This is yesterday's Spelling Bee puzzle (November 4, 2026). See today's Spelling Bee puzzle.
Wednesday brings a hive that feels friendly at first, because the center letter shows up in every single find and the short finds come quickly. Start with the quick four-letter finds, then stretch them into longer families, because this board rewards building outward from familiar beginnings. When the last few finds refuse to come, the full verified list is waiting behind the reveal, with these spelling bee answers ready whenever you are.
Yesterday's Spelling Bee puzzle details
- Date
- November 4, 2026
- Puzzle #
- #16,731
- Center Letter
- O
- Letters
- A H O P R T Y
- Words
- 68
- Pangrams
- 1
Spoiler warning: the hints here are spoiler-safe. The answer is hidden further down this page behind a clear reveal control. Scroll carefully.
Yesterday's Spelling Bee hints
Climb the ladder from the gentlest nudge to the strongest clue. No peeking at the next clue until you've given the current one a real try.
Word CountGentle nudge
Yesterday's hive holds A H P R T Y with O as the required center letter, hiding 68 valid words across six different lengths.
Points and GeniusWarming up
All 286 points are up for grabs, and Genius starts at 200 points, so the longer words and the single pangram do most of the heavy lifting today.
Pangram CountGetting warmer
Exactly one pangram is hiding today, using all 7 letters and banking a 7 point bonus on top of its own length.
Pangram First LetterAlmost there
The pangram starts with A and runs 7 letters long, so keep A in play whenever you build outward from the center.
Word LengthsStrongest hint
The board peaks at 4 letters with 26 words, and exactly two 9 letter words wait at the top.
Yesterday's Spelling Bee answer
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Reveal yesterday's answer
ATROPHY
Yesterday's games
Missed yesterday? See yesterday's hints and answers for every game.
What does yesterday's Spelling Bee answer mean?
Reveal the meanings (contains spoilers)
Yesterday's Spelling Bee pangram is ATROPHY, the one word using every letter in A H O P R T Y. ATROPHY is the perfect pangram, using each letter exactly once, and it means a gradual wasting away through lack of use. The hive holds 68 valid words worth 286 points, with O as the required center letter.
How hard is yesterday's Spelling Bee?
Difficulty: Medium
Work every family around O, because the center letter is non-negotiable in this spelling bee hive. The T opening carries 21 of the 68 words, so cycle it through every ending you can think of before you rule a family out. Chase the pangram early: it forces you to use all 7 letters, and the patterns you discover unlock the rest of the list.
What were the recent Spelling Bee answers?
- November 3, 2026BACKLIT
What is Spelling Bee?
Spelling Bee was created by Frank Longo and launched in the New York Times Magazine in 2015. The digital daily version arrived in 2018 with Sam Ezersky as editor.
The game goes live at 3 AM Eastern Time every day. Each puzzle is guaranteed to contain at least one pangram.
The letter S is almost never included in the hive, because it would make plurals too easy. Climb from Beginner to Genius, and find every word to earn Queen Bee.
How do you play Spelling Bee?
- You get 7 letters in a honeycomb: 1 center letter and 6 outer letters. Every word you make must include the center letter.
- Words must be at least 4 letters long. You can reuse any letter as many times as you want within a word.
- No proper nouns, hyphenated words, or offensive words. The game's dictionary decides what counts.
- Four-letter words score 1 point each. Longer words score 1 point per letter.
- Find the pangram: a word that uses all 7 letters at least once. It earns a 7-point bonus on top of its length score.
What are the best Spelling Bee strategies?
- Hunt the pangram first: it uses all 7 letters and banks a 7-point bonus on top of its own length score.
- Let T lead: the T families carry 21 of the 68 words, so test T at the start of every word you try.
- Repeat letters boldly: double letters run through this hive, so try promising letters twice before ruling candidates out.
- Think in word families: every short hit you find often hides a longer cousin built on the same letters.
- Sweep the short words last: 26 four-letter words hide in plain sight, and they often decide between Amazing and Genius.
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Strategy guides
Frequently asked questions
What are yesterday's Spelling Bee letters?
The hive holds A, H, P, R, T, Y with O as the center letter. Every word must include O.
How many pangrams are there today?
There is 1 pangram today, and it uses all 7 letters. It is waiting in the full word list behind the reveal.
What score do I need for Genius today?
Genius starts at 200 points, around 70 percent of the 286 total points available.
How many words are in yesterday's Spelling Bee?
There are 68 accepted words in yesterday's puzzle.
What is a pangram in Spelling Bee?
A pangram in Spelling Bee uses all 7 hive letters and earns a 7 point bonus. Today there is exactly 1 pangram, and it is waiting in the full word list behind the reveal.