Bee Roots for 2025-08-27

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: L/ADINVY
  • Words: 50
  • Points: 238
  • Pangrams: 1
Source: Nodar Chernishev/Getty Images

Table content

root #answers coveredanswer's first two lettersclue for root (answer may need prefix, suffix, tense change, alt spelling, ...)
11ALPut (fears) at rest
21ALFriend (person, country) who joins you for a common purpose in a conflict, noun/verb
31ANYearly record book
42ANOpening at the end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste matter leaves the body, adj. form also means uptight
51ANHeavy block for metalworking (… Chorus from Verdi's Il Trovatore)
61AVMake use of (… yourself of), or use (to no …)
71AVEager for or enthusisatic about (… reader)
81DAMove slowly, or have casual sex with
91DAFop, or foppish (“Yankee Doodle …” Cagney film)
101DA24-hour period
111DAMonet’s fav flower, one that lasts only 24 hrs., compound
121DIWhat you turn on a rotary phone or radio knob (don't touch that …!)
131DIWorthless amount (… squat), or guitarist Bo
141DIPickle spice
151DIExcellent example (that was a … of a game)
161DIWaste time (compound)
171IDNot doing anything; or, said of an engine, running but not in gear
182IDExtremely happy scene or poem
191ILNot healthy, sick, adverb/noun; hardly, or only with difficulty, adverb (they could … afford the cost of a new car)
201INNot on the coast
212INDecorate something by embedding pieces of a different material in it, flush with its surface, compound
332INHaving a sound basis in logic or fact; legally binding, one of its negated forms is a pangram
221LA♀ counterpart of gentleman ("… & the Tramp")
231LAHawaiian porch or island
241LAAlight on the ground, verb/noun
251LA♀ who owns your apartment, compound
261LAMolten rock from a volcano
272LAPut something down
281LIMonet floral subject (water …)
292LIFuriously angry
301NASpike that’s hammered, noun/verb
311NASeafaring military force, adj., not belly button
321VAConceited (Carly Simon “You’re So …”)
332VAHaving a sound basis in logic or fact; legally binding, one of its negated forms is a pangram
341VAPerson who deliberately destroys or damages property (named for a Germanic people that sacked Rome)
352VAFlavor from beans of white (plain …) ice cream + chemical compound of that flavor, C₈H₈O₃
361VISmall glass container (… of poison), NOT despicable
371VILarge & luxurious country house (Roman …)
382VIBad guy in a story
391VIPlastic used to make records
401VIProducing powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind (a … memory); or, of a color, intensely deep or bright

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