Navigating the Spelling Bee Forum
The Spelling Bee Forum is a lively community of Bee solvers who enjoy discussing the day’s Bee puzzle, exchanging information about words in and out of the Bee, and sharing creative writing inspired by the words in the Spelling Bee puzzle.
Because the Forum is partially integrated with the Spelling Bee puzzle, it can sometimes be a challenge to find the Forum and navigate its unique structure. This article explains what the Spelling Bee Forum is, how to find it, and how to navigate through the hundreds of comments that typically accumulate there each day.
[NOTE: The information that follows pertains to the Spelling Bee game page, Hints, and Community as accessed via a browser, not via the NYT games app. This information pertains only to the parts of the Hints page that support the Forum. Other aspects of the Hints page that are related to the presentation and solving of the Bee puzzle itself are fully explained HERE.]
UNDERSTANDING THE SPELLING BEE FORUM
First, be aware that the “forum” is referred to in a variety of ways even within the New York Times platform: It might be referred to as the “Spelling Bee forum” or simply “the forum,” the “Spelling Bee Community,” or “the Hive.” (Caveat: The honeycomb of letters on the Spelling Bee puzzle page is also called “the Hive,” both by some players and by NYT games staff.)
Though it is known by several different names, the Forum (as it will be referred to in this article) exists in only one place: In the comment section that is attached to a particular daily article in The New York Times.
FINDING THE SPELLING BEE FORUM
Each day, The New York Times offers a new Spelling Bee puzzle. The puzzle drops (goes “live”) at 3AM ET, and at the same moment, a new official “Hints” page is published that is specific to that new puzzle.
This “Hints” page (described and explained HERE) is a fresh article published each day, with the same title each day: "Spelling Bee Forum: Feeling stuck on today’s puzzle? We can help."
This daily article (also referred to by the NYTimes as the “official Hints page”) includes a reader-contributed bee-related photo; the Spelling Bee Grid and two-letter list for that day’s puzzle (explained HERE); and other resources for Bee solvers.
And, as with most articles on the NYTimes website, there is a comment section, and it is in this daily comment section that the Spelling Bee forum exists. Though the daily article is titled “Spelling Bee Forum” and gives access to the forum, it is not the actual Forum.
ACCESSING THE SPELLING BEE FORUM
The Forum is accessed only from the daily article described above, and there are three ways to get there.
1 - Access “Hints” from the Spelling Bee puzzle page: At the top right of the Spelling Bee puzzle page (illustrated and explained HERE), a horizontal menu offers several resources, including “Hints.” The little arrow pointing up and to the right of the word “Hints” indicates that clicking there will open a new page or tab. When you click on “Hints,” the link will open to the daily article entitled “Spelling Bee Forum” (which is also the “official Hints page”). The comment section will be unopened; beneath the article title, there is a little speech bubble with a number in it; click on this to open the comment section, and you will be in the Spelling Bee forum, where you may browse and participate. (The number in the speech bubble shows the number of comments that have been posted as of that moment.)
2 - Access “Community” from the Spelling Bee puzzle page: At the top right of the Spelling Bee puzzle page, click on “More” to open a drop-down menu, then select “Community.” The link will open to the daily article entitled “Spelling Bee Forum” (which is also the “official Hints page”). The comment section will be opened, and the comment panel will obscure the hints portion of the article.
3 - Browse through the NYTimes list of past Spelling Bee "Forum" articles: This list, which is refreshed each day at 3AM ET, provides links to all the past Spelling Bee forum articles, with the newest one at the top. https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/spelling-bee-forum
To exit the comments section and close the comments panel, either click on X in the upper right corner of the comments panel, or click anywhere in the greyed-out portion of the article.
Each daily article has a unique URL. For example, here’s the URL for the daily Forum or “Hints” article for August 19, 2024; note that the date appears in the URL:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/29/crosswords/spelling-bee-forum.html
You can edit this URL for any date in the past to see the article (“Hints) for any day.
When one visits the Forum (or “Hints”) article (page) and opens the comments, the URL will convert to show that you are in the “comments container” for the day:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/29/crosswords/spelling-bee-forum.html#commentsContainer
You can edit this “Comment container” URL for any date in the past to see the Community (Forum, comments) for any day.
NAVIGATING WITHIN THE FORUM
“All” and “Reader Picks"
When the Spelling Bee puzzle “drops” each day at 3AM ET, the “Hints” article is published automatically, and its comment section opens at he same time. (The comment section closes 24 hours later, when the next Bee puzzle drops at 3AM the following day.)
When the forum opens, there are no comments. As players begin to post comments, they are displayed in a single column labeled “All,” in the order in which they were posted, with the newest postings at the top of the page. Above the topmost comment, there is a toggle by which one may sort the column by oldest or newest.
As comments accumulate and as readers "recommend" them, a second column called "Reader Picks" appears automatically (per programming, not per moderator), usually within five to ten minutes after the first comments are posted (that is, by 315AM or so). Comments that have received two or more "recommends" from other readers are displayed in Reader Picks, arranged according to the number of times that players have recommended them, with the comments with the most "recommend" clicks displaying at the top. There is no toggle for this column. The NYTimes does not assign comments to the “Reader Picks” column, nor does the NYT directly control the order in which the comments are displayed. It is, literally, Reader Picks.
Meanwhile, the "All" column continues to grow, showing more comments in chronological order as they are added. One may refresh the page to see new comments as they are added.
The comments that accumulate recommendations and show up in Reader Picks retain their place in the All column; they are not moved to Reader Picks. (Think of Reader Picks as an alternative or extra display for comments that have received two or more reader recommendations.)
Once the Reader Picks column has been established, the default display within the comment section is to show the Reader Picks as the “open” column, with the most recommended comments showing first. However, sometimes the system will default to having the All column open. One may click on Reader Picks to read the most popular comments first, or on All to read them in chronological order.
Sometimes a comment in the Reader Picks column will seem unrelated to anything else. Here’s how that can happen. Supposing Player A posts a comment; it will show up as usual in the "All” column. Players B, C, etc., may post replies to Player A’s comment. If no one recommends Player A’s original comment, then that comment will not show up in Reader Picks. But if 12 people recommend Player B's response to Player A, then Player B’s response, by itself, will also display in Reader Picks. At the bottom of Player B’s comment, there will be the legend "In response to Player A." That's how comments in Reader Picks sometimes seem to be disembodied.
If a reader comment has been deleted and then re-posted by the games staff, the comment may show up out of chronological order in the All column. But if it has been restored with all its original recommendations, then the comment will resume its rightful place in the Reader Picks display.
NYT Picks and NYT Replies
If a NYT moderator chooses to highlight and call attention to any comment(s), then the very act of marking those comments will cause a new column to open labeled “NYT Picks,” and the favored comments will be shown there. (This column sometimes disappears later in the day, so if you're lucky enough to be featured there, grab a screenshot!)
If a NYT moderator posts an original comment (such as to announce something) or replies to any reader comment, then the very act of posting or replying will cause a new column to open labeled “NYT Replies,” and the staff comment or reply will be shown there.
Clicking on "NYT Picks" or "NYT Replies" (when either is present) will open those columns. Clicking on “All” or “Reader Picks” will take you back to player comments.
SEARCHING WITHIN THE FORUM
Select the “All” tab (not “Reader Picks”), then scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to load all the comments. If you want to search the text of the replies as well, then you will need to find and open (by clicking) every instance of "View All Replies." Now you are ready to do the search.
On your desktop or laptop, use CTRL-F to open a search window. Enter your search string (words, user name, etc.). The results box will show the number of hits and offer up and down scrolling arrows.
On your iPhone, when viewing the forum on a browser (Safari): At the bottom of the screen there is a menu with several command icons. Find the square with an up arrow. Touch or swipe that to open a half-screen menu, then scroll down and select "Find on Page." This will open up a search box. Enter your search string (words, user name, etc.). The results box will show the number of hits and offer up and down scrolling arrows.
Because the Forum is partially integrated with the Spelling Bee puzzle, it can sometimes be a challenge to find the Forum and navigate its unique structure. This article explains what the Spelling Bee Forum is, how to find it, and how to navigate through the hundreds of comments that typically accumulate there each day.
[NOTE: The information that follows pertains to the Spelling Bee game page, Hints, and Community as accessed via a browser, not via the NYT games app. This information pertains only to the parts of the Hints page that support the Forum. Other aspects of the Hints page that are related to the presentation and solving of the Bee puzzle itself are fully explained HERE.]
UNDERSTANDING THE SPELLING BEE FORUM
First, be aware that the “forum” is referred to in a variety of ways even within the New York Times platform: It might be referred to as the “Spelling Bee forum” or simply “the forum,” the “Spelling Bee Community,” or “the Hive.” (Caveat: The honeycomb of letters on the Spelling Bee puzzle page is also called “the Hive,” both by some players and by NYT games staff.)
Though it is known by several different names, the Forum (as it will be referred to in this article) exists in only one place: In the comment section that is attached to a particular daily article in The New York Times.
FINDING THE SPELLING BEE FORUM
Each day, The New York Times offers a new Spelling Bee puzzle. The puzzle drops (goes “live”) at 3AM ET, and at the same moment, a new official “Hints” page is published that is specific to that new puzzle.
This “Hints” page (described and explained HERE) is a fresh article published each day, with the same title each day: "Spelling Bee Forum: Feeling stuck on today’s puzzle? We can help."
This daily article (also referred to by the NYTimes as the “official Hints page”) includes a reader-contributed bee-related photo; the Spelling Bee Grid and two-letter list for that day’s puzzle (explained HERE); and other resources for Bee solvers.
And, as with most articles on the NYTimes website, there is a comment section, and it is in this daily comment section that the Spelling Bee forum exists. Though the daily article is titled “Spelling Bee Forum” and gives access to the forum, it is not the actual Forum.
ACCESSING THE SPELLING BEE FORUM
The Forum is accessed only from the daily article described above, and there are three ways to get there.
1 - Access “Hints” from the Spelling Bee puzzle page: At the top right of the Spelling Bee puzzle page (illustrated and explained HERE), a horizontal menu offers several resources, including “Hints.” The little arrow pointing up and to the right of the word “Hints” indicates that clicking there will open a new page or tab. When you click on “Hints,” the link will open to the daily article entitled “Spelling Bee Forum” (which is also the “official Hints page”). The comment section will be unopened; beneath the article title, there is a little speech bubble with a number in it; click on this to open the comment section, and you will be in the Spelling Bee forum, where you may browse and participate. (The number in the speech bubble shows the number of comments that have been posted as of that moment.)
2 - Access “Community” from the Spelling Bee puzzle page: At the top right of the Spelling Bee puzzle page, click on “More” to open a drop-down menu, then select “Community.” The link will open to the daily article entitled “Spelling Bee Forum” (which is also the “official Hints page”). The comment section will be opened, and the comment panel will obscure the hints portion of the article.
3 - Browse through the NYTimes list of past Spelling Bee "Forum" articles: This list, which is refreshed each day at 3AM ET, provides links to all the past Spelling Bee forum articles, with the newest one at the top. https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/spelling-bee-forum
To exit the comments section and close the comments panel, either click on X in the upper right corner of the comments panel, or click anywhere in the greyed-out portion of the article.
Each daily article has a unique URL. For example, here’s the URL for the daily Forum or “Hints” article for August 19, 2024; note that the date appears in the URL:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/29/crosswords/spelling-bee-forum.html
You can edit this URL for any date in the past to see the article (“Hints) for any day.
When one visits the Forum (or “Hints”) article (page) and opens the comments, the URL will convert to show that you are in the “comments container” for the day:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/29/crosswords/spelling-bee-forum.html#commentsContainer
You can edit this “Comment container” URL for any date in the past to see the Community (Forum, comments) for any day.
NAVIGATING WITHIN THE FORUM
“All” and “Reader Picks"
When the Spelling Bee puzzle “drops” each day at 3AM ET, the “Hints” article is published automatically, and its comment section opens at he same time. (The comment section closes 24 hours later, when the next Bee puzzle drops at 3AM the following day.)
When the forum opens, there are no comments. As players begin to post comments, they are displayed in a single column labeled “All,” in the order in which they were posted, with the newest postings at the top of the page. Above the topmost comment, there is a toggle by which one may sort the column by oldest or newest.
As comments accumulate and as readers "recommend" them, a second column called "Reader Picks" appears automatically (per programming, not per moderator), usually within five to ten minutes after the first comments are posted (that is, by 315AM or so). Comments that have received two or more "recommends" from other readers are displayed in Reader Picks, arranged according to the number of times that players have recommended them, with the comments with the most "recommend" clicks displaying at the top. There is no toggle for this column. The NYTimes does not assign comments to the “Reader Picks” column, nor does the NYT directly control the order in which the comments are displayed. It is, literally, Reader Picks.
Meanwhile, the "All" column continues to grow, showing more comments in chronological order as they are added. One may refresh the page to see new comments as they are added.
The comments that accumulate recommendations and show up in Reader Picks retain their place in the All column; they are not moved to Reader Picks. (Think of Reader Picks as an alternative or extra display for comments that have received two or more reader recommendations.)
Once the Reader Picks column has been established, the default display within the comment section is to show the Reader Picks as the “open” column, with the most recommended comments showing first. However, sometimes the system will default to having the All column open. One may click on Reader Picks to read the most popular comments first, or on All to read them in chronological order.
Sometimes a comment in the Reader Picks column will seem unrelated to anything else. Here’s how that can happen. Supposing Player A posts a comment; it will show up as usual in the "All” column. Players B, C, etc., may post replies to Player A’s comment. If no one recommends Player A’s original comment, then that comment will not show up in Reader Picks. But if 12 people recommend Player B's response to Player A, then Player B’s response, by itself, will also display in Reader Picks. At the bottom of Player B’s comment, there will be the legend "In response to Player A." That's how comments in Reader Picks sometimes seem to be disembodied.
If a reader comment has been deleted and then re-posted by the games staff, the comment may show up out of chronological order in the All column. But if it has been restored with all its original recommendations, then the comment will resume its rightful place in the Reader Picks display.
NYT Picks and NYT Replies
If a NYT moderator chooses to highlight and call attention to any comment(s), then the very act of marking those comments will cause a new column to open labeled “NYT Picks,” and the favored comments will be shown there. (This column sometimes disappears later in the day, so if you're lucky enough to be featured there, grab a screenshot!)
If a NYT moderator posts an original comment (such as to announce something) or replies to any reader comment, then the very act of posting or replying will cause a new column to open labeled “NYT Replies,” and the staff comment or reply will be shown there.
Clicking on "NYT Picks" or "NYT Replies" (when either is present) will open those columns. Clicking on “All” or “Reader Picks” will take you back to player comments.
SEARCHING WITHIN THE FORUM
Select the “All” tab (not “Reader Picks”), then scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to load all the comments. If you want to search the text of the replies as well, then you will need to find and open (by clicking) every instance of "View All Replies." Now you are ready to do the search.
On your desktop or laptop, use CTRL-F to open a search window. Enter your search string (words, user name, etc.). The results box will show the number of hits and offer up and down scrolling arrows.
On your iPhone, when viewing the forum on a browser (Safari): At the bottom of the screen there is a menu with several command icons. Find the square with an up arrow. Touch or swipe that to open a half-screen menu, then scroll down and select "Find on Page." This will open up a search box. Enter your search string (words, user name, etc.). The results box will show the number of hits and offer up and down scrolling arrows.