Today’s NYT Spelling Bee puzzle was a rewarding one, featuring two excellent pangrams—one short and elegant, the other longer and more expressive. The letter set encouraged careful observation rather than guesswork, making it a satisfying solve from start to finish.

Today’s letter set

Center letter: I
Outer letters: B, E, F, L, N, U

As always, every valid word must include I, letters may be reused, and no letters outside this set are allowed.

How to find NYT Spelling Bee pangram fast.

How I Found Today’s Pangrams

When I started today’s puzzle, the letter combination immediately suggested real-world nouns and abstract concepts rather than obscure verbs. I usually begin by scanning for compact words that naturally use most of the available letters.

First Pangram: BLUEFIN (Perfect Pangram)

The first word that stood out was:

BLUEFIN

This is a perfect pangram, meaning it uses all seven letters exactly once:
B L U E F I N

Bluefin refers to a type of tuna, and it fits perfectly within the NYT Spelling Bee’s vocabulary style—common enough to recognize, yet not obvious at first glance. Finding this word gave me instant confidence that I was on the right track.

Second Pangram: UNBELIEF

After spotting BLUEFIN, I continued experimenting with longer combinations, especially abstract nouns ending in -IEF or -ING-like patterns. That’s when the second pangram revealed itself:

 UNBELIEF

This word uses all seven letters, with E repeated:
U N B E L I E F

Unbelief is a strong, expressive noun and a very typical NYT Spelling Bee pangram. With both pangrams identified, the puzzle opened up completely.

Building the Rest of the Word List

Once the pangrams were locked in, I focused on extracting smaller words by:

• Breaking down BLUEFIN and UNBELIEF

• Searching for common verbs and adjectives

• Carefully checking four-letter words (often the easiest to miss)

Because I is such a flexible vowel, this puzzle rewarded systematic exploration rather than rushed guessing.

All Valid Words for Today’s Spelling Bee

Below is a clean, organized list of valid words formed using today’s letters.

Pangrams

• bluefin (perfect pangram)

• unbelief

7+Letter Words

• beeline
• fulfill
• libelee
• lifeline

6–Letter Words

• belief

• feline
• infil
• nibble
• nubbin
• nubile

5- Letter Words

• belie
• bible
• blini
• elfin
• ennui
• innie
• libel
• linen

4-Letter Words

• line

• lien

• veil

• biel

• biff

• bile
• bill
• blin
• fief
• fife
• file
• fill
• fine
• lieu
• life
• nine

(Short words add up quickly—never skip them.)

What Made This Puzzle Click

Here’s what helped me solve today’s puzzle efficiently:

1. Search for real nouns first – Animals and abstract concepts are frequent pangram sources.

2. Look for perfect pangrams early – They’re rare but powerful.

3. Break long words into fragments – They hide many smaller answers.

4. Respect four-letter words – They’re easy points many players overlook.

Today’s puzzle rewarded vocabulary awareness and patience more than speed.

Buzzing Off with a Bang

The 18 December 2025 NYT Spelling Bee was a standout puzzle. Having both a perfect pangram (BLUEFIN) and a longer pangram (UNBELIEF) made it especially enjoyable and balanced. Once those were found, the rest of the board felt logical and fair.

If you enjoy solving daily pangrams, sharpening your spelling skills, or competing with friends in real spelling-bee-style challenges, Spelling Better makes the experience even more fun with daily word lists, live battles, and vocabulary-building games.

Happy spelling—and see you tomorrow