NYT Spelling Bee Answers & Hints — July 20, 2026
- 38Total words
- 136Total points
- 95Genius
- 2Pangrams
The pangram for July 20, 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 July 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.
- hi3
- in1
- li7
- lo2
- mi8
- mo4
- ni1
- no2
- ol1
- om1
- on1
- th1
- ti4
- to2
Word length grid
The most specific spoiler-free hint — hunt a missing word by its length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| I | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| L | 6 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 9 |
| M | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| N | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 3 |
| O | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| T | 5 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 7 |
| Σ | 22 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 38 |
Spelling Bee answers for July 20, 2026
The full word list, grouped by length — pangram first, then longest to shortest. Tap a group to reveal.
P
- millionth16
- monolith15
9
- nonillion9
7
- million7
- moonlit7
6
- lotion6
- minion6
- motion6
- notion6
- tomtit6
5
- limit5
- litho5
- minim5
- ninth5
- onion5
- tilth5
4
- hill1
- hilt1
- hint1
- into1
- lilt1
- limn1
- limo1
- lint1
- lion1
- loin1
- mill1
- mini1
- mint1
- mitt1
- moil1
- olio1
- omit1
- thin1
- till1
- tilt1
- tint1
- toil1
Today's puzzle by the numbers
Difficulty, rank thresholds, pangram etymology and what makes today unusual.
Difficulty
5/ 10
A middling Monday that leans slightly easier than average on obscurity but harder on sheer findability of the longer words. With 38 words against a historical average of roughly 45, the list is notably shorter, yet the max score of 136 is also well below the 196-point average, so Genius rank is achievable without needing every word. The two pangrams are long and satisfying but require solvers to think in terms of large numbers and ancient stone — not the most obvious mental leaps. The four-letter well is shallow, so players who rely on short words to build momentum may find the middle of the climb unexpectedly steep.
Points per rank
| Rank | Points | % |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Bee 👑 | 136 | 100% |
| Genius | 95 | 70% |
| Amazing | 68 | 50% |
| Great | 54 | 40% |
| Nice | 34 | 25% |
| Solid | 20 | 15% |
| Good | 11 | 8% |
| Moving Up | 7 | 5% |
| Good Start | 3 | 2% |
| Beginner | 0 | 0% |
About the pangram
millionth16 pts
MILLIONTH is the ordinal form of MILLION, which entered English in the late 14th century via Old French 'million' and Italian 'milione,' itself an augmentative of Latin 'mille' (thousand) — literally 'a great thousand.' The suffix '-th' forming ordinals is native Old English, making this word a Latin-Romance root wearing Anglo-Saxon grammatical clothing.
Puzzle facts
- Longest word9 letters
- 4-letter words22 of 38
- Pangram bonus+7 points
- Puzzles archived30
Try another puzzle
Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.