May 16, 2025

NYT Spelling Bee Answers — May 16, 2025

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, 2025 (Friday). The honeycomb shows the seven letters; the pangram is highlighted in yellow.

Words40
Max Points124
Pangram1
Genius87

4 letter answers 24 words

BEEPBLIPBOOPEPEELIPOLOOPLOPEPEELPEEPPILEPILLPIPEPLEBPLIEPLOPPLOWPOLEPOLLPOLOPOOLPOOPPOPEWEEPWIPE

5 letter answers 7 words

BEBOPBLEEPBLOOPELOPEPEWEEPLEBEPOLIO

6 letter answers 7 words

LOLLOPPEBBLEPEEWEEPEOPLEPILLOWPOWWOWWEEPIE

8 letter answers 2 words

BLOWPIPELOLLIPOP

Common questions

How many answers in the May 16, 2025 Spelling Bee?

40 valid answers worth 124 points, including 1 pangram. Genius requires 87 points.

What is the pangram?

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

What is the center letter?

The required center letter is P. 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.