Today’s NYT Spelling Bee puzzle came with a bold and unusual letter set. The center letter was P, which meant every valid word had to include P. The outer letters were Z, U, C, T, A, and H, creating a puzzle that looked difficult at first because of the rare letter Z.
But that rare letter was also the biggest clue. The pangram for today is:
This is a strong and memorable pangram because it uses all seven letters from today’s puzzle: C, H, U, T, Z, P, and A. It also includes the required center letter P, making it the perfect centerpiece of the solve.
Today’s Letters
Center Letter: P
Outer Letters: Z, U, C, T, A, H
Pangram: CHUTZPAH
How I Solved Today’s Puzzle
I began today’s puzzle by focusing on the center letter P. This is always the first rule of Spelling Bee solving: every valid word must include the yellow center letter. With P required and letters like Z, U, C, T, A, and H available, the puzzle immediately felt more challenging than usual.
I first looked for simple four-letter words. Words like pact papa pupa and putt helped me get started. These shorter words were important because they gave me confidence and showed which letter combinations were useful.
The next step was to look at the unusual letter Z. In many Spelling Bee puzzles, rare letters often point toward the pangram. I started testing words that naturally use Z with the available letters. The combination chutz stood out, and from there, the full word CHUTZPAH became clear.
That was the breakthrough moment of the puzzle. CHUTZPAH is not just a long word; it is a distinctive word with personality.
Once I saw it, the entire puzzle made more sense. The letters were not random — they were clearly arranged around this bold pangram.