NYT Spelling Bee Answers & Hints — August 20, 2026
- 47Total words
- 262Total points
- 183Genius
- 1Pangram
The pangram for August 20, 2026
Every letter used at least once — worth a bonus 7 points on top of the length score.
Letter by letter
7 letters · tap any tile to reveal just that letter.
Spelling Bee hints for August 20, 2026
Three levels of help, gentlest first — take only as much as you need. Skip straight to the answers →
Words per starting letter
The gentlest nudge — which letters do the heavy lifting today.
Two-letter tally
How many words start with each pair — if a pair isn't here, nothing starts with it.
- go1
- gu1
- ig2
- in6
- no2
- on1
- ou5
- qu4
- ti4
- to11
- tu6
- un4
Word length grid
The most specific spoiler-free hint — hunt a missing word by its length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 2 |
| I | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 3 | 2 | – | 8 |
| N | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| O | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 |
| Q | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 4 |
| T | 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 1 | – | – | 21 |
| U | 2 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 4 |
| Σ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 47 |
Spelling Bee answers for August 20, 2026
The full word list, grouped by length — pangram first, then longest to shortest. Tap a group to reveal.
P
- quoting14
10
- outgunning10
9
- intuiting9
- intuition9
8
- igniting8
- ignition8
- intoning8
- outgoing8
- quitting8
- tonguing8
- untuning8
7
- gutting7
- tinging7
- tinning7
- tinting7
- togging7
- tonging7
- tooting7
- touting7
- tugging7
- tuition7
- tutting7
- uniting7
6
- intuit6
- noting6
- notion6
- outgun6
- outing6
- toning6
- toting6
- tuning6
5
- ingot5
- outgo5
- quint5
- tutti5
4
- gout1
- into1
- onto1
- quit1
- tint1
- tong1
- toon1
- toot1
- tout1
- tutu1
- unit1
- unto1
Today's puzzle by the numbers
Difficulty, rank thresholds, pangram etymology and what makes today unusual.
Difficulty
4/ 10
A moderately easy Thursday, leaning toward the accessible end of the spectrum. With 47 words against a historical average of 44 and a max score of 262 — well above the 201 average — there is plenty of scoring material to work with, and most of it flows naturally from common English patterns. The single pangram is a clean, recognizable word that careful solvers should land without too much trouble. The main friction comes from a cluster of less-common gerunds and the letter Q, which can feel like a dead end until solvers remember it pairs cleanly with the available vowels.
Points per rank
| Rank | Points | % |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Bee 👑 | 262 | 100% |
| Genius | 183 | 70% |
| Amazing | 131 | 50% |
| Great | 105 | 40% |
| Nice | 66 | 25% |
| Solid | 39 | 15% |
| Good | 21 | 8% |
| Moving Up | 13 | 5% |
| Good Start | 5 | 2% |
| Beginner | 0 | 0% |
About the pangram
quoting14 pts
From Medieval Latin 'quotare,' meaning to mark a book by chapters or numbers, derived from 'quot' (how many); the sense shifted from marginal notation to citing someone's exact words by the 17th century.
Puzzle facts
- Longest word10 letters
- 4-letter words12 of 47
- Pangram bonus+7 points
- Puzzles archived85
Try another puzzle
Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.