NYT Spelling Bee Answers & Hints — September 11, 2026
- 26Total words
- 100Total points
- 70Genius
- 1Pangram
The pangram for September 11, 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 September 11, 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.
- ca2
- ch5
- de4
- di1
- ek1
- ha4
- he1
- hi3
- kh1
- ki4
Word length grid
The most specific spoiler-free hint — hunt a missing word by its length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| C | 1 | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 |
| D | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 |
| E | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| H | 6 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 8 |
| I | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| K | 1 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | 5 |
| Σ | 12 | 7 | 5 | 1 | – | 1 | 26 |
Spelling Bee answers for September 11, 2026
The full word list, grouped by length — pangram first, then longest to shortest. Tap a group to reveal.
P
- chickadee16
7
- checked7
6
- decked6
- hacked6
- kicked6
- kidded6
- kiddie6
5
- caked5
- check5
- cheek5
- chick5
- deked5
- hiked5
- khaki5
4
- cake1
- deck1
- deke1
- dike1
- eked1
- hack1
- haka1
- hake1
- heck1
- hick1
- hike1
- kick1
Today's puzzle by the numbers
Difficulty, rank thresholds, pangram etymology and what makes today unusual.
Difficulty
7/ 10
Today is a tougher-than-average puzzle, driven largely by a very lean word list — just 26 answers against a historical average of 44.5 — and a max score of 100 compared to the typical 205.7, meaning every point is hard-won. The letter mix is dominated by repeated consonants (C, K, H, D) that channel solvers into a narrow band of short, punchy words, making it easy to feel like you've exhausted the board when you haven't. The sole pangram is a specific bird name that may not surface naturally, and a handful of less common entries — including a Māori ceremonial term and a hockey maneuver — add genuine obscurity to an already compact set.
Points per rank
| Rank | Points | % |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Bee 👑 | 100 | 100% |
| Genius | 70 | 70% |
| Amazing | 50 | 50% |
| Great | 40 | 40% |
| Nice | 25 | 25% |
| Solid | 15 | 15% |
| Good | 8 | 8% |
| Moving Up | 5 | 5% |
| Good Start | 2 | 2% |
| Beginner | 0 | 0% |
About the pangram
chickadee16 pts
An Americanism coined in the early 19th century as an imitation of the bird's own call — 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' — making it one of the more transparent onomatopoeic bird names in English. The black-capped chickadee became so culturally embedded in North America that several U.S. states adopted it as their official state bird.
Puzzle facts
- Longest word9 letters
- 4-letter words12 of 26
- Pangram bonus+7 points
- Puzzles archived85
Try another puzzle
Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.