The NYT Spelling Bee puzzle for 29 January 2026 offered a thoughtful and well-balanced challenge, centered around a strong academic pangram. With T fixed at the center and a mix of vowels and consonants around it, this puzzle rewarded solvers who paid attention to word structure rather than simply chasing short entries.

Today’s Letter Set

From the honeycomb, the letters were:

• Center letter: T

• Outer letters: O, G, E, Y, L, H

As always, the Spelling Bee rules apply:

• Words must be at least four letters long

• Every word must include the center letter T

• Only the given letters may be used

• Letters may be repeated

Today’s Pangram

The pangram for today’s puzzle is:

THEOLOGY

This word uses all seven letters from the grid at least once, making it a valid pangram. It fits the puzzle cleanly and feels very much in line with NYT Spelling Bee’s preference for recognizable, meaningful vocabulary.

How I Solved Today’s Puzzle

I started today’s solve by anchoring myself to the center letter T and building outward with common consonant–vowel pairings. Words like TOLE, THEY, and HOLY came to mind quickly, which suggested that the puzzle leaned toward familiar English rather than obscure forms.

The real breakthrough came when I noticed how naturally T, H, E, and O worked together. Seeing those letters alongside L and G made me think of academic or conceptual terms. Rearranging all seven letters together made THEOLOGY stand out almost immediately.

Once I confirmed that it used every letter and followed the rules, the rest of the puzzle became easier. Many smaller words are embedded directly inside the pangram, which made backtracking an effective strategy.

All Valid Words

Below is a comprehensive list of valid words that can be formed using today’s letters. All words include the center letter T and follow NYT Spelling Bee constraints.

Pangram

• THEOLOGY

Seven+Letter Words

• EYETEETH
• EYETOOTH
• OTOLOGY
• TELELOGY

Six-Letter Words

• EYELET
• GHETTO
• TEETHE
• TOGGLE
• TOOTHY
• TOOTLE

Five-Letter Words

• ETHYL
• HOTEL
• HOTLY
• LOTTO
• TEETH
• TOOTH

Four-Letter Words

• GELT
• GOTH
• HOLT
• HOOT
• LOOT
• TELL
• THEE
• THEY
• TOLL
• TOOL
• TOOT
• TOTE

Note: NYT’s internal dictionary may exclude some regional or archaic forms. THEOLOGY is the confirmed pangram and core solution for today.

Strategy Tips from Today’s Puzzle

• When T is the center letter, test TH- combinations early

• Look for academic or conceptual nouns when vowels cluster together

• Rearranging all seven letters at once often reveals the pangram faster

• Once the pangram is found, mine it for shorter words instead of guessing randomly

Language Layers Uncovered

The 29 January 2026 Spelling Bee puzzle was a calm, methodical solve that rewarded pattern recognition and vocabulary awareness. THEOLOGY is a strong pangram that feels earned rather than forced, and it anchors the entire word list nicely.

This was a good reminder that not every Spelling Bee puzzle is about speed—sometimes the best approach is to slow down, observe the structure, and let the words reveal themselves naturally.