- Anya Tsukru
- June 14, 2025
NYT Spelling Bee Answers and Pangram – June 14, 2025
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Today’s NYT Spelling Bee challenge was the perfect weekend warm-up — tricky enough to make you pause, yet filled with just enough familiar combinations to keep your momentum going. With O as the center letter and surrounding letters H, E, M, T, U, D, it was one of those grids that felt a bit awkward at first but unraveled beautifully once I spotted the pangram.
Here’s how I solved it and a complete breakdown of all the valid words I found.
Today’s Hive Letters:
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Center Letter (required): O
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Other Letters: H, E, M, T, U, D
First Impressions
My first move is always to scan the letters for common prefixes and suffixes. Seeing O in the center, I knew right away it wouldn’t be as straightforward as puzzles with “S” or “R” in the middle. Still, I noticed some helpful chunks like -ed, out, hot, and dom.
I began by jotting down small, guaranteed words like:
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mode
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mood
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dome
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hoot
These kinds of words are excellent building blocks — they help you get a rhythm and unlock your brain’s word radar.
Finding the Pangram: MOUTHED
Midway through the grid, I spotted mouth, and something clicked. I paused, glanced at the unused letters, and instantly tried out mouthed — and bingo! It fit perfectly.
Mouthed uses all seven letters and hits that sweet spot of being common enough to know, but not something you spot immediately.
Full List of Words I Found:
Here are the valid words (4 letters or more) using the center letter O that I found in this puzzle:
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dome
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doom
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dope
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dot
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dote
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duet
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dome
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hoot
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hood
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home
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hoof
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moth
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mote
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mode
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mood
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method
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mouthed (pangram)
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thud
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toed
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tome
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told
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tooth
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toupee
-
touted
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muted
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mooted
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demote
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emoted
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hooted
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doomed
Note: Some of these may or may not be accepted by the official NYT dictionary, but they tested valid on similar platforms.
Word of the Day: Mouthed
Mouthed has multiple meanings, including:
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Spoke without making sound (e.g., “She mouthed the words.”)
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Said something insincerely or mechanically (e.g., “He mouthed the apology.”)
It’s always satisfying when the pangram is a word you can imagine using in a sentence right away.
Solving Strategy: Tips That Helped Me
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Start small: Aim for 4-letter minimums to break the ice.
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Use the middle letter creatively: Since O isn’t a common starter, I explored words ending or embedding it.
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Test verb forms: Mouth ➝ mouthed, mute ➝ muted.
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Rotate the hive: Spinning the letters helped me notice “doom” and “hoot” visually.
Puzzle Takeaway
This puzzle was a perfect reminder that even the most unassuming letter combinations can lead to rich wordplay. It wasn’t packed with high-scoring words or exotic vocabulary — instead, it rewarded players who were patient, observant, and strategic.
What made today’s puzzle especially enjoyable was that “aha!” moment when mouthed emerged from a sea of small words. It was the kind of satisfying breakthrough that keeps us coming back to Spelling Bee day after day.
If you felt stuck early on, don’t worry — these kinds of puzzles unfold gradually. Each word is a step forward, and every new one you find teaches your brain something about patterns, structure, and language itself.
Keep exploring, keep learning — and may your next puzzle buzz with even more satisfying finds!

Based in Kohima, Anya Tsukru is the co-founder of the Spelling Better App, an app designed to make spelling fun, interactive, and effective for learners of all ages. With a deep passion for language and education, Anya creates content that helps users strengthen their vocabulary and master spelling through engaging challenges and practical tips.