Today’s New York Times Spelling Bee was a puzzle that at first looked modest but turned out to be incredibly rewarding once the pieces started clicking together. The hive for the day featured:

Center Letter: D
Other Letters: I, O, T, N, G, H

At first glance, this mix hinted at some common short words, but the true challenge lay in piecing together the longer ones — especially today’s pangram.

The Big Breakthrough: Today’s Pangram

Every Spelling Bee puzzle has that one magical word that ties all the letters together. For September 22, 2025, the pangram was:

GOODNIGHT

Finding this word was a game-changer. It used all seven letters, flowed naturally, and brought a satisfying “aha!” moment to the puzzle. Once I uncovered “goodnight,” the rest of the hive began to open up quickly.

Improve vocabulary with NYT Spelling Bee

1. Start Small

I began with the obvious three- and four-letter words. These are the foundation of any Spelling Bee session and help you warm up:

• dig, did, nod, hid, dot, hog, ton, god

Collecting these simple entries builds rhythm and gets the brain tuned to the hive.

2. Spot Patterns

Next, I leaned on familiar endings like -ing and -ed, which are often goldmines. This led to words like:

• doing, dinged, hiding, nodding, dotting

From there, exploring root words like ding, nod, and thing naturally expanded the list.

3. Unlock the Long Words

Finally, I focused on longer entries, which carry the most weight toward the Genius level:

• nothing, tonight, dotting, nodding

And of course, the standout: goodnight, today’s pangram.

Full Word List I Found

Here’s the organized breakdown of valid words from today’s hive:

4-letter words:

• ding
• dint
• dodo
• dong
• doth
• good
• hind
• hood

• doing
• dingo
• thing
• thong
• dhoti
• digit
• ditto
• doggo
• idiot

• hiding
• dinged
• dining
• doting
• hoodoo
• hotdog
• indigo
• tiding

• Pangram: goodnight
• digging
• dinging
• dodging
• donning
• hooding
• hotdogging
• tonight
• nothing
• dotting
• nodding

This structure helps avoid missing words and makes tracking progress smoother.

Reflections on Today’s Hive

What I loved about today’s puzzle is how the letters encouraged both straightforward and creative thinking. The central D acted as the anchor, while G and H added character, making -ing and -ght endings especially productive.

The pangram goodnight was particularly rewarding because it’s such a familiar word hidden right in front of us. Discovering it reminded me of why I enjoy the Spelling Bee so much — it’s not just about obscure vocabulary, but about spotting everyday words in unexpected places.

Tips for Future Solves

If you’re aiming for Genius or just want to sharpen your solving skills, here are a few strategies that always work:

1. Anchor to the center letter early on. Without it, nothing counts.

2. Test suffixes like -ing, -ed, -tion, and -hood. They’re reliable gateways to longer words.

3. Think in phrases or endings. Today’s pangram “goodnight” shows how common expressions often emerge.

4. Group by length. Organizing short, medium, and long words helps track coverage and spot gaps.

Wrapping Up Today’s Hive

The September 22, 2025 Spelling Bee was a delightful mix of simple and tricky. From short staples like dig and nod to longer words like tonight and nothing, the puzzle had a bit of everything. The pangram goodnight tied it all together, offering that perfect sense of closure every solver craves.

Did you spot “goodnight” quickly, or did it take some searching? Either way, this hive was a great reminder of why the Spelling Bee is such an addictive daily ritual — equal parts challenge, discovery, and fun.

 Until tomorrow’s hive, happy spelling!