Resources: NYTimes Features about the Spelling Bee
Gathered here are news articles, features, interviews, news releases, podcasts, selected social media posts, and other material produced by the New York Times to share or announce information about the Spelling Bee.
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.
Times Insider: Why You Sometimes See Naughty Words in NYT GamesNew York Times, August 5, 2026https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/insider/games-language-wordle-crossplay-spelling-bee.htmlPuzzle editors choose solutions based on curated references and human judgment. But there’s more freedom in the guesses players can make. How to talk about your Spelling Bee scoreNew York Times Instagram, June 22 2026https://www.instagram.com/nytgames/p/DZ4lFTpFiP7/In addition to all the words you can make with seven letters, there’s a whole language buzzing inside the Spelling Bee Forum. Spelling Bee editor Sam Ezersky has a trivia question for you!NY Times Instagram, February 24, 2026https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVKEMSZEufN/
Which Spelling Bee puzzle will make it to the top spot?NYTimes Instagram, February 05, 2026https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUYQNYgDmbU/Puzzle editors Sam Ezersky and Joel Fagliano continue their blind rankings in part two.
We asked puzzle editors Sam Ezersky and Joel Fagliano to blind rank ten Spelling Bee boards. NYTimes Instagram, February 04, 2026https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUVZ1JMlwW3/Watch them chat about their ranking strategy and which letter combinations they love. Which set of letters do you think will top the list?
The Hardest and Easiest Spelling Bee Words of 2025.New York Times, December 16, 2025https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/upshot/spelling-bee-words-2025.html[Questionable interpretation of statistics.]
Want to reach Queen Bee status?NYTimes Instagram, December 05, 2025https://www.instagram.com/reel/DR4VUi7gRW9/Spelling Bee editor Sam Ezersky shares three tips to help you rise in the ranks. Robert Vinluan, @nytgames lead product designer, described how he designs Beeatrice’s various hats.New York Times Instagram, October 30 2025https://www.instagram.com/mynytimes/reel/DQb83u-AC8D/
Gamify your gameplay with Badges from New York Times Games: Celebrate your achievements in Wordle, Spelling Bee and ConnectionsNew York Times News Release, October 24, 2025https://www.nytco.com/press/gamify-your-gameplay-with-badges-from-new-york-times-games/New York Times Games players can now earn badges playing Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections, giving them new ways to celebrate their achievements, reflect on their progress, and help them discover different ways to play.
The Pyrotechnics of Puzzles: How NYT Games are madeNew York Times ‘The Daily,’ October 11, 2025https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/podcasts/the-daily/nyt-games-connections-crossword.htmlIn a special, subscriber-only episode of “The Daily,” a team of editors from The New York Times’s Games department takes us behind the scenes. Wyna Liu, Joel Fagliano and Sam Ezersky discuss what goes into making games such as the Mini Crossword, Connections, the Spelling Bee and more. Guests: Wyna Liu, who writes the daily Connections puzzle and is an editor of the New York Times Crossword; Joel Fagliano, who created the Mini, and Sam Ezersky, who edits the Spelling Bee and Letterboxed.Unedited transcript: https://podcasts.happyscribe.com/the-daily/the-pyrotechnics-of-puzzles-how-nyt-games-are-made“How do you create the spelling bee for the day?” begins at 18:26. The Making of BeeatriceNew York Times Instagram, September 23, 2025https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO8kiBGEo2F/?hl=enRobert Vinluan, a lead product designer on the Games team, describes the lore behind Spelling Bee’s cartoon mascot.
Happy Spelling Bee-Day [7th birthday of the Spelling Bee]New York Times Instagram, May 9, 2025https://www.instagram.com/p/DJb4vmKOsLx/
New York Times Games Launches Multi-Game Leaderboard, Letting Solvers Celebrate Daily WinsNew York Times News Release, May 1, 2025https://www.nytco.com/press/nyt-games-launches-multi-game-leaderboard/Track the scores of your fellow puzzle people across even more games, all in one place. Whether you’re a first-time puzzler or a seasoned solver, you can now showcase your daily triumphs and fuel your friendly rivalries across Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee and the Mini Crossword — in a brand-new leaderboard.
Times Insider: Spelling Bee Lets Solvers Have Plurals (for One Day)New York Times, April 6 2025https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/pageoneplus/spelling-bee-s.htmlRelenting to their audience, the editors behind a popular New York Times game decided to break a rule.
To Celebrate the 2,500th Spelling Bee Puzzle, NYT Games Thanks Its Most Scrupulous Spellers with a Special SolveNew York Times News Release, March 12, 2025https://www.nytco.com/press/celebrating-the-2500th-spelling-bee-puzzle/2,500 puzzles later, we’ve finally done it…the letter “S” has made its way into today’s Spelling Bee puzzle (March 12, 2025) in celebration of this special occasion. The other 25 letters of the alphabet have all appeared time and time again dating back to the start of the puzzle in 2018, but this will be a first for the letter “S” – a game board debut that the Spelling Bee community has been asking for throughout the years. NYT Games Digital Puzzles Editor, Sam Ezersky, shares more on creating this special solve and what this milestone means for Spelling Bee.
Why do we have human games editors? [Spelling Bee Editor Sam Ezersky explains.]New York Times Instagram, September 03, 2024https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_dZxiaR_de/Transcription by LexiConnexxions: “You’re probably wondering why does a game like Spelling Bee even need an editor to begin with? Content can be turned out algorithmically, right? … I edit the Spelling Bee on a daily basis; my fingerprints are all over these puzzles. The point of a human editor for any game is to be able to just tailor this game to its audience better, it’s being able to make this game live and breathe. Algorithmic stuff can only capture so much of the fun quotient. As a human editor I get to do my best to put myself in your human shoes. What could be fun in a puzzle? It’s not even just about my own opinion, it’s like, what are the sorts of things can I learn from you all as I edit the Spelling Bee on a day to day basis? My role is for Spelling Bee, in the almost six years I’ve edited this game, is to be able to have this game really live and breathe and evolve with its audience. If I’m here, you can continue to just feel that this game is not just something that’s being churned out by a bot.” Putting New York Times Games to the Test: Meet some of the people who play each game and solve each puzzle before subscribers see themNew York Times, May 20 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/20/crosswords/nyt-games-puzzles-testing.html
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 mindNew York Times Instagram, May 03, 2024https://www.instagram.com/mynytimes/reel/C6hGGQbRK09/Transcript by LexiConnexxions: SE: “So, if you’ve ever popped by our daily Spelling Bee forum on Wordplay, you’re probably seeing the most top-liked comment is from this guy STEVE G. Steve G gives comprehensive hints at like 0:dark:30 for every single word that you can find in that day’s puzzle. It is fascinating! And Steve G isn’t even alone, there are actually many of you who pop by to leave your hints on the day’s puzzle, however early, just to help each other out. The hints themselves are amazing, less work for me to do, you all can figure it out on your own! But also, it’s just another indicator of how supportive and cohesive this #hivemind community is.” Editor Sam Ezersky has some choice words for Spelling Bee hint writer Steve G. 👀👀New York Times Instagram, May 03, 2024https://www.instagram.com/p/C6gjZAzu4cf/Transcript by LexiConnexxionsSE [B&W, ominous music] I’m actually pretty surprised that the New York Times is letting me say what I’ve gotta get off my chest right now. [pause] STEVE G, if you’re listening, I have an important message to deliver. How do I put this? [pause] [color, upbeat music] Thank you! Thank you for everything that you are doing for us! Your work is amazing, you get up at 0:dark:30, you blitz this puzzle every day, your hints are bangers, everybody gets to Queen now, you absolutely open the flood gates, we all are inspired to make hints of our own, we all want to lift each other up, thanks to you, my man!
Part of being the Spelling Bee editor means answering to the 🐝 hive mind 🐝. Sam Ezersky shares his most unexpected moments on the jobNew York Times Instagram, April 30, 2024https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Y8AjKuUmJ/Transcription by LexiConnexxions.SE: What are some of the most surprising, funny, fascinating moments since I’ve been editing Spelling Bee? Let me tell you, there’s so much to choose from. So originally the word RAFFIA was omitted from the Spelling Bee word list. My mistake! Somebody shipped 72 yards of raffia in a coil ordered off Amazon to me saying “Hey, this is raffia, you should add this to the word list!” You guys are so funny! I’m also thinking about some goofy pangrams or words normally accepted in the game, like BACKROOM: Everybody just found BARACKOBAMA instead. I can’t just add the name of a former president to the word list. Another pangram was HANDBOOK but everybody seemed to find BADONKADONK. And then of course there are some of the words that actually should have been in there. My word list was not, shall we say, up to date, and didn’t have the pangram CLICKBAIT on a day that those letters ran. And Steve Martin, the great Steve Martin tweeted out, saying, “Hey New York Times, you need to get out more.” It was really embarrassing at first, but now I just find this sort of thing hysterical. The degree of creativity that the #Hivemind has is unparallelled. Not anything that I ever could have expected when I started editing this game.
Here's why some loanwords from foreign languages count in Spelling Bee.https://www.tiktok.com/@thegamesteam/video/7357803650892320042New York Times TikTok, April 14, 2024Transcription by LexiConnexxions.Q from a player (posted 2023-12-6): Can you address why sometimes words in other languages count and sometimes they don’t? What’s your barometer there?A from Sam Ezersky (2024-04-14): If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 5+ years of doing this, it’s that the English language is really quirky, and for some reason, there are words that are considered loan words from other languages and cultures that are listed in English-language dictionaries, and some words that aren’t, and it’s confusing because sometimes there are words that you know and I know, but they’re not listed in these English-language dictionaries, and I’d rather make judgement calls based off, you know, a dictionary backing than Sam’s own personal vibe check. Of course, deepest sympathies because it sometimes seems arbitrary at the end of the day, but the line has to be drawn somewhere, even if it’s on an albeit weird parameter.
These Spelling Bee Hint Writers Want to Help You Get to GeniusNew 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. Teaser TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@thegamesteam/photo/7353368043982048555
Getting to Genius, Part 1: Spelling Bee for BeginnersNew York Times, September 11, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/crosswords/getting-to-genius-part-1.html
Getting to Genius, Part 2: Becoming Queen BeeNew York Times, September 11, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/crosswords/getting-to-genius-part-2.html
Introducing Spelling Bee Buddy: Your Personalized Daily Bee HelperNew York Times, April 10, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/upshot/spelling-bee-buddy-introduction.html
Introducing Spelling Bee past puzzlesNew York Times News Release, May 30, 2023https://www.nytco.com/press/spelling-bee-past-puzzles/Since the online Spelling Bee was launched in May 2018, “millions of solvers around the world have enjoyed the word puzzle game. In 2022, Spelling Bee was played more than 440 million times, with solvers reaching the maximum rank of Genius over 77 million times.”
How to Change Up Your Gameplay With New Twists: If playing the same way every day doesn’t suit you, try these tips to keep things interesting. [INCLUDES A SECTION ON SPELLING BEE]New York Times, March 08, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/crosswords/refreshing-gameplay.html
Every Single Pangram of 2022: A recap of all the Spelling Bee puzzles from the last yearNew York Times, January 03, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/crosswords/all-spelling-bee-pangrams.html
A Spelling Bee That Rocked the Forum: Players had strong opinions about the Friday, Oct. 14 puzzleNew 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.”
New York Times Games Invites Spelling Bee Players to Game for GoodNew York Times News Release, September 08, 2022https://www.nytco.com/press/new-york-times-games-invites-spelling-bee-players-to-game-for-good/ Includes this: “millions of people … play Spelling Bee every day”
Your Spelling Bee Questions, Answered: Sam Ezersky on how he crafts the Bee and how to be a better solverNew York Times, August 14, 2022https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/14/briefing/spelling-bee-questions-and-answers.html
How My Multilingual Upbringing Helps Me Solve Spelling BeeNew York Times, March 07, 2022https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/crosswords/polyglot-solving-spelling-bee.htmlA “woefully confused polyglot” discovers which non-English words have become common enough to count toward her Spelling Bee score.
How the Hivemind Conquers Spelling BeeNew York Times, December 09, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/crosswords/spellingbee-tips.html
Buzzy Puzzles: 5 Spelling Bee Games to Use in the ClassroomNew York Times, October 20, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/learning/buzzy-puzzles-5-spelling-bee-games-to-use-in-the-classroom.html
An Insomniac Plays Spelling Bee: A pre-dawn game brings up more than just wordsNew York Times, August 25, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/crosswords/an-insomniac-plays-spelling-bee.html
Flight of the Spelling Bee PlayerNew 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.
William Jackson Harper Solves the NYT Spelling Bee [with Sam Ezersky and Deb Amlen]New York Times on YouTube, April 16, 2021https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2A9t8Ozg_sWatch crossword columnist Deb Amlen and Spelling Bee editor Sam Ezersky, as they solve the Spelling Bee with actor William Jackson Harper …Then, they’ll share secret places to get hints — and give you a sneak peek of an upcoming puzzle.
The Genius of Spelling BeeNew 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.
The Upshot: included a weekly feature “Top 10 Hardest and Easiest Spelling Bee Words.” [discontinued]https://www.nytimes.com/section/upshotNYTimes, November 18, 2023“This is the last weekly edition of this list. We’ve enjoyed scouring the archives, but as words on the list repeat themselves more often, it’s covering the same ground more frequently than we’d like. We deeply appreciate the readers who’ve tuned in each week!”Final Isssue: “Top 10 Hardest and Easiest Spelling Bee Words, Nov. 11-17”https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/upshot/spelling-bee-words.html
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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.
SPELLING BEE STARTER KIT
The Spelling Bee Gamehttps://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee
Glossary of Spelling Bee Termshttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/crosswords/spelling-bee-forum-introduction.html
Spelling Bee Buddyhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/upshot/spelling-bee-buddy.htmlAn interactive tool that provides personalized hints and statistics for your daily Spelling Bee game.
Suggest a word for Spelling BeeA link within the [puzzle interface] opens a form by which players may suggest words to be included in the Bee. The suggestion form is here: https://nyti.ms/4pG5SOFPlayers may also email their suggestions to buzzwords@nytimes.com, especially to include more information than the form allows.
Provide feedback to the New York Times about the Spelling Beehttps://iteratehq.com/nytimes/6776de5d8b6862943a0fb831
New York Times Help page for all gameshttps://help.nytimes.com/360011158491-New-York-Times-Games
New York Times Help page for Spelling Beehttps://help.nytimes.com/23675493312404-Spelling-Bee
Glossary of Spelling Bee Termshttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/crosswords/spelling-bee-forum-introduction.html
Spelling Bee Buddyhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/upshot/spelling-bee-buddy.htmlAn interactive tool that provides personalized hints and statistics for your daily Spelling Bee game.
Suggest a word for Spelling BeeA link within the [puzzle interface] opens a form by which players may suggest words to be included in the Bee. The suggestion form is here: https://nyti.ms/4pG5SOFPlayers may also email their suggestions to buzzwords@nytimes.com, especially to include more information than the form allows.
Provide feedback to the New York Times about the Spelling Beehttps://iteratehq.com/nytimes/6776de5d8b6862943a0fb831
New York Times Help page for all gameshttps://help.nytimes.com/360011158491-New-York-Times-Games
New York Times Help page for Spelling Beehttps://help.nytimes.com/23675493312404-Spelling-Bee