NYT Spelling Bee Answers & Hints — August 26, 2026
- 34Total words
- 150Total points
- 105Genius
- 2Pangrams
The pangram for August 26, 2026
Every letter used at least once — worth a bonus 7 points on top of the length score.
Letter by letter
9 letters · tap any tile to reveal just that letter.
Spelling Bee hints for August 26, 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.
- ch7
- cu1
- de4
- du6
- ek1
- he1
- hu1
- ke2
- kn2
- ku1
- ne2
- nu4
- un2
Word length grid
The most specific spoiler-free hint — hunt a missing word by its length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | – | 8 |
| D | 5 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | 10 |
| E | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| H | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| K | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 |
| N | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 6 |
| U | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
| Σ | 14 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 34 |
Spelling Bee answers for August 26, 2026
The full word list, grouped by length — pangram first, then longest to shortest. Tap a group to reveal.
P
- unchecked16
- chunked14
8
- nunchuck8
7
- checked7
- chucked7
- nunchuk7
- uncheck7
6
- decked6
- ducked6
- dunked6
- keened6
- necked6
5
- check5
- cheek5
- chuck5
- chunk5
- deked5
- duked5
- kneed5
- nuked5
4
- cuke1
- deck1
- deke1
- duck1
- duke1
- dunk1
- eked1
- heck1
- hunk1
- keen1
- knee1
- kudu1
- neck1
- nuke1
Today's puzzle by the numbers
Difficulty, rank thresholds, pangram etymology and what makes today unusual.
Difficulty
5/ 10
A middling Wednesday that leans accessible but hides a few traps. With only 34 words against a historical average of roughly 44, the list is compact — meaning fewer footholds but also less to hunt for. The vocabulary skews common and short, with the four-letter tier doing heavy lifting, though solvers may stumble on the more obscure martial-arts spelling variant and the African antelope lurking in the mix. The two pangrams are long and satisfying once the key prefix clicks into place.
Points per rank
| Rank | Points | % |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Bee 👑 | 150 | 100% |
| Genius | 105 | 70% |
| Amazing | 75 | 50% |
| Great | 60 | 40% |
| Nice | 38 | 25% |
| Solid | 23 | 15% |
| Good | 12 | 8% |
| Moving Up | 8 | 5% |
| Good Start | 3 | 2% |
| Beginner | 0 | 0% |
About the pangram
unchecked16 pts
A compound of the Old English prefix 'un-' (reversing an action) and 'checked,' from Old North French 'eschec' (check in chess, then broadly 'restrain'); the sense of something unrestrained or unverified has been in English since at least the 17th century.
Puzzle facts
- Longest word9 letters
- 4-letter words14 of 34
- Pangram bonus+7 points
- Puzzles archived85
Try another puzzle
Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.