Today’s Spelling Bee puzzle gave us a hive with A in the center — the mandatory letter — and the surrounding letters E, D, N, Y, L, Z. With a mix of common consonants, a strong vowel balance, and the possibility of some high-value words, this was a rewarding puzzle to tackle.

The highlight of the day? The pangram is ANALYZED, a powerful word that not only uses all seven letters but also captures the spirit of problem-solving itself.

NYT Spelling Bee step-by-step guide

Whenever I begin the Spelling Bee, my first step is to warm up with smaller words. Since A was the center, I immediately looked for 3- and 4-letter entries like lad, den, lay, and deal. These are low-hanging fruits that build confidence.

Next, I started grouping letters by sound. I noticed the -ly ending was strong, which gave words like neatly and lanely. The -ed ending also opened doors, producing laden, ended, and delayed.

The real breakthrough came when I spotted the combination -zed. Not a common English suffix, but paired with analy-, it quickly formed the pangram: ANALYZED. That “aha!” moment felt perfectly on-theme, since solving the puzzle itself involves analyzing letters and patterns.

Today’s Pangram

ANALYZED

The word means “examined methodically and in detail.” It’s the perfect pangram for Spelling Bee solvers — every day, we analyze letter combinations until we strike gold.

Word List I Found

Here’s a list of words I uncovered while working through the hive:

4-letter words:

• deal
• dale
• zeal
•  adze
• ally
• anal
• daze
• dead
• elan
• lady
• laze
• naan
• zany
• zeal
• dean
• lead
• land
• yell
• lade

• delay
• added
• laden
• addle
• alley
• annal
• daddy
• dally
• dandy
• dazed
• eland
• laded
• ladle
• lazed
• nanny

• nearly
• leaned
• addend
• addled
• allele
• anally
• dandle
• dazzle
• deaden
• deadly
• ennead
• ladled
• landed
• leaded
• leanly

• addenda
• allayed
• analyze
• dandled
• dazedly
• deadeye
• delayed

• analyzed (pangram)
• annealed
• deadened
• landlady
• leadenly

While not exhaustive, this covers the core valid words in today’s puzzle, ranging from everyday terms like deal to less common finds such as zeal.

What Made Today’s Puzzle Fun

The puzzle struck a good balance between accessible words and more creative combinations. Shorter words like land and deal were quick wins, while the pangram demanded more patience and experimentation.

I also found that the Z added spice to the hive. It’s not often included, and it tends to yield higher-scoring, unusual words. That presence is exactly what led to the pangram — without Z, “analyzed” would have been impossible.

Another enjoyable aspect was the thematic fit. The word analyzed describes not just the result, but the very process of playing Spelling Bee: testing, rearranging, and methodically seeking out the right answer.

Tips for Solvers

Here are a few techniques that helped me today:

• Play with suffixes and prefixes: Adding -ed, -ly, or -al often unlocks longer words.

• Don’t ignore rare letters: Letters like Z can feel tricky, but they often hold the key to the pangram.

• Think thematically: Sometimes, the pangram reflects a broader theme of language, puzzles, or action — and noticing that can give you a clue.

Unlocking the Final Layers

The NYT Spelling Bee for September 20, 2025 was engaging, rewarding, and capped by a brilliant pangram: ANALYZED.

Whether you found it quickly or circled through dozens of shorter words before hitting it, today’s puzzle was a reminder of the joy of analysis — of words, of patterns, and of problem-solving itself.

Until tomorrow, keep analyzing those hives and chasing that Genius rank!