NYT Spelling Bee Answers & Hints — August 28, 2026
- 21Total words
- 119Total points
- 83Genius
- 1Pangram
The pangram for August 28, 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 28, 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.
- av4
- di2
- la1
- li3
- va3
- vi8
Word length grid
The most specific spoiler-free hint — hunt a missing word by its length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 4 |
| D | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 |
| I | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| L | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| T | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| V | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| Y | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| Σ | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 21 |
Spelling Bee answers for August 28, 2026
The full word list, grouped by length — pangram first, then longest to shortest. Tap a group to reveal.
P
- validity15
8
- lividity8
- vitality8
- vividity8
7
- avidity7
- lividly7
- validly7
- vitally7
- vividly7
6
- avidly6
5
- avail5
- divvy5
- livid5
- valid5
- villa5
- vital5
- vivid5
4
- avid1
- diva1
- lava1
- vial1
Today's puzzle by the numbers
Difficulty, rank thresholds, pangram etymology and what makes today unusual.
Difficulty
7/ 10
This is a genuinely tricky puzzle that will frustrate solvers who don't quickly lock onto the dominant pattern. With only 21 words against a historical average of nearly 44, the list is unusually short — but that compression comes from a letter set that funnels almost everything into a tight family of abstract nouns and adverbs built on familiar suffixes. The pangram is logically reachable once you spot the theme, but the sheer number of similar-looking long words risks sending solvers in circles. The real danger zone is the cluster of seven- and eight-letter words, which account for the bulk of the 119-point maximum and require confident spelling of doubled letters under pressure.
Points per rank
| Rank | Points | % |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Bee 👑 | 119 | 100% |
| Genius | 83 | 70% |
| Amazing | 60 | 50% |
| Great | 48 | 40% |
| Nice | 30 | 25% |
| Solid | 18 | 15% |
| Good | 10 | 8% |
| Moving Up | 6 | 5% |
| Good Start | 2 | 2% |
| Beginner | 0 | 0% |
About the pangram
validity15 pts
From Medieval Latin 'validitas' (strength, legal force), itself from Latin 'validus' (strong, powerful), rooted in 'valere' (to be strong or worth something) — the same root that gives English 'value' and 'valor'. The word entered English in the 16th century primarily through legal and logical discourse, where it described the binding force of an argument or document.
Puzzle facts
- Longest word8 letters
- 4-letter words4 of 21
- Pangram bonus+7 points
- Puzzles archived85
Try another puzzle
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