How Spelling Bee scoring works

The scoring rules

• 4-letter word: 1 point.
• 5-letter word: 5 points.
• 6-letter word: 6 points.
• 7-letter word: 7 points (or 14 if it's a pangram).
• 8-letter word: 8 points (or 15 as a pangram).
• And so on: word score = length, with a +7 bonus if the word is a pangram (uses all seven letters).

Why four-letter words don't scale

A four-letter word earns 1 point, while longer words earn one point per letter. A seven-letter word is therefore worth seven times as much before any pangram bonus.

How to maximize your score

1. Look for a pangram. It earns seven bonus points, and its letter combinations may suggest shorter words.
2. Look for prefixes and suffixes. If -ING, -ED, or -LY is reachable from your seven letters, you can often build a long word by combining a common root with one of those endings.
3. Try doubled letters. Letters may be reused, so doubled consonants (LL, NN, SS, TT) and doubled vowels (EE, OO) can lead to longer words.
4. Sweep four-letter words last. Each is only worth a single point, so you may prefer to save them until you have run out of longer-word ideas.

Score milestones

This site's progress labels are tied to the maximum score for the puzzle. Each threshold rounds up to the next whole point when necessary.

• Beginner5%
• Good start15%
• Solid30%
• Strong50%
• Excellent70%
• Expert90%
• Perfect100%

The solver shows the point threshold for each milestone after you enter a letter set and center.

Examples

Imagine the puzzle AEINOPT with center T:

• NEAT (4 letters) → 1 point.
• OPTION (6 letters) → 6 points.
• POTATO (6 letters) → 6 points.
• APPOINTEE (9 letters and a pangram) → 16 points.

Use the solver to see the maximum score in this site's list for an entered letter set, and the pangram index to compare seven-letter sets and their matching words.