NYT Spelling Bee Answers — May 20, 2026
All words, pangrams, center letter & Genius score
Below are all 51 answers to the New York Times Spelling Bee for May 20, 2026 (Wednesday). The honeycomb shows the seven letters with the required A center letter; pangrams are highlighted. Genius is 160 points.
Words51
Max Points229
Pangrams3
Genius160
Pangrams: BACKBOARD, BACKDOOR, CORKBOARD
All answers, grouped by length
4letter answers21 words
ARCOBABABACKBARBBARDBARKBOARBOBABRADCARBCARDCOCACODACRABDARKDRABOKRAORCARACKROADROAR
5letter answers15 words
ABACKADOBOARBORARDORBABKABOARDBROADCACAOCAROBCOBRACOCOACRACKCROAKKABOBRADAR
6letter answers6 words
ABOARDABROADACCORDBAOBABDOODADDORADO
7letter answers2 words
BARBACKBARRACK
8letter answers3 words
BACKDOORBARBACOABOOKRACK
9letter answers3 words
BACKBOARDCARDBOARDCORKBOARD
11letter answers1 word
ABRACADABRA
How the Spelling Bee works
The New York Times Spelling Bee gives you seven letters arranged in a honeycomb, with one required center letter. Build as many words as you can — every word must be at least four letters long and must use the center letter, and letters can be reused. Find a word that uses all seven letters and you've got a pangram, worth 7 bonus points. Reach the Genius rank by scoring 70% of the day's maximum.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many answers are in the May 20, 2026 Spelling Bee?
There are 51 valid answers worth 229 points, including 3 pangrams. Genius requires 160 points.
What is the pangram?
The pangrams are BACKBOARD, BACKDOOR, CORKBOARD. Pangrams use all seven letters and earn 7 bonus points.
What is the center letter?
The required center letter is A. Every valid answer must contain it.
How does scoring work?
4-letter words score 1 point; longer words score 1 point per letter; pangrams add 7 bonus points. Genius is 70% of the maximum score.
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