NYT Spelling Bee Answers & Hints — August 22, 2026
- 56Total words
- 304Total points
- 213Genius
- 2Pangrams
The pangram for August 22, 2026
Every letter used at least once — worth a bonus 7 points on top of the length score.
Letter by letter
8 letters · tap any tile to reveal just that letter.
Spelling Bee hints for August 22, 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.
- ac2
- an3
- ar4
- at3
- ca3
- ci4
- cr2
- cu1
- in5
- ir1
- ni2
- ra3
- ri1
- ru2
- ta8
- ti5
- tr2
- tu2
- un2
- ur1
Word length grid
The most specific spoiler-free hint — hunt a missing word by its length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 | 3 | 4 | – | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| C | – | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 10 |
| I | – | 2 | 3 | – | 1 | – | 6 |
| N | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 2 |
| R | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| T | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| U | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 3 |
| Σ | 9 | 21 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 56 |
Spelling Bee answers for August 22, 2026
The full word list, grouped by length — pangram first, then longest to shortest. Tap a group to reveal.
P
- taciturn15
- curtain14
9
- antarctic9
- tactician9
- unitarian9
8
- arancini8
- irritant8
7
- cantina7
- circuit7
- tantric7
- titanic7
6
- acacia6
- arctic6
- arnica6
- attain6
- citric6
- crania6
- critic6
- incant6
- intact6
- intuit6
- niacin6
- nitric6
- tactic6
- tannic6
- tannin6
5
- antic5
- atria5
- attic5
- cacti5
- cairn5
- circa5
- cirri5
- incur5
- inurn5
- raita5
- ricin5
- runic5
- tacit5
- taint5
- tiara5
- tinct5
- titan5
- train5
- trait5
- tunic5
- tutti5
4
- acai1
- anti1
- aria1
- rain1
- rani1
- ruin1
- tint1
- unit1
- uric1
Today's puzzle by the numbers
Difficulty, rank thresholds, pangram etymology and what makes today unusual.
Difficulty
6/ 10
Today's puzzle sits at a moderate-to-challenging level, with 56 words well above the historical average of 43.6 and a max score of 304 against an average of 200.5 — meaning there's a lot to find, but also more room to accumulate points. The letter mix is consonant-heavy with repeated stops (C, T, N) that invite many legitimate-looking but invalid combinations, making it easy to waste time on near-misses. Both pangrams are genuine vocabulary words rather than obscure constructions, but one is a less common adjective that may not surface quickly. A rich vein of scientific and Latin-flavored terms adds a layer of difficulty for solvers without a classical or chemistry background.
Points per rank
| Rank | Points | % |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Bee 👑 | 304 | 100% |
| Genius | 213 | 70% |
| Amazing | 152 | 50% |
| Great | 122 | 40% |
| Nice | 76 | 25% |
| Solid | 46 | 15% |
| Good | 24 | 8% |
| Moving Up | 15 | 5% |
| Good Start | 6 | 2% |
| Beginner | 0 | 0% |
About the pangram
taciturn15 pts
From Latin 'taciturnus', meaning habitually silent, derived from 'tacitus' (silent) — the same root that gives us 'tacit'. The word entered English in the 18th century, carrying the sense of a person who speaks little by nature rather than by circumstance.
Puzzle facts
- Longest word9 letters
- 4-letter words9 of 56
- Pangram bonus+7 points
- Puzzles archived85
Try another puzzle
Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.