BeeAnswers
NYT Spelling Bee Answers for January 16, 2026
The NYT Spelling Bee for Friday, January 16, 2026 puts C in the center, with M, E, L, F, I, A around it. There are 89 valid words. It plays like a Medium puzzle.
Try the hive yourself first if you want, then use the list below to catch what you missed. Every word includes C. Tap a word for a short definition.
NYT Spelling Bee Answers
Tap a hive letter to show words that start with it. Tap it again to clear. Every word includes C.
Pangrams
14-letter words
245-letter words
276-letter words
237-letter words
108-letter words
49-letter words
1Puzzle Breakdown
Rank Calculator
Enter the score you reached on this hive. Genius is 291 points. Queen Bee is 415.
Letter Distribution
How many words start with each letter. Tap a letter to mark those words in the list above.
These show how many answers start with each two-letter combo (no full words revealed).
Points by Word Length
Where the 415 points of this puzzle sit. Tap a row to open that length in the answer list.
Pangram Breakdown
How This Puzzle Compares
Measured against the 397 puzzles in our archive.
| Metric | This puzzle | Archive average | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words | 89 | 73.4 | 154 | 18 |
| Points | 415 | 352.9 | 892 | 60 |
| Pangrams | 1 | 2.05 | 13 | 1 |
This Puzzle in Context
The January 16, 2026 hive put C in the center with M, E, L, F, I, A around it. Queen Bee needed all 89 words (415 points). Genius sat at 291.
Pangram on this date: MALEFIC. Top starting letters: C (36), M (18). Longest accepted word: 9 letters. Difficulty: Medium.
FAQs for January 16, 2026
Past Puzzles Archive
Spelling Bee ArchiveOpen any date for the full answer list.