our hints.
- Bingo
- A puzzle where every one of the seven letters starts at least one answer. Not every puzzle is a bingo; our hint pages tell you when one is.
- Center letter
- The letter in the middle that every answer must use at least once. On BeeHints it is the Honey tile.
- Forum
- The New York Times' daily Spelling Bee Forum post, where players share hints such as the letter grid and the two-letter list.
- Four-letter words
- The shortest accepted answers. Each one is worth just 1 point, however many there are.
- Genius
- The rank for reaching 70% of the day's maximum score. It is the goal most players aim for each day.
- Letter grid
- A hint table showing how many answers start with each letter at each word length, with totals.
- Maximum score
- The points you would get by finding every answer. All rank thresholds are a share of this number.
- Outer letters
- The six letters around the center letter. They are optional in any one word, but the pangram uses all of them.
- Pangram
- A word that uses all seven letters at least once. Every puzzle has at least one, and each earns its length plus 7 bonus points.
- Perfect pangram
- A pangram that uses each of the seven letters exactly once, so it is exactly seven letters long. Many puzzles have none.
- Queen Bee
- The hidden top rank for finding every single answer. It only appears once you reach it.
- Ranks
- Beginner, Good Start, Moving Up, Good, Solid, Nice, Great, Amazing and Genius, each a share of the maximum score, plus Queen Bee.
- Spelling Bee Buddy
- The New York Times' own companion tool for subscribers that shows how many words you have left. BeeHints' free word tracker does a similar job.
- Two-letter list
- A hint that shows the first two letters of every answer and how many answers start with them, such as AN 3.
- Word list
- The puzzle's own curated list of accepted words. It leaves out obscure, offensive and hyphenated words and proper nouns, so some real words are rejected.
Put the terms to work: see today's rank points, read more about pangrams or open today's hints.
Questions and answers
What does bingo mean in Spelling Bee?
A bingo is a puzzle in which at least one answer starts with each of the seven letters. It is a fun extra goal, not a rank, and not every puzzle has one.
What is the difference between a pangram and a perfect pangram?
A pangram uses all seven letters at least once and can repeat letters. A perfect pangram uses each letter exactly once, so it is exactly seven letters long.
What does Queen Bee mean?
Queen Bee means you found every answer in the puzzle. It is above Genius and stays hidden until you reach it.