Resources: Spelling Bee Forum & Community
Gathered here are selected news articles, features, interviews, news releases, podcasts, selected social media posts, and other material from the New York Times and other sources about the Spelling Bee forum and the worldwide Spelling Bee community.
Some of the items listed here may also be included in other portions of this LexiConnexxions feature.
Items are listed in chronological order, with the newest given first.
If you cite information from this LexiConnexxions report, please give credit and a link to this page. These reports and analyses are compiled and prepared by a human being, not a machine. Thank you.
CAVEAT LECTOR: All the resources in this guide have been reviewed for reasonable quality. Some of the citations in this listing include content notes and/or gentle caveats from LexiConnexxions, usually in [square brackets]. Content at external links may change or disappear, or the links themselves may die or disappear. The existence, content, safety, and security of third-party sites is beyond our control.
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Spelling Bee forum.https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/spelling-bee-forum
Your Guide to the Gameplay Forums.New York Times, September 30, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/crosswords/gameplay-forums.html
Test Your Skills as a Games Moderator.New York Times, July 29, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/29/crosswords/29community-lab-quiz.html Try your hand at the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the Games community forums.
Nobody’s doing it like Steve G and the Spelling Bee hint writers. We chatted with editor Sam Ezersky about the heroes of the hive mind.New York Times Instagram, May 3, 2024https://www.instagram.com/mynytimes/reel/C6hGGQbRK09/
Editor Sam Ezersky has some choice words for Spelling Bee hint writer Steve G. 👀👀New York Times Instagram, May 3, 2024https://www.instagram.com/p/C6gjZAzu4cf/
Part of being the Spelling Bee editor means answering to the 🐝 hive mind 🐝. Sam Ezersky shares his most unexpected moments on the job.New York Times Instagram, April 30, 2024https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Y8AjKuUmJ/
Promotions and New Hires on Audience.New York Times News Release, April 23, 2024https://www.nytco.com/press/promotions-and-new-hires-on-audience/An announcement of new hires at our host platform, including that “Greg Mills has formally joined the comment moderation team, with a special focus on our fast-growing Games community and our weekend needs. ... Greg will work with Elie Levine from Games to coach the rest of the team on the unique shorthand and special characteristics of comments on our games so that we can pay closer attention to our global community of solvers around the clock.”
These Spelling Bee Hint Writers Want to Help You Get to Genius.New York Times, April 1, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/crosswords/spelling-bee-hints.htmlFour enthusiasts talk about why they wake up in the middle of the night to write hints for other Spelling Bee solvers.
The Nicest Place on the Internet.New York Times, January 21, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/briefing/new-york-times-games-community.htmlCommunities around the Crossword, Spelling Bee and more help beginners fall in love with puzzles.
Getting Myself Back, One Puzzle at a Time.New York Times, December 04, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/04/crosswords/cognitive-therapy-brain-injury-puzzles.htmlAfter a devastating injury damaged his cognitive abilities, word games helped the author build new ways to shape his thoughts. A Spelling Bee That Rocked the Forum: Players had strong opinions about the Friday, Oct. 14 puzzle.New York Times, December 29, 2022https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/crosswords/spelling-bee-community-talking-about.htmlMr. Ezersky reads the forum, and he does take players’ feedback into account. “That’s actually the main reason why I lurk,” Mr. Ezersky said. “It’s not primarily to collect feedback on the word list itself, but to truly immerse myself in the community. What conversations take place in and around the game? What role does it have in our daily lives? How does it bring us all together?” He added, “Not only is it all delightful to witness, but staggering.”
How the Hivemind Conquers Spelling Bee.New York Times, December 9, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/crosswords/spellingbee-tips.html
Flight of the Spelling Bee Player.New York Times, June 25, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/crosswords/spellingbee-puzzles-essay.htmlNancy Pfeffer, a devoted member of the Twitter “hivemind,” grew so enchanted with the game’s online community that she set off on a cross-country trip to meet them in real life.
The Genius of Spelling Bee.New York Times, October 16, 2020; updated Aug. 31, 2022https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/crosswords/spellingbee-puzzles.htmlThe game’s path to success was paved with a beehive in the Sunday magazine, solvers waking up at 3 a.m. to play and a global “hivemind” that exists to troll a New York Times editor.
Your Guide to the Gameplay Forums.New York Times, September 30, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/crosswords/gameplay-forums.html
Test Your Skills as a Games Moderator.New York Times, July 29, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/29/crosswords/29community-lab-quiz.html Try your hand at the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the Games community forums.
Nobody’s doing it like Steve G and the Spelling Bee hint writers. We chatted with editor Sam Ezersky about the heroes of the hive mind.New York Times Instagram, May 3, 2024https://www.instagram.com/mynytimes/reel/C6hGGQbRK09/
Editor Sam Ezersky has some choice words for Spelling Bee hint writer Steve G. 👀👀New York Times Instagram, May 3, 2024https://www.instagram.com/p/C6gjZAzu4cf/
Part of being the Spelling Bee editor means answering to the 🐝 hive mind 🐝. Sam Ezersky shares his most unexpected moments on the job.New York Times Instagram, April 30, 2024https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Y8AjKuUmJ/
Promotions and New Hires on Audience.New York Times News Release, April 23, 2024https://www.nytco.com/press/promotions-and-new-hires-on-audience/An announcement of new hires at our host platform, including that “Greg Mills has formally joined the comment moderation team, with a special focus on our fast-growing Games community and our weekend needs. ... Greg will work with Elie Levine from Games to coach the rest of the team on the unique shorthand and special characteristics of comments on our games so that we can pay closer attention to our global community of solvers around the clock.”
These Spelling Bee Hint Writers Want to Help You Get to Genius.New York Times, April 1, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/crosswords/spelling-bee-hints.htmlFour enthusiasts talk about why they wake up in the middle of the night to write hints for other Spelling Bee solvers.
The Nicest Place on the Internet.New York Times, January 21, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/briefing/new-york-times-games-community.htmlCommunities around the Crossword, Spelling Bee and more help beginners fall in love with puzzles.
Getting Myself Back, One Puzzle at a Time.New York Times, December 04, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/04/crosswords/cognitive-therapy-brain-injury-puzzles.htmlAfter a devastating injury damaged his cognitive abilities, word games helped the author build new ways to shape his thoughts. A Spelling Bee That Rocked the Forum: Players had strong opinions about the Friday, Oct. 14 puzzle.New York Times, December 29, 2022https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/crosswords/spelling-bee-community-talking-about.htmlMr. Ezersky reads the forum, and he does take players’ feedback into account. “That’s actually the main reason why I lurk,” Mr. Ezersky said. “It’s not primarily to collect feedback on the word list itself, but to truly immerse myself in the community. What conversations take place in and around the game? What role does it have in our daily lives? How does it bring us all together?” He added, “Not only is it all delightful to witness, but staggering.”
How the Hivemind Conquers Spelling Bee.New York Times, December 9, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/crosswords/spellingbee-tips.html
Flight of the Spelling Bee Player.New York Times, June 25, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/crosswords/spellingbee-puzzles-essay.htmlNancy Pfeffer, a devoted member of the Twitter “hivemind,” grew so enchanted with the game’s online community that she set off on a cross-country trip to meet them in real life.
The Genius of Spelling Bee.New York Times, October 16, 2020; updated Aug. 31, 2022https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/crosswords/spellingbee-puzzles.htmlThe game’s path to success was paved with a beehive in the Sunday magazine, solvers waking up at 3 a.m. to play and a global “hivemind” that exists to troll a New York Times editor.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
I AM GOING TO FIGHT SAM EZERSKY.A zine by Sarajea MartinReddit Spelling Bee Subreddit, July 1, 2026https://www.reddit.com/r/NYTSpellingBee/comments/1ukqvaa/a_loving_rant/A silly rant about words and spelling.
Hello Puzzlers: Special Guest Sam Ezersky.The "Hello Puzzlers" podcast has posted an episode recorded at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in May. Among the guests was Spelling Bee editor Sam Ezersky (who was a crossword constructor long before he became Bee editor). The segment with Sam E, in which he discusses the Spelling Bee (esp word selection), begins at 38:00.Hello Puzzlers Podcast, April 12 2026https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMrHaTEppvg
Observe and Quantify: Can a Spelling Bee Produce Honey?Medium, March 17, 2026https://medium.com/@katy112287/observe-and-quantify-93f89543020d“Was there a way to connect my love of the New York Times Spelling Bee to the actual science of beekeeping and honey production?”
The Roundtable.WAMC, January 16, 2026https://www.wamc.org/podcast/the-roundtable/2026-01-17/roundtable-panel-the-week-in-review-episode-250Casual and incidental discussion of Spelling Bee starts at 3:59; not related to the scheduled topics.
The Best of Julie Mihaly's NYT Spelling Bee by the Book.by Julie Mihaly, July 31, 2025https://www.blurb.com/b/12503713-the-best-of-julie-mihaly-s-nyt-spelling-bee-by-thA compendium of humorous, parody book covers inspired by at least one word that's appeared in The New York Times Spelling Bee puzzles over the last two years. [Many of these are NSFW.]
The Day My Dad Stopped Doing the NYT Spelling Bee.The Bucket, April 5, 2025https://thebucketonline.substack.com/p/the-day-my-dad-stopped-doing-the
I’m a writer, so how does my statistician partner beat me at word games?WA Today [Western Australia Today], June 30, 2024https://www.watoday.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/i-m-a-writer-so-how-does-my-statistician-partner-beat-me-at-word-games-20240612-p5jl8c.html"Most mornings, as we sip our coffees, my partner and I play Wordle. …The trouble comes when we play Spelling Bee, which is not at all a game of chance… Now, I am a writer. I work with words. I should be good at this game. But ‘should be’ doesn’t always translate to ‘is’, and … I am not good at this game. It can take me hours to spot the seven-letter word, and I often miss it entirely. And this would be fine – we’re all bad at something! – except that my partner gets it quickly, almost every single time."
The New York Times Spelling Bee & The Mystery of “Steve G."Can I Tell You Something (podcast) Episode 8, August 23, 2023https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6qxLZHlWycOn this week’s episode, we delve into the history of the popular New York Times mobile games, Worldle, Crosswords, and Spelling Bee. … There has been a mystery brewing in the back of minds as to the illusive [sic] identity of the (almost) critically acclaimed “Steve G”, Spelling Bee player. If you have played this game before, you will surely know of who [sic] we speak. Tune in for a sleuthing escapade in which we hunt for Steve G’s identity, in a non-creepy way.”
By a Landslide.A Way with Words, March 13 2023, Episode 1611https://www.waywordradio.org/by-a-landslide/The segment of interest begins at 2:00. As described in the episode summary: “Puzzling over the New York Times Spelling Bee, [a caller] played the word pipped, but was surprised that the game disallowed it. … It’s true that the word is commonly used in British English, but as Bee editor Sam Ezersky has explained, the game’s answers are selected from curated lists compiled from some dictionaries and not others, and those parameters are also part of the challenge.”
Word Puzzles with Michael ShowalterFilling The Void, Season 3, Ep. 5, Tuesday, March 07, 2023https://shows.acast.com/ftv/episodes/word-puzzles-with-michael-showalterOn this week’s Filling the Void, Lesley chats with director Michael Showalter on his word puzzle hobby. From the New York Times Spelling Bee to the Wordle/Quordle/Octordle universe, Showalter describes how one word game spiraled into a daily obsession …
Are You A NYT Spelling Bee Addict, Too?Stacey EskelinCappuccino (Substack), January 28, 2023https://cappuccino.substack.com/p/are-you-a-nyt-spelling-bee-addictA very funny article that also includes tips and tricks and this pithy observation: “Acceptable words do not include words that are hyphenated, a proper noun, or that qualify as ‘obscure,’ except when they’re totally obscure, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
queen bees and geniusesThe Last Word on Nothing (shared writers’ blog), July 13, 2022https://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2022/07/13/queen-bees-and-geniuses/“I have become so dependent on this habit of mine that last weekend, upon waking up in the forest, I realized I had no reception and felt a twinge of disappointment that I couldn’t do Spelling Bee while drinking my instant coffee.”
The New York Times Spelling BeeWNYC, January 13, 2022 (13 minutes)https://www.wnyc.org/story/new-york-times-spelling-bee/New York Times digital puzzles editor Sam Ezersky joins us to talk about the “Spelling Bee.” We also ask callers about their feelings about the bee.
How Word Puzzles Tickle the Brain and Satisfy the SoulLiterary Hub, April 27, 2022https://lithub.com/how-word-puzzles-tickle-the-brain-and-satisfy-the-soul/A delightful article combining one player’s middle-of-the-night word finding with an interview with the puzzle editor.
To Bee or Not to Bee?Vocabulary.com blog, March 18, 2021https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/candlepwr/to-bee-or-not-to-bee/
On Bee-ingDesign Observer, December 23, 2020https://designobserver.com/feature/on-bee-ing/40373A designer’s “addiction” to the New York Times Spelling Bee, which he calls “equal parts joy and torture.”
secrets of the spelling beeNothing to Prove (blog), November 16, 2020https://mattomath.wordpress.com/2020/11/16/secrets-of-the-spelling-bee/Interesting statistics and speculations about the Bee lexicon and the rates at which words are added
The New York Times Spelling Bee game makes sense during these scrambled timesRochester Democrat and Chronicle, August 24, 2020https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/columnists/memmott/2020/08/24/the-new-york-times-spelling-bee-game-makes-sense-during-these-scrambled-times/113474864/My wife stares at a computer screen. “I’m great,” she says, frustration evident. I know at this moment that she’s working through The New York Times game called Spelling Bee.
Spelling Bee: Why I’m Completely Obsessed with The Best Puzzle on The InternetGrazia, July 25, 2020https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/new-york-times-spelling-bee/
Tomtit & Baobab: A Bee-Inspired PodcastTwo life-long friends, chat, rant and rave about words, word games, and the New York Times Spelling Bee. Available via many podcast services.
Hello Puzzlers: Special Guest Sam Ezersky.The "Hello Puzzlers" podcast has posted an episode recorded at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in May. Among the guests was Spelling Bee editor Sam Ezersky (who was a crossword constructor long before he became Bee editor). The segment with Sam E, in which he discusses the Spelling Bee (esp word selection), begins at 38:00.Hello Puzzlers Podcast, April 12 2026https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMrHaTEppvg
Observe and Quantify: Can a Spelling Bee Produce Honey?Medium, March 17, 2026https://medium.com/@katy112287/observe-and-quantify-93f89543020d“Was there a way to connect my love of the New York Times Spelling Bee to the actual science of beekeeping and honey production?”
The Roundtable.WAMC, January 16, 2026https://www.wamc.org/podcast/the-roundtable/2026-01-17/roundtable-panel-the-week-in-review-episode-250Casual and incidental discussion of Spelling Bee starts at 3:59; not related to the scheduled topics.
The Best of Julie Mihaly's NYT Spelling Bee by the Book.by Julie Mihaly, July 31, 2025https://www.blurb.com/b/12503713-the-best-of-julie-mihaly-s-nyt-spelling-bee-by-thA compendium of humorous, parody book covers inspired by at least one word that's appeared in The New York Times Spelling Bee puzzles over the last two years. [Many of these are NSFW.]
The Day My Dad Stopped Doing the NYT Spelling Bee.The Bucket, April 5, 2025https://thebucketonline.substack.com/p/the-day-my-dad-stopped-doing-the
I’m a writer, so how does my statistician partner beat me at word games?WA Today [Western Australia Today], June 30, 2024https://www.watoday.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/i-m-a-writer-so-how-does-my-statistician-partner-beat-me-at-word-games-20240612-p5jl8c.html"Most mornings, as we sip our coffees, my partner and I play Wordle. …The trouble comes when we play Spelling Bee, which is not at all a game of chance… Now, I am a writer. I work with words. I should be good at this game. But ‘should be’ doesn’t always translate to ‘is’, and … I am not good at this game. It can take me hours to spot the seven-letter word, and I often miss it entirely. And this would be fine – we’re all bad at something! – except that my partner gets it quickly, almost every single time."
The New York Times Spelling Bee & The Mystery of “Steve G."Can I Tell You Something (podcast) Episode 8, August 23, 2023https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6qxLZHlWycOn this week’s episode, we delve into the history of the popular New York Times mobile games, Worldle, Crosswords, and Spelling Bee. … There has been a mystery brewing in the back of minds as to the illusive [sic] identity of the (almost) critically acclaimed “Steve G”, Spelling Bee player. If you have played this game before, you will surely know of who [sic] we speak. Tune in for a sleuthing escapade in which we hunt for Steve G’s identity, in a non-creepy way.”
By a Landslide.A Way with Words, March 13 2023, Episode 1611https://www.waywordradio.org/by-a-landslide/The segment of interest begins at 2:00. As described in the episode summary: “Puzzling over the New York Times Spelling Bee, [a caller] played the word pipped, but was surprised that the game disallowed it. … It’s true that the word is commonly used in British English, but as Bee editor Sam Ezersky has explained, the game’s answers are selected from curated lists compiled from some dictionaries and not others, and those parameters are also part of the challenge.”
Word Puzzles with Michael ShowalterFilling The Void, Season 3, Ep. 5, Tuesday, March 07, 2023https://shows.acast.com/ftv/episodes/word-puzzles-with-michael-showalterOn this week’s Filling the Void, Lesley chats with director Michael Showalter on his word puzzle hobby. From the New York Times Spelling Bee to the Wordle/Quordle/Octordle universe, Showalter describes how one word game spiraled into a daily obsession …
Are You A NYT Spelling Bee Addict, Too?Stacey EskelinCappuccino (Substack), January 28, 2023https://cappuccino.substack.com/p/are-you-a-nyt-spelling-bee-addictA very funny article that also includes tips and tricks and this pithy observation: “Acceptable words do not include words that are hyphenated, a proper noun, or that qualify as ‘obscure,’ except when they’re totally obscure, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
queen bees and geniusesThe Last Word on Nothing (shared writers’ blog), July 13, 2022https://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2022/07/13/queen-bees-and-geniuses/“I have become so dependent on this habit of mine that last weekend, upon waking up in the forest, I realized I had no reception and felt a twinge of disappointment that I couldn’t do Spelling Bee while drinking my instant coffee.”
The New York Times Spelling BeeWNYC, January 13, 2022 (13 minutes)https://www.wnyc.org/story/new-york-times-spelling-bee/New York Times digital puzzles editor Sam Ezersky joins us to talk about the “Spelling Bee.” We also ask callers about their feelings about the bee.
How Word Puzzles Tickle the Brain and Satisfy the SoulLiterary Hub, April 27, 2022https://lithub.com/how-word-puzzles-tickle-the-brain-and-satisfy-the-soul/A delightful article combining one player’s middle-of-the-night word finding with an interview with the puzzle editor.
To Bee or Not to Bee?Vocabulary.com blog, March 18, 2021https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/candlepwr/to-bee-or-not-to-bee/
On Bee-ingDesign Observer, December 23, 2020https://designobserver.com/feature/on-bee-ing/40373A designer’s “addiction” to the New York Times Spelling Bee, which he calls “equal parts joy and torture.”
secrets of the spelling beeNothing to Prove (blog), November 16, 2020https://mattomath.wordpress.com/2020/11/16/secrets-of-the-spelling-bee/Interesting statistics and speculations about the Bee lexicon and the rates at which words are added
The New York Times Spelling Bee game makes sense during these scrambled timesRochester Democrat and Chronicle, August 24, 2020https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/columnists/memmott/2020/08/24/the-new-york-times-spelling-bee-game-makes-sense-during-these-scrambled-times/113474864/My wife stares at a computer screen. “I’m great,” she says, frustration evident. I know at this moment that she’s working through The New York Times game called Spelling Bee.
Spelling Bee: Why I’m Completely Obsessed with The Best Puzzle on The InternetGrazia, July 25, 2020https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/new-york-times-spelling-bee/
Tomtit & Baobab: A Bee-Inspired PodcastTwo life-long friends, chat, rant and rave about words, word games, and the New York Times Spelling Bee. Available via many podcast services.