Today’s New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle presented an intriguing challenge with the central letter I surrounded by Y, T, X, B, A, L. At first glance, the presence of high-value letters like X and Y made me suspect there could be a strong, uncommon pangram lurking in the hive.

How I Approached the Puzzle

I started by identifying common letter pairings:

• TI, LY, BA, and AL came to mind immediately.

• I tested short words like tail, bail, and ably to warm up.

Next, I searched for possible longer constructions using all letters. The X in the hive narrowed down possibilities, as it is often found in specific contexts like axis or tax. The combination of TAX plus other letters sparked the idea of taxable, taxably, and finally, the breakthrough: TAXABILITY.

This 10-letter beauty uses every letter in the hive, with the required I, making it the perfect pangram for today.

Today’s Pangram

TAXABILITY – The quality or condition of being taxable.

Full Word List

Below is the complete set of words I found, grouped by length:

4-Letter Words

• ably
• alit
• bait
• ball
• ball
• bait
• bill
• tail
• till

5-Letter Words

• atilt
• axial
• bally
• billy
• blitz
• italy
• tilly

6-Letter Words

• ataxia
• axilla
• labial
• laxity
• tallit
• tibial
• litany

7-Letter Words

• ability
• axially
• battily
• biaxial

8-Letter Words

• bilabial
• lability
• tability
• baililty

9+-Letter Words

• taxability (Pangram)
• biaxially

Solving Tips That Worked Today

1. Start Small – Begin with easy, obvious words to get your brain warmed up and ensure you have the center letter covered.

2. Spot Rare Letters – The X today was a huge clue; rare letters often point to the pangram.

3. Mix Suffixes and Prefixes – Words like taxability are built from smaller components (tax + ability).

4. Think Plurals and Variants – Alternate forms can add valuable points, especially in competitive play.

Why TAXABILITY Was the Key

In Spelling Bee, finding the pangram early gives momentum. With taxability, the root (tax) and suffix (ability) came together naturally once I considered all available letters. It’s an uncommon word, but one that fits perfectly with the puzzle’s constraints.

Did You Spot the Pangram?

Today’s puzzle was a delightful mix of common letter patterns and a few curveballs, thanks to X and Y. The discovery of taxability as the pangram was especially satisfying because it’s not a word that comes to mind immediately but emerges through logical exploration of roots and suffixes.

If you’re working through these daily challenges, remember:

• Stay patient.

• Look for patterns.

• Play with combining small chunks into bigger constructions.

Happy puzzling, and may your future pangram hunts be just as rewarding!