Duplicate Spelling Bees
Common “Hive” wisdom holds that each Spelling Bee puzzle is unique, and that there have been no duplicates except for one known set of identical puzzles, and two known repeat “stopgap” puzzles, as explained below. However, research confirms that there have been at least 40 exact duplicate puzzles in the history of the Spelling Bee.
Two of these repeats were duplicate “stopgap” puzzles that the NYTimes released intentionally when there had been technical difficulties with the scheduled Bees, so those are not counted in a list of unintentional duplicates. (Details on these two "stopgap" puzzles are given at the end of this page.)
But there have been at least 40 other pairs of likely unintentional duplicate puzzles; that is, at least 40 times when a letter set used previously was repeated at a later date with the same center letter. (Solution sets may vary between earlier and later duplicate puzzles if, for example, a word disallowed from an earlier puzzle was accepted for a later puzzle, or if a word allowed in an earlier puzzle was disallowed from a later puzzle.)
Letter sets are re-used in about three quarters of Spelling Bee puzzles, but the selection of a different center letter yields a new puzzle (though there is, of course, overlap between the solution sets of puzzles that use the same letter sets).
While 40 may seem like a large number, these 38 duplicates comprise a very small proportion of the 2,500+ regular Spelling Bees that have been offered since the puzzle had its online début on May 9, 2018.
The latest of these duplicates occurred in April 2022; this implies that just prior to that time, the games staff noticed the duplicates and revised the design process to prevent duplication of past puzzles.
Note: This list does not include all uses of each of the letter sets listed, only the duplicate uses. Many of these letter sets have been used in other Bee puzzles, with different center letters.
Two of these repeats were duplicate “stopgap” puzzles that the NYTimes released intentionally when there had been technical difficulties with the scheduled Bees, so those are not counted in a list of unintentional duplicates. (Details on these two "stopgap" puzzles are given at the end of this page.)
But there have been at least 40 other pairs of likely unintentional duplicate puzzles; that is, at least 40 times when a letter set used previously was repeated at a later date with the same center letter. (Solution sets may vary between earlier and later duplicate puzzles if, for example, a word disallowed from an earlier puzzle was accepted for a later puzzle, or if a word allowed in an earlier puzzle was disallowed from a later puzzle.)
Letter sets are re-used in about three quarters of Spelling Bee puzzles, but the selection of a different center letter yields a new puzzle (though there is, of course, overlap between the solution sets of puzzles that use the same letter sets).
While 40 may seem like a large number, these 38 duplicates comprise a very small proportion of the 2,500+ regular Spelling Bees that have been offered since the puzzle had its online début on May 9, 2018.
The latest of these duplicates occurred in April 2022; this implies that just prior to that time, the games staff noticed the duplicates and revised the design process to prevent duplication of past puzzles.
Note: This list does not include all uses of each of the letter sets listed, only the duplicate uses. Many of these letter sets have been used in other Bee puzzles, with different center letters.
DUPLICATE SPELLING BEES
ABCEHLYCenter letter C: May 17, 2021Center letter C: January 26, 2020
ABCIKLTCenter letter L: February 20, 2022Center letter L: January 31, 2020
ABDHKNOCenter letter N: June 12, 2020Center letter N: March 10, 2021
ABEGLTVCenter letter V: March 12, 2021Center letter V: December 14, 2018
ABILTVYCenter letter A: July 7, 2018Center letter A: August 2, 2021
ACDHINPCenter letter C: January 4, 2021Center letter C: March 7, 2019
ACDLORTCenter letter T: January 10, 2021Center letter T: April 7, 2019
ACEFPTYCenter letter P: October 20, 2020Center letter P: April 7, 2020
ACEHNTYCenter letter Y: August 30, 2018Center letter Y: November 3, 2020 ACENPTXCenter letter P: March 16, 2022Center letter P: November 15, 2019
ABCIKLTCenter letter L: February 20, 2022Center letter L: January 31, 2020
ABDHKNOCenter letter N: June 12, 2020Center letter N: March 10, 2021
ABEGLTVCenter letter V: March 12, 2021Center letter V: December 14, 2018
ABILTVYCenter letter A: July 7, 2018Center letter A: August 2, 2021
ACDHINPCenter letter C: January 4, 2021Center letter C: March 7, 2019
ACDLORTCenter letter T: January 10, 2021Center letter T: April 7, 2019
ACEFPTYCenter letter P: October 20, 2020Center letter P: April 7, 2020
ACEHNTYCenter letter Y: August 30, 2018Center letter Y: November 3, 2020 ACENPTXCenter letter P: March 16, 2022Center letter P: November 15, 2019
ACHILRVCenter letter R: November 4, 2020Center letter R: July 15, 2019
ACHLNTUCenter letter H: December 13, 2020Center letter H: August 13, 2018
ACIPRVYCenter letter R: July 20, 2021Center letter R: September 13, 2019
ACIPTVYCenter letter A: April 5, 2022Center letter A: February 22, 2020
ACJKOPTCenter letter C: May 12, 2021Center letter C: May 11, 2020
ADFILNWCenter letter I: August 13, 2020Center letter I: July 8, 2020
ADIRWYZCenter letter A: March 15, 2022Center letter A: September 4, 2019
AFGIRTYCenter letter T: May 4, 2021Center letter T: February 27, 2019
AFILMRYCenter letter R: November 19, 2021Center letter R: April 29, 2019 AGLMOPYCenter letter Y: April 7, 2021Center letter Y: September 1, 2018
ACIPRVYCenter letter R: July 20, 2021Center letter R: September 13, 2019
ACIPTVYCenter letter A: April 5, 2022Center letter A: February 22, 2020
ACJKOPTCenter letter C: May 12, 2021Center letter C: May 11, 2020
ADFILNWCenter letter I: August 13, 2020Center letter I: July 8, 2020
ADIRWYZCenter letter A: March 15, 2022Center letter A: September 4, 2019
AFGIRTYCenter letter T: May 4, 2021Center letter T: February 27, 2019
AFILMRYCenter letter R: November 19, 2021Center letter R: April 29, 2019 AGLMOPYCenter letter Y: April 7, 2021Center letter Y: September 1, 2018
ALMNORYCenter letter Y: May 8, 2021Center letter Y: November 2, 2018
BCILPUYCenter letter L: March 4, 2022Center letter L: June 19, 2020
BEFILNXCenter letter B: April 8, 2021Center Letter B: August 9, 2018 BEGMNOYCenter letter N: July 2, 2021Center letter N: November 1, 2018
CEHKLMOCenter letter O: March 16, 2021Center letter O: May 21, 2019
CEIMNTXCenter letter T: February 13, 2022Center letter T: August 10, 2019
CEINTVZCenter letter I: December 25, 2021Center letter I: September 8, 2019
CELMOPXCenter letter E: September 3, 2020Center letter E: June 23, 2019
CHIKORYCenter letter C: September 29, 2020Center letter C: May 15, 2020 CILNTVYCenter letter I: September 22, 2021Center letter I: October 1, 2018
BCILPUYCenter letter L: March 4, 2022Center letter L: June 19, 2020
BEFILNXCenter letter B: April 8, 2021Center Letter B: August 9, 2018 BEGMNOYCenter letter N: July 2, 2021Center letter N: November 1, 2018
CEHKLMOCenter letter O: March 16, 2021Center letter O: May 21, 2019
CEIMNTXCenter letter T: February 13, 2022Center letter T: August 10, 2019
CEINTVZCenter letter I: December 25, 2021Center letter I: September 8, 2019
CELMOPXCenter letter E: September 3, 2020Center letter E: June 23, 2019
CHIKORYCenter letter C: September 29, 2020Center letter C: May 15, 2020 CILNTVYCenter letter I: September 22, 2021Center letter I: October 1, 2018
DHIKNOWCenter letter O: April 1, 2022Center letter O: October 9, 2018
DHILNOWCenter letter D: April 16, 2021Center letter D: October 14, 2019
EFGLNUVCenter letter E: March 2, 2021Center letter E: June 16, 2019
EFKLMNOCenter letter N: September 14, 2021Center letter N: August 24, 2019
EGHMNOYCenter letter O: December 17, 2020Center letter O: June 27, 2019
EILMNPTCenter letter P: November 8, 2021Center letter P: September 13, 2018 EKMNPTUCenter letter P: October 8, 2020Center letter P: July 3, 2019
FGILORYCenter letter G: October 6, 2020Center letter G: May 19, 2019
ILMPTUYCenter letter M: January 20, 2021Center letter M: November 22, 2019 MNOPRTYCenter letter N: January 1, 2021Center letter N: December 21, 2018
DHILNOWCenter letter D: April 16, 2021Center letter D: October 14, 2019
EFGLNUVCenter letter E: March 2, 2021Center letter E: June 16, 2019
EFKLMNOCenter letter N: September 14, 2021Center letter N: August 24, 2019
EGHMNOYCenter letter O: December 17, 2020Center letter O: June 27, 2019
EILMNPTCenter letter P: November 8, 2021Center letter P: September 13, 2018 EKMNPTUCenter letter P: October 8, 2020Center letter P: July 3, 2019
FGILORYCenter letter G: October 6, 2020Center letter G: May 19, 2019
ILMPTUYCenter letter M: January 20, 2021Center letter M: November 22, 2019 MNOPRTYCenter letter N: January 1, 2021Center letter N: December 21, 2018
The two anomalous duplicate Bee puzzles:
FLMNORUCenter letter R: May 14, 2018Center letter R: Extra Spelling Bee for March 24, 2021 *[Note from sbsolver.com: The New York Times Spelling Bee suffered an outage for several hours on the morning of March 24, 2021. In the interim before the official puzzle for that date finally went live, a duplicate of the Spelling Bee from May 14, 2018 was temporarily released to bridge the gap.]
ALORTVYCenter letter T: July 12, 2020Center letter T: Extra Spelling Bee for April 11, 2022 *[Note from sbsolver.com: On April 11, 2022, the puzzle (TALORVY)was released with a glitch that caused it to load for many players with some or all of the answers already filled in. (These players may have been seeing their answers from July 12, 2020, a nearly identical puzzle.) Due to the ensuing confusion, a replacement puzzle was released later that morning.]
If you use information from any LexiConnexxions report, please give credit and a link to the relevant page. Thank you.These analyses are compiled and prepared by a human being, not by a machine.