The Midden: All Discontinued Spelling Bee Words

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OUT: Bee Words that have been used at least once but are not in active use now Total as of 2026-08-13: 295
We pay plenty of attention to the words that are added to the Spelling Bee lexicon, but less attention, perhaps, to the words that have been discontinued. Here’s the whole list, which comprises only a very small portion of the entire Spelling Bee lexicon.
Every word listed here has been used in at least one Spelling Bee puzzle, then retired. Occasionally, an “OUT” word is brought out of retirement and used again, and sometimes those resurrected words are disallowed again. The designation following each word makes this clear; for example, I-O means that the word was allowed (IN), then disallowed (OUT), with no further change. I-O-I means that the word was allowed (IN), then disallowed (OUT), then allowed again, and so forth.
When an OUT word becomes an IN word, it is removed from this OUT list, and the appropriate “IN and OUT” list(s) are updated accordingly.
This list combines all the "OUT" words from the various "IN and OUT" lists, described and linked HERE.
What's a Midden?
A midden is a refuse heap that indicates the (former) presence of people or animals. Archeologists pick through ancient midden heaps to learn about the daily lives, diets, and activities of earlier people by examining their cast-offs and household refuse. This lovely old word has never been selected for the Spelling Bee, so we thought it would be fun to use it as the name of the Spelling Bee midden: That is, words that have been discontinued, disallowed, discarded. It's fun to pick through this heap of words and speculate on why they were tossed away.
ALL DISCONTINUED SPELLING BEE WORDS
ABAFT / I-OABBATIAL / I-OABEAM / I-OABETTAL / O-I-OACCEPTANT / I-OADAPTION / I-OADHIBIT / I-O AHCHOO / I-OAITCH / I-OALARUM / O-I-OALDEHYDE / I-OALFA / O-I-OALGID / I-O ALKANE / I-OALKENE / I-OALLONYM / I-O ANALYTICITY / I-OANARCH / I-OANIONIC / I-O-I-OANODAL / I-OANONYM / I-O ANTIAGING / I-O ANTICALLY / I-OAPIARIAN / O-I-OAPICAL / I-OAPOLLO / I-OAPORT / I-OARIGHT / I-OATTAINT / I-OAUGURAL / I-OAVAILABLY / I-OBABYDOLL / I-OBADDY / I-O BAILEE / I-O BAILOR / I-OBAMBINO / I-OBAZOO / I-O-I-OBELATE / O-I-O-I-OBETHEL / O-I-O BITCH / I-OBOOBIRD / I-OBOURG / I-OBULLYRAG / I-OCANFUL / I-O CANTING / I-OCANTO / I-O-I-OCAPACITATE / I-OCAPICOLA / I-OCARIOCA / I-O
CARROTY / I-O-I-O CATBOAT / I-OCATENATE / I-OCAVATINA / I-O CENTIME / I-OCENTO / I-OCHANTY / O-I-OCHARRO / I-OCHEM / I-OCHINK / I-O CHOKY / I-O CIVVY / I-OCLAMANT / I-OCLEW / I-OCLOU / I-OCLOUR / I-OCOACT / I-OCOACTION / I-OCOACTOR / I-OCOCOBOLO / I-OCOKED / I-OCOLLOCUTOR / I-OCOLOUR / I-OCONIFORM / I-OCONTE / I-OCONTEMN / I-OCOON / I-OCRACKY / I-OCRAY / I-OCROG / O-I-OCUPULE / I-ODACE / I-ODEADFALL / I-ODEMENT / I-ODOBBIN / I-ODONATOR / I-ODOTCOM / I-ODRYLAND / I-ODUAD / I-ODUDED / I-ODUDING / I-OEATABLE / I-O ECOTYPE / I-OECTYPE / I-OEDENIC / I-OELUTE / I-OEMANANT / I-O ENATE / I-OENHALO / I-OENOW / I-O
EOLITH / I-OETCHANT / I-OETHOLOGY / I-OETYMA / I-OETYMON / I-OEVENTIDE / I-OEXEMPLA / I-OEXILIC / I-OFECULENCE / O-I-OFLUIDIC / I-OFOGIE / I-OFONDU / I-OFORBAD / I-OFORMANT / I-OGAGMAN / I-OGAGMEN / I-OGALENA / O-I-OGAMELAN / O-I-OGAMMON / I-OGAPPY / I-OGEMMED / I-OGIFTEE / I-O GIMP / I-O GIMPING / I-OGLIAL / O-I-OGODHOOD / I-OGRINGO / I-OGULLABLY / I-OHADITH / I-OHALLO / I-OHALLOO / I-O HATCHECK / I-OHATTING / I-O HEMAL / I-OHEMATIC / I-OHEMIC / I-OHEWABLE / I-O HIED / I-OHIEING / I-OHOBNOBBY / I-OHODAD / I-OHOKE / I-OHOLILY / I-OHOLLA / I-OHOOTCH / I-OHORAL / I-OHULLO / I-O
ICONICITY / I-OILEX / I-OILIAD / I-OINCENT / O-I-OINCEPT / I-OINCIVIL / I-O INTACTLY / I-OINTROIT / O-I-OIRRITATOR / I-OKAYO / I-O KILNING / I-OKNAR / I-OKRAFT / I-OLACUNAL / I-OLAICALLY / I-OLAMELLA / I-OLAMELLAE / I-O LAMMED / I-OLANDAU / I-OLARBOARD / I-O LATEEN / I-OLEAFAGE / I-OLEGMAN / I-OLEGMEN / I-OLETCH / I-OLEXEME / I-OLIDO / I-OLIMED / I-OLIPOID / I-OLOBAR / I-OLOGILY / I-OLOGOFF / I-OLOGOUT / I-OLUNULAR / I-O-I-O LYNCH / I-OMACK / I-OMAMMY / I-OMANDATOR / I-OMARCATO / I-OMARGINING / I-O MARTIAN / I-OMEGOHM / I-OMENAGE / I-OMICK / I-OMINYAN / O-I-OMODULO / I-OMONOTONIC / I-OMOTORMAN / I-OMUNI / I-ONAPPY / I-ONAVALLY / I-O
NEEDLY / I-ONETTLY / I-ONONDORMANT / I-ONONFOOD / I-ONONILLIONTH / O-I-ONONMONEY / I-ONONPRINT / I-ONONTAX / I-ONONVOCAL / I-ONOODGING / I-O NOONTIDE / I-ONURTURANT / I-OOCOTILLO / I-OODEA / I-OODIC / I-OODORANT / I-OOHMAGE / I-O OOCYTE / I-OOPAH / I-OOPPONENCY / I-OORIBI / I-OORLOP / I-OORMOLU / I-O-I-OOUTROLL / I-OPALATALLY / I-OPAPILLARY / I-OPARADOR / I-OPECCANT / O-I-OPECTIC / I-O PHABLET / I-OPIEMEN / I-OPIROGI / I-OPITMEN / I-OPLUMPLY / I-OPLUMPY / I-O POLLARD / I-OPOTATION / I-OPRACTITIAN / I-OPROF / I-OPROPANOL / O-I-OPROPMAN / I-OPROPYL / I-OPULLUP / I-OQUIETEN / I-OQUINTAIN / I-ORADICAND / I-ORHINAL / I-ORHOMB / I-ORIANT / I-O
ROILY / I-OROTL / I-OROTO / I-OROTOLO / I-ORUBBLY / I-OTACTUALLY / I-O TAILFIN / O-I-OTAIN / O-I-O-I-OTELEFILM / I-O TELETYPED / I-OTELIC / I-OTELNET / I-OTHEMA / I-OTHOLE / I-OTHYMY / I-OTOLUENE / I-OTONEME / I-OTONICITY / I-O TONTINE / I-OTOOLROOM / I-OTOOTHFUL / I-OTRAINMAN / I-OTRAPPY / I-OTRULL / I-OUGLILY / I-OULULANT / I-OUNARY / I-OUNCHIC / I-OUNFOUND / I-OUNGAG / I-OUNGROWN / I-OUNHAT / I-OUNLADE / I-OUNLADED / I-OUNROOF / I-OUVEAL / I-OVACAY / O-I-OVIAND / I-OVIDIOT / I-OWINDOWED / I-OXYLENE / I-OYEAN / O-I-OYEGG / I-OYTTRIA / I-OYTTRIC / I-O
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