Spelling Bee July 16, 2026: Pangram & Answers
Recap
This puzzle featured a scientifically-tinged pangram and a mix of short and long words. Solvers could find terms like ACIDITY, ARCADIA, and DIACRITIC, as well as everyday words like DADDY and DAIRY. The puzzle required a balance of vocabulary and strategic thinking.
The seven letters
D ACIRTY
Every answer had to use D. The board accepted 37 words in all.
Spelling Bee hints, rung by rung
Six rungs, counts before words. The recap above already named the pangram, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.
-
Hint 1: What kind of words the board rewarded
No answer is named.
Word pairs with 'D' and a vowel are key. Look for common suffixes and prefixes, especially those related to chemistry and everyday life.
-
Hint 2: How many answers started with each letter
Counts only.
- D
- 16 answers
- A
- 10 answers
- C
- 4 answers
- R
- 3 answers
- T
- 3 answers
- Y
- 1 answer
-
Hint 3: Board facts
Counted off the accepted list.
- Centre letter
- D
- Outer letters
- A · C · I · R · T · Y
- Accepted words
- 37
- Word lengths
- 4–9 letters
- Pangrams
- 1
-
Hint 4: The pangram, without naming it
The puzzle's seven-letter solution is a nuanced, scientifically-tinged word that might describe a certain chemical property.
-
Hint 5: The two-letter list
How many answers started with each pair.
- AC
- 6
- AD
- 1
- AR
- 3
- CA
- 3
- CI
- 1
- DA
- 4
- DI
- 8
- DR
- 3
- DY
- 1
- RA
- 3
- TA
- 1
- TI
- 1
- TR
- 1
- YA
- 1
-
Hint 6: The shape of each pangram
Every accepted word from that board
All of them, folded by opening letter. Open one letter at a time — nothing here reveals another group.
The pangram from that board
Pangram 1 · 8 letters
ACRIDITY
Uses all seven letters — D, A, C, I, R, T, Y — in 8 characters.
A · 10answers
ACIDACIDICACIDITYACIDYACRIDACRIDITYADDICTARCADIAARIDARIDITY
C · 4answers
CADDYCARDCARDIACCICADA
D · 16answers
DADDYDAIRYDARTDATADIACRITICDIARYDICTADIDACTDIDACTICDIRTDIRTYDITTYDRATDRAYDRYADDYAD
R · 3answers
RADARRADIIRAID
T · 3answers
TARDYTIDYTRIAD
Y · 1answer
YARD
This board by the numbers
- Date
- Thursday, July 16, 2026
- Letters
- D in the middle, A C I R T Y around it
- Accepted words
- 37
- Pangrams
- 1
- Word lengths
- 4–9 letters
More Spelling Bee
See the live Spelling Bee hints and answers page for the current board, or browse every archived Spelling Bee date by month.
Try another puzzle
-
The live NYT Letter Boxed hints and solution page
Par, an opening-word nudge, the official chain and verified alternates.
-
The live NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers page
One extra nudge per clue, so one square can be unstuck alone.