Spelling Bee: today's hive, free

How to play Spelling Bee

Make words from the seven letters in the hive. Every word needs at least four letters and must use the centre letter; letters can repeat. Type on your keyboard or tap the hive, then press Enter. Four-letter words score 1 point, longer words score a point per letter, and a pangram — a word with all seven letters — scores seven extra. Your rank climbs with your points; find every word for Queen Bee. Full rules and a practice hive on the how to play page.

Stuck? The hints panel shows the words left by first letter and length, and can reveal a word in two steps. Want more? Unlimited Spelling Bee has 3,000 hives in three difficulties. Missed a day? Every past hive is in the archive with hints and answers.

Ranks

Frequently asked questions

What is Spelling Bee?

Spelling Bee is a word game with seven letters in a hive. Make as many words as you can: each word must be at least four letters long, use only the seven letters (repeats are fine) and include the centre letter. Four-letter words score 1 point, longer words score one point per letter, and a pangram — a word that uses all seven letters — earns seven extra. Your rank climbs from Beginner to Genius as your points grow; find every word for Queen Bee.

Is this the New York Times Spelling Bee?

No. The NYT publishes one hand-edited hive a day and keeps its archive behind a subscription. Puzzlune's Spelling Bee uses the same rules with hives and word lists we build ourselves: a free daily hive, unlimited mode in three difficulties, live hints, a two-step reveal and a free archive with every answer. We are not affiliated with The New York Times.

Which words count?

Our list is built for real players: common English words are required and count towards the ranks; rarer but valid words are accepted as bonus words, marked with a star. Bonus words score points and push you along the rank bar, but they are not part of the puzzle's maximum, so Queen Bee only needs the common words. No hive contains the letter S, and no word list includes offensive terms or proper nouns.

How do the hints work?

The hints panel shows how many words you still have to find, split by first letter and length, plus the two-letter starts and how many pangrams are left — the same grid Spelling Bee players share every day, kept up to date as you find words. If you're really stuck, reveal a word in two steps: first its starting letter and length, then the word itself. Revealed words don't score. The daily hive allows three reveals; unlimited mode has no limit.

What is a pangram?

A word that uses all seven letters of the hive at least once. Every hive has at least one. It scores its length plus seven bonus points, and it's shown in bold in your list. A perfect pangram uses every letter exactly once.

Do I need an account?

No. Progress, streak and stats are stored in your browser. Your streak counts a day once you reach Good Start.