Rules
How a Spelling Bee puzzle works
The basic word rules, pangrams, scoring, and the ways published word lists can differ.
The puzzle setup
In this format, a puzzle has seven distinct letters. One of those seven is designated the center letter. The other six are the outer letters. In most puzzles the layout is a hexagon with the center letter in the middle, but the shape doesn't change the rules. What matters is which letter is the required one.
The four word rules
- Four letters minimum. Words must be at least four letters long. Three-letter words don't count.
- Use only the seven letters. A word may not contain any letter that isn't one of the seven.
- Letters can repeat. Each of the seven letters can be used any number of times within a single word.
- The center letter is required. Every word must contain the center letter at least once.
Pangrams
A pangram is a word that uses all seven puzzle letters at least once. Pangrams are worth a bonus on top of their normal score. A puzzle can contain one or several pangrams.
What doesn't count
- Proper nouns. Names of people, places, brands, and other proper nouns are excluded.
- Hyphenated words. "Self-evident" and the like don't count because hyphens aren't part of the seven letters.
- Apostrophes and contractions. "Don't" and "it's" are excluded for the same reason.
- Words outside the game's list. Each game has its own dictionary, so a word accepted by one may be rejected by another.
How difficulty varies
Two factors change the shape of a Spelling Bee puzzle:
- Which letter is the center. Changing the required letter changes which words qualify, even when the seven-letter set stays the same.
- Which six outer letters accompany it. Some combinations yield many matches in the site's list; others yield relatively few.
Tools to help
- Spelling Bee Solver: matches from this site's list for any seven letters.
- Hints (no spoilers): counts and grids without the answers.
- Unlimited puzzles: random puzzles for extra practice.
- Pangram index: which seven-letter sets form pangrams, and which words they produce.
- Scoring guide: how points are awarded and how to maximize them.