Bee Roots for 2023-05-30

The table provides clues for the roots of words in today's NY Times Spelling Bee. You're responsible for prefixes, suffixes, tense changes, plurals, doubling consonants before suffixes, and alternate spellings of roots. An exception: since Sam won't allow S, when the root contains an S, the clue may be for a plural or suffixed form. "Mice" for example. If a clue isn't self-explanatory, try googling it. The TL;DR about the site comes after the table.

Past clues are available here

 
Today's puzzle
  • Letters: C/AEIPTV
  • Words: 38
  • Points: 186
  • Pangrams: 2
Source: Dave Bunnell, Wikipedia

Table content

  • with first two letters of answer and length
answers coveredanswer's first two lettersanswer's lengthclue for root (answer may need prefix, suffix, tense change, alt spelling, ...)
1AC6African or Australian wattle tree
1AC4Trendy smoothie berry
1AC6Consent to receive, or come to believe; verb
2AC6,7Vinegar adj., or acid it contains
2AC6,8Doing things energetically or frequently; opposite of inert
1AP6Each, or cost per item, adv.
1AP5Walk back & forth anxiously, verb; or speed of an activity, noun
1AT5Unfinished room below roof; garret
1CA5Succulent plant with a thick stem that usually has spines, lacks leaves, and occasionally has brilliantly colored flowers
1CA4Superhero back covering, or land that juts into water (… Cod)
2CA7,9Not free to go; imprisoned, adj./noun
1CA4Spanish sparkling wine, or vein to heart (vena …)
1CA4Large underground chamber, where stalactites and stalagmites form and bats live, noun; or give in (slang)
1CA6Warning; … emptor is Latin for “buyer beware,” noun
1CI4Quote as evidence
1CI5Asian & African “cat” used for perfume
1CI5Popular Honda model; or municipal (adj.)
1EP4Long poem celebrating heroic feats, noun; or historically important, adj. (… struggle, … quest)
2EV5,7Kick out of an apartment
1IP6Medicinal syrup that induces vomiting, used to be used for poisonings
1PA4Walk back & forth anxiously, verb; or speed of an activity, noun
1PA4Formal agreement, treaty (don’t make one with the Devil)
1PE5Tranquility
1PE6Medical adj. for digestion (… ulcer)
1PI4A printed type size, or medical condition that makes you want to eat non-foods
1PI7Cooked in a sauce of lemon, parsley, & butter (chicken or veal …)
1PI5Section of something larger (homophone of “tranquility” term), noun; or assemble (… together), verb
1TA5Musical direction meaning “silent”
1TA5Understood without being stated (… agreement), adj.
1TA4Diplomacy, sensitivity
1TA6Action planned to achieve a specific end (negotiating …)
1VA6Leave a place that was previously occupied (… the premises immediately!), or legal term for cancel (contract, judgment, or charge); verb
1VI4Bad habit, or “Miami …” police show
1VI6Music played in a lively and brisk manner

About this site

This site provides clues for a day's New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle. It follows in Kevin Davis' footsteps. The original set of 4,500 clues came from him, and they still make up about three quarters of the current clue set.

The "Bee Roots" approach is to provide explicit clues for root words, not every word. As logophiles, we are pretty good at putting on prefixes and suffixes, changing tense, and forming plurals (including Latin plurals!). The clues cover root words, arranged alphabetically by root word, with a count of words in the puzzle that come from each root. For example, if a puzzle includes ROAM and ROAMING, there will be a clue for ROAM and a count of 2. The root may not appear in the puzzle at all; for example, the 2021-07-23 Bee included ICED, DEICE, and DEICED. For such a puzzle, the clue would be for ICE with a word count of 3.

The Bee Roots approach involves judgement sometimes. For example, if a puzzle includes LOVE, LOVED, and LOVELY, how many roots are needed to cover them? LOVE and LOVED share the root LOVE, certainly, but LOVELY is tricky. LOVE is part of its etymology, but by now, the word means "exquisitely beautiful," which is a lot farther from the meaning of LOVE than swithcing to past tense. I'm inclined to treat LOVE and LOVELY as separate roots. You may not agree, which is fine. Another thing we logophiles share is a LOVE of arguing about words on Twitter.

A few words can have one meaning as a suffixed form and another as a stand-alone word. EVENING, for example. In those cases I will use the meaning that I think is more common.

One last complication, until another one pops up: a few roots have multiple spellings, for example LOLLYGAG and LALLYGAG. Depending on the day's letters, and maybe even the editor's whims, one or both could be in the puzzle's answer list. With such roots, you could see a word count of 2, even if there are no applicable prefixes or suffixes.

I will do my best to keep this site up to date and helpful (I hope). Check it out, and tweet feedback to @donswartwout Tweet to @donswartwout