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Spelling Bee

September 20, 2026

By Akash Wadhwani. From the New York Times puzzle data, updated 2:21 AM ET.

77 words today and 2 pangrams. Every word uses H, letters can repeat, and the longest is 10 letters.

HACEILT
Hint 1: how many words of each length
  • 27 words of 4 letters
  • 22 words of 5 letters
  • 15 words of 6 letters
  • 9 words of 7 letters
  • 3 words of 8 letters
  • 1 word of 10 letters
Hint 2: the two-letter list
  • AC — 1
  • AT — 3
  • CA — 4
  • CH — 17
  • CL — 1
  • EA — 1
  • ET — 2
  • HA — 11
  • HE — 10
  • HI — 4
  • IT — 1
  • LA — 3
  • LE — 4
  • LI — 2
  • TA — 1
  • TE — 6
  • TH — 4
  • TI — 2
Hint 3: the pangram, first letter only
  • A······· — 8 letters
  • E······ — 7 letters

Today's pangram, and every answer

ATHLETIC · ETHICAL

  • A ACHE, ATHLETE, ATTACH, ATTACHE
  • C CACHE, CACHET, CATCH, CATCHALL, CHAI, CHALET, CHALICE, CHALLAH, CHAT, CHATTEL, CHEAT, CHEETAH, CHIA, CHIC, CHICA, CHICHI, CHICLE, CHILI, CHILL, CHIT, CHITCHAT, CLICHE
  • E EACH, ETCH, ETHIC
  • H HAIL, HALAL, HALE, HALITE, HALL, HALT, HATCH, HATCHET, HATE, HATH, HATHA, HEAL, HEALTH, HEAT, HEATH, HECTIC, HEEL, HELIACAL, HELICAL, HELL, HELLCAT, HIATAL, HILL, HILT, HITCH
  • I ITCH
  • L LATCH, LATH, LATHE, LEACH, LECH, LEECH, LETHAL, LITCHI, LITHE
  • T TACH, TEACH, TECH, TECHIE, TEETH, TEETHE, TELEHEALTH, THAT, THATCH, THEE, THETA, TILTH, TITHE

The two-letter list

That list counts how many answers start with each pair of letters, which is the hint most Bee players want, because it tells you where the gap is without handing you the word. If you are one short and the count says 1 word starts with AC, you know where to look.

Spelling Bee is seven letters. This one is one sentence.

One real news sentence a day, twenty to thirty words, something that actually happened. Keep the five words a headline would keep and let the rest go. Here is yesterday's, solved.

At Camden Lock, a 71-year-old woman, Beatrice Millar, took off her shoes, jumped in after a drowning man and saved him by holding his head above water.

Five tries. blue is the right word in the right place, orange is one of the five sitting somewhere else, grey is not one of them. The result beats the process, a name or a job beats a place, and the little words never count.

How you finish decides which sticker you keep.

Got it in oneClean copyFirst editionSo closeSince day one
Play today's sentence ›

FAQ

What is today's Spelling Bee pangram?

For September 20, 2026: ATHLETIC, ETHICAL.

How many words are in today's Spelling Bee?

77.

What are today's Spelling Bee letters?

H in the middle, with A, C, E, I, L, T.

When does this page update?

Within a few hours of midnight Eastern, from the New York Times puzzle data for the day. Today: 2:21 AM ET.

Is this the official Spelling Bee site?

No. Official Spelling Bee is on the New York Times. This page is unofficial hints and answers, then Long Story Short, a different game.

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