May 12, 2026

NYT Spelling Bee Answers — May 12, 2026

Margaret Chen Verified

Senior Editor · Spelling Bee solver since 2018

Below you will find every answer to the New York Times Spelling Bee for May 12, 2026 (Tuesday). The honeycomb shows the seven letters; the pangram is highlighted in yellow.

Words38
Max Points201
Pangrams2
Genius141

4 letter answers 10 words

BANCCAMOCANTCOATCOCACOMACOMBCOOTTACOTACT

5 letter answers 7 words

BACONCACAOCANNACANONCOCOACOMBOCOMMA

6 letter answers 13 words

BOBCATCABANACANCANCANNONCANNOTCANTONCOCOONCOMBATCOMMONCOTTONNONCOMOCTANTTOMCAT

7 letter answers 5 words

CANTATACONCOCTCONTACTTOBACCOTOCCATA

8 letter answers 1 word

CATACOMB

9 letter answers 1 word

COMBATANT

12 letter answers 1 word

NONCOMBATANT

Common questions

How many answers in the May 12, 2026 Spelling Bee?

38 valid answers worth 201 points, including 2 pangrams. Genius requires 141 points.

What is the pangram?

The pangrams are COMBATANT, NONCOMBATANT. Pangrams use all seven letters and earn 7 bonus points.

What is the center letter?

The required center letter is C. Every valid answer must contain this letter.

How does scoring work?

4-letter words: 1 point. Longer words: 1 point per letter. Pangrams: +7 bonus. Genius is 70% of the maximum.