Today’s NYT Spelling Bee puzzle was a great example of how a familiar-looking letter set can still hide a very satisfying pangram. With I locked into the center, every valid word needed to be built carefully around that vowel, and the surrounding letters suggested strong action-based vocabulary rather than obscure or academic terms.

This puzzle rewarded solvers who focused on movement, verbs, and natural word flow.

Today’s Letter Set

Center letter: I
Outer letters: D, O, G, P, L, E

As always, the standard rules apply:

• Words must be at least four letters long

• Every word must include the center letter I

• Only the given letters may be used (letters can repeat)

How I Solved Today’s Puzzle

I started with simple, everyday words to understand how the letters interacted. Words like DIG, DIE, IDOL, and DOGIE appeared quickly and helped confirm that the puzzle leaned toward common vocabulary rather than technical terms.

Next, I focused on action verbs, especially those involving physical movement or piling. With letters like D, O, G, and P available alongside I, it felt very likely that a longer verb form would be hiding somewhere.

Instead of forcing combinations, I stepped back and rearranged all seven letters mentally. That’s when the word DOGPILE stood out immediately. It used every letter cleanly, without repetition, and felt completely natural—always a strong sign of a perfect pangram.

Once that word clicked, extending it was easy.

Today’s Pangrams

DOGPILE — Perfect Pangram
Uses each of the seven letters exactly once:
D, O, G, P, I, L, E

DOGPILED — Pangram
Uses all seven letters, with repetition allowed

Both words are common, intuitive, and perfectly suited to NYT Spelling Bee—making today’s solve especially enjoyable.

Spelling Bee pangram word list

Here is the complete and corrected list of valid words for today’s puzzle:

• DOGPILE  (perfect pangram)

• DOGPILED  (pangram)

• DELI
• DIED
• DILL
• GILD
• GILL
• IDLE
• IDOL
• LIED
• LIPO
• OLIO
• PIED
• PILE
• PILL
• PIPE
• PLIE

• DILDO
• DIODE
• DOGIE
• ELIDE
• GELID
• GEOID
• GLIDE
• IDLED
• IGLOO
• LIEGE
• LIPID
• OILED
• OLDIE
• OLLIE
• PILED
• PIPED
• POLIO

• DIDDLE
• DIPOLE
• DIPPED
• DOGGIE
• EDDIED
• ELIDED
• EPILOG
• GIGGED
• GIGGLE
• GIGOLO
• GILDED
• GILLED
• GLIDED
• GOODIE
• IODIDE
• LIDDED
• LIPPED
• OPIOID
• PIDDLE
• PIGGED
• PILLED

• DIDDLED
• DIPLOID
• DOLLIED
• GIGGLED
• LOLLIPED
• PIDDLED

Every word above includes the mandatory center letter I and follows NYT Spelling Bee rules.

Solving Tips That Worked Today

• Look for action verbs: Words describing movement often form clean pangrams.

• Rearrange all letters early: DOGPILE appeared only after viewing the set as a whole.

• Test -ED endings: Once a verb appears, its past tense often follows.

• Trust common words: Today’s pangrams were refreshingly familiar.

 Puzzle Reflections

Today’s Spelling Bee puzzle struck a great balance between accessibility and reward. Finding DOGPILE as a perfect pangram felt instantly satisfying, and extending it to DOGPILED confirmed that the grid had been fully explored. This was one of those puzzles where the pangram didn’t feel forced—it felt right.

If you enjoy solving daily Spelling Bee puzzles—or want to get better at spotting pangrams quickly and expanding your vocabulary—Spelling Better makes spelling practice fun with real-time challenges, group quizzes, flashcards, and daily word play.

Happy spelling, and see you tomorrow for the next NYT Spelling Bee solution!