GamePlay: Looking Up Bee Words
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Spelling Bee solvers often express a wish that there were an easy means by which they can look up definitions of Bee words while solving, or after completing the puzzle.
The resources for looking up the words are closer than you might think, and perhaps easier to access than you might know.
When playing the Bee via the browser on your iPhone:
Highlight and press on any Bee word, and you will see a little menu that includes options for "Look Up” and “Search Web.”
Touch “Look Up” and you will see a truncated definition from the New American Oxford Dictionary (NOAD), the dictionary used in iOS and one of the two dictionaries the Bee editor has cited as essential sources. Touch “Search Web” and you’ll be taken to search results in Google. The truncated entry from NOAD gives no indication that there's any additional info beyond that screen, but if you just touch the truncated entry, it will open to a new screen with much more detail (though it is not the *entire* NOAD entry).
When playing on a laptop or PC:
Highlight the word and right-click, and you should get a menu that includes "search" or "look up." (The actual wording, and the source searched, will depend on your browser).Click on that, and you’ll be taken to search results in Google or your default browser.
So, a look-up is only one or two clicks either way.
Highlight and press on any Bee word, and you will see a little menu that includes options for "Look Up” and “Search Web.”
Touch “Look Up” and you will see a truncated definition from the New American Oxford Dictionary (NOAD), the dictionary used in iOS and one of the two dictionaries the Bee editor has cited as essential sources. Touch “Search Web” and you’ll be taken to search results in Google. The truncated entry from NOAD gives no indication that there's any additional info beyond that screen, but if you just touch the truncated entry, it will open to a new screen with much more detail (though it is not the *entire* NOAD entry).
When playing on a laptop or PC:
Highlight the word and right-click, and you should get a menu that includes "search" or "look up." (The actual wording, and the source searched, will depend on your browser).Click on that, and you’ll be taken to search results in Google or your default browser.
So, a look-up is only one or two clicks either way.
An Important Note About Dictionaries Used by the Spelling Bee Editor:
In an article from 2023,* The New York Times said that "[T]he Spelling Bee uses its own dictionary, which has been painstakingly crafted over years of trial and error by our puzzle editors from many different parent dictionaries."
The Spelling Bee editor is on record saying that he refers primarily to Merriam-Webster, the New Oxford American Dictionary, sometimes Collins and other sources (Scrabble dictionary, news articles, etc.), but there is no reference to a custom dictionary, either in any pubished source or in discussions in the Spelling Bee forum. In July 2024, LexiConnexxions reached out to The New York Times to seek clarification, and received this helpful response from Customer Care that confirms the existence of a unique "custom dictionary" for the Spelling Bee puzzle:
“The Spelling Bee puzzle is indeed crafted using a custom dictionary that has been meticulously developed by our puzzle editors. While our editor, Mr. Ezersky, occasionally consults resources such as Merriam-Webster, the New Oxford American Dictionary, Collins, and other sources for reference, the core lexicon for the Spelling Bee has been carefully curated over the years to ensure a diverse and engaging collection of words. We understand the importance of word validity for our Bee players, and we appreciate your desire for more information.” [email from Customer Care to LexiConnexxions, July 6, 2024]
The Times' use of the word "dictionary" when they probably mean "lexicon" could cause confusion; it's unlikely that The New York Times has created an actual dictionary in the proper sense of the word. A by-product of the Spelling Bee is the list of more than 10,000 words that have appeared in the solution sets of the 2300+ Spelling Bee puzzles since May 2018; it's possible that this dynamic list is the core of the "custom dictionary," with additional words pre-approved for future puzzles.
* "Every Single Pangram of 2022: A recap of all the Spelling Bee puzzles from the last year." New York Times, January 3, 2023 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/crosswords/all-spelling-bee-pangrams.html
The Spelling Bee editor is on record saying that he refers primarily to Merriam-Webster, the New Oxford American Dictionary, sometimes Collins and other sources (Scrabble dictionary, news articles, etc.), but there is no reference to a custom dictionary, either in any pubished source or in discussions in the Spelling Bee forum. In July 2024, LexiConnexxions reached out to The New York Times to seek clarification, and received this helpful response from Customer Care that confirms the existence of a unique "custom dictionary" for the Spelling Bee puzzle:
“The Spelling Bee puzzle is indeed crafted using a custom dictionary that has been meticulously developed by our puzzle editors. While our editor, Mr. Ezersky, occasionally consults resources such as Merriam-Webster, the New Oxford American Dictionary, Collins, and other sources for reference, the core lexicon for the Spelling Bee has been carefully curated over the years to ensure a diverse and engaging collection of words. We understand the importance of word validity for our Bee players, and we appreciate your desire for more information.” [email from Customer Care to LexiConnexxions, July 6, 2024]
The Times' use of the word "dictionary" when they probably mean "lexicon" could cause confusion; it's unlikely that The New York Times has created an actual dictionary in the proper sense of the word. A by-product of the Spelling Bee is the list of more than 10,000 words that have appeared in the solution sets of the 2300+ Spelling Bee puzzles since May 2018; it's possible that this dynamic list is the core of the "custom dictionary," with additional words pre-approved for future puzzles.
* "Every Single Pangram of 2022: A recap of all the Spelling Bee puzzles from the last year." New York Times, January 3, 2023 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/crosswords/all-spelling-bee-pangrams.html