Spelling Bee September 9, 2026: Pangram & Answers
Recap
This puzzle had a good balance of short and long words, with the seven-letter pangram 'PURLOIN' being a standout. Other answers like 'PRION', 'PRIOR', and 'PRONOUN' used the centre letter effectively, while words like 'IRON', 'POOR', and 'RUIN' were more straightforward. Solvers who found the shorter words were rewarded with a good foundation for finding the longer ones.
The seven letters
R ILNOPU
Every answer had to use R. The board accepted 20 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.
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Hint 1: What kind of words the board rewarded
No answer is named.
The list has a mix of short and long words, with some common prefixes and suffixes. Letter pairs like 'PR' and 'PO' appear in several answers, and there are a few words related to negative emotions or unpleasant things.
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Hint 2: How many answers started with each letter
Counts only.
- P
- 11 answers
- R
- 4 answers
- I
- 2 answers
- N
- 2 answers
- U
- 1 answer
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Hint 3: Board facts
Counted off the accepted list.
- Centre letter
- R
- Outer letters
- I · L · N · O · P · U
- Accepted words
- 20
- Word lengths
- 4–7 letters
- Pangrams
- 1
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Hint 4: The pangram, without naming it
The seven-letter answer is a verb that involves taking something in a sneaky way, and it can be formed using the centre letter and some of the outer letters.
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Hint 5: The two-letter list
How many answers started with each pair.
- IN
- 1
- IR
- 1
- NO
- 2
- PO
- 4
- PR
- 4
- PU
- 3
- RI
- 1
- RO
- 2
- RU
- 1
- UN
- 1
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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 · 7 letters
PURLOIN
Uses all seven letters — R, I, L, N, O, P, U — in 7 characters.
I · 2answers
INURNIRON
N · 2answers
NOIRNORI
P · 11answers
POORPORNPORNOPOURPRIONPRIORPRONOUNPROPPURLPURLOINPURR
R · 4answers
RILLROILROLLRUIN
U · 1answer
UNROLL
This board by the numbers
- Date
- Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Letters
- R in the middle, I L N O P U around it
- Accepted words
- 20
- Pangrams
- 1
- Word lengths
- 4–7 letters
More Spelling Bee
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Try another puzzle
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The live NYT Letter Boxed hints and solution page
Par, an opening-word nudge, the official chain and verified alternates.
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The live NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers page
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