May 16, 2021

NYT Spelling Bee Answers — May 16, 2021

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 16, 2021 (Sunday). The honeycomb shows the seven letters; the pangram is highlighted in yellow.

Words35
Max Points168
Pangram1
Genius118

4 letter answers 12 words

FANGFAUNFAWNGAFFGAGAGAINGANGGNAWNAANNAIFNANAWAIF

5 letter answers 5 words

AGAINAGINGAWINGFAUNAWANNA

6 letter answers 7 words

ANGINAAWNINGGUFFAWIGUANAWAGINGWANINGWIGWAG

7 letter answers 9 words

FANNINGFAWNINGGAGGINGGAININGGANGINGGAUGINGGNAWINGNAGGINGWAGGING

9 letter answers 1 word

GUFFAWING

10 letter answers 1 word

WIGWAGGING

Common questions

How many answers in the May 16, 2021 Spelling Bee?

35 valid answers worth 168 points, including 1 pangram. Genius requires 118 points.

What is the pangram?

The pangram is GUFFAWING. Pangrams use all seven letters and earn 7 bonus points.

What is the center letter?

The required center letter is A. 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.