Today’s New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle placed I in the center, with the outer letters N, L, X, F, B, E. At first glance, it looked challenging — with only two vowels (I, E) and strong consonants like X and F, the hive seemed restrictive. But once I pieced things together, the pangram revealed itself: INFLEXIBLE.

Let me walk you through how I solved it and share the full list of words I uncovered.

How to improve NYT Spelling Bee score quickly

Step 1: Scanning for the Pangram

The presence of X usually means that words like FIX, FLEX, or EX- combinations will play a key role. With I required in every word, my first instinct was to test roots such as INFIX, FLEX, and BIBLE/LINE combinations.

When I stumbled across FLEXIBLE, the leap to INFLEXIBLE was immediate. It’s a familiar word, natural English, and perfectly satisfies the Spelling Bee’s pangram requirement — using all seven letters, including the mandatory I.

Step 2: Building Short Words

Once I had the pangram, I shifted focus to racking up the smaller entries. Starting small is always a good way to warm up and find word families.

• Three- and four-letter basics: FIN, NIL, LIE, NIB, ELF, FIX, BIN, LEX

• Short plurals and endings: NIX, NIXE, LIES, BINS, ELFIN

These easier finds often trigger recognition of longer words nearby.

Step 3: Expanding Through Word Families

Next, I explored clusters:

• FLEX words: FLEX, FLEXI, FLEXIBLE, INFLEXIBLE

• FIX/INFIX words: FIX, FIXING, INFIX, INFIXES

• NIX words: NIX, NIXED, NIXES, NIXIE

• LINE family: LINE, LIN, INLINE

By grouping related words, I ensured I didn’t miss any natural extensions.

Step 4: Digging Into Less Common Terms

As always, the Bee rewards curiosity. Scientific and variant terms like EXINE (the outer layer of pollen) often appear. Likewise, forms like INFIXING (to insert something) are fair game. These aren’t everyday words, but they help players climb higher toward Queen Bee status.

Pangram

• INFLEXIBLE

Word List I Found

(The official NYT list may vary slightly, but here are valid candidates from today’s hive.)

4-Letter Words:

• BIFF
• BILE
• BILL
• BLIN
• FILE
• FINE
• IBEX
• LIEN
• NINE

5-Letter Words:

• NIXIE
• NIXED
• NIXES
• INFIX
• LEXIN
• LINEN
• LIBEL
• BIBLE
• EXILE
• ELFIN

6-Letter Words:

• INLINE
• INFIXE (rare form)
• EXINE
• FIXING
• BELIEF
• FELINE
• INFILL
• NIBBLE
• INFLEX

7+ Letter Words:

• INFLEXIBLE (pangram)
• INFIXING
• LIBELEE
• BEELINE
• FLEXIBLE
• LIFELINE

Strategy That Worked Today

1. Start with unusual letters. Hives with X almost always hide FIX, FLEX, or EX- forms.

2. Think opposites. Once FLEXIBLE appeared, the prefix IN- immediately produced the pangram INFLEXIBLE.

3. Use -ING and -IBLE endings. They fit naturally into today’s hive and yielded higher-scoring words.

4. Check scientific words. Terms like EXINE often appear in NYT’s word list.

5. Build systematically. Work from short entries upward to avoid missing obvious progressions.

A Look Back at the Challenge

Today’s puzzle was an enjoyable challenge, leaning on strong consonants and fewer vowels. At first, the hive felt restrictive, but spotting FLEXIBLE opened everything up. From there, the pangram INFLEXIBLE came naturally and anchored the solving process.

What made this puzzle fun was the balance between everyday vocabulary (BIN, FIN, LIE, NIB, LINE, FIX) and less common entries like EXINE and NIXIE. It’s a reminder that Spelling Bee is not only about testing what you already know but also about learning new words and expanding your mental word bank.

The moment of finding INFLEXIBLE was especially satisfying — it’s one of those pangrams that makes perfect sense, familiar yet hidden in plain sight. Once uncovered, it turned a difficult-looking puzzle into an engaging and rewarding solve.

So, how did you do? Did INFLEXIBLE come quickly to you, or did it take some detours through FIX and FLEX before you saw it? Share your solving story — every approach teaches something new.