NYT Spelling Bee answers with full word list

Today’s NYT Spelling Bee puzzle was a rewarding one, especially for solvers who enjoy spotting longer, technical-sounding words hidden inside a compact letter set. With H placed at the center of the hive and surrounded by B, I, N, O, R, T, the puzzle looked deceptively simple at first glance—but reaching the pangram required a bit of patience and pattern recognition.

In this post, I’ll explain how I approached the puzzle, how the pangram emerged, and list all the valid words you can form today.

Today’s Letter Set

• Center letter: H

• Outer letters: B, I, N, O, R, T

Every valid word must:

• Be at least four letters long

• Include the center letter H

• Use only the given letters

• Allow repeated letters

How I Started Solving the Puzzle

Whenever H is the mandatory center letter, I look first for words where H appears naturally in the middle rather than at the beginning. Clusters like -HIB-, -HIT-, and -HOR- are usually strong starting points.

I began with shorter, obvious words to get momentum:

• HINT

• HORN

• BOTH

• THIN

These early finds helped confirm that the puzzle leaned toward common English roots, not obscure spellings. Once those were on the board, I shifted my focus toward longer constructions using IN- and -TOR, which are frequently part of scientific or descriptive terms.

Finding the Pangram

The breakthrough came when I noticed how well the letters fit the structure IN-HIB-IT-OR. Testing that sequence revealed the word:

 Pangram: INHIBITOR

INHIBITOR uses all seven letters in the puzzle:

• I

• N

• H

• B

• I

• T

• O

• R

Although some letters repeat, it qualifies as a full pangram, and it’s a completely valid word commonly used in biology and chemistry to describe something that slows or prevents a process.

Once INHIBITOR was found, it became much easier to work backward and identify smaller words embedded inside it.

All Valid Words for Today’s Puzzle

Below is a complete list of accepted words formed from today’s letter set.

4-Letter Words

• BOHO
• BOTH
• HINT
• HOBO
• HOOT
• HORN
• THIN

5-Letter Words

• BIRTH
• BOOTH
• BROTH
• HONOR
• NINTH
• NORTH
• RHINO
• THORN
• THROB
• TOOTH
• TROTH

6-Letter Words

• BOOHOO
• HOBBIT
• HOBNOB
• HORROR

7+ Letter Words

• INHIBITOR (pangram)

• INHIBIT
• INHIBITION
• TINHORN

What Made This Puzzle Interesting

• The letter H forced more deliberate word-building than usual

• Many valid words were nouns, not verbs

• The pangram wasn’t obvious until longer prefixes and suffixes were tested

• Scientific vocabulary played a role, which often trips up casual solvers

This was a puzzle that rewarded slowing down and testing structured word forms rather than guessing randomly.

Puzzle Reflections and Wins

The 10 February 2026 NYT Spelling Bee puzzle was a great example of how a single strong pangram can organize an entire grid. INHIBITOR is the kind of word that doesn’t jump out immediately, but once found, it confirms you’ve fully solved the puzzle.

If you’re working toward more consistent Genius scores, puzzles like this highlight the value of recognizing prefixes, suffixes, and technical vocabulary patterns.

Check back tomorrow for the next pangram breakdown—and happy spelling.