- Anya Tsukru
- February 16, 2026
Today’s NYT Spelling Bee Pangram & Word List – 16 FEBRUARY 2026
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Today’s NYT Spelling Bee puzzle for February 16, 2026, gave us a very interesting letter set. From the image, the letters were:
Center letter: A
Surrounding letters: M, C, R, B, O, K
As always, the golden rule of Spelling Bee applies: every word must include the center letter A, must be at least four letters long, and letters can be reused.
Step 1: Spotting Common Patterns
Whenever I begin solving, I look for familiar word clusters and prefixes. With the letters A, M, C, R, B, O, K, I immediately noticed combinations like:
-
BAR-
-
CAR-
-
MAC-
-
MAR-
-
BOAR-
-
ROAM-
The presence of K also suggested words like “karma” or “marka,” though not all combinations would be valid dictionary entries.
Step 2: Finding the Pangram
The next goal is always the pangram — the word that uses all seven letters at least once.
Looking at the set carefully, I tested multiple arrangements. After trying different combinations and checking letter coverage, the correct pangram for today is:
BACKROOM
Let’s verify:
B
A
C
K
R
O
M
That uses all seven letters, including the center letter A.
BACKROOM is today’s pangram.
Step 3: Building the Word List
Once the pangram is found, it becomes easier to expand outward and find related or shorter words.
Here are valid words derived from today’s letter set:
4- LETTER WORDS- AMMO
- AMOK
- ARCO
- BABA
- BACK
- BARB
- BARK
- BOAR
- BOBA
- CAMO
- CARB
- COCA
- COMA
- CRAB
- CRAM
- MAKO
- MAMA
- MARK
- MARM
- OKRA
- ORCA
- RACK
- ROAM
- ROAR
- ABACK
- ARBOR
- ARMOR
- AROMA
- BABKA
- CACAO
- CAROB
- CAROM
- COBRA
- COCOA
- COMMA
- CRACK
- CROAK
- KABOB
- KARMA
- KORMA
- MACRO
- MAMBA
- MAMBO
- MAMMA
- MOMMA
- BAMBOO
- BAOBAB
- KABOOM
- MARACA
- BACKROOM (PANGRAM)
- BACKCOMB
- BARBACK
- BARBACOA
- BARRACK
- BARROOM
- BOOKMARK
- BOOKRACK
Step 4: Strategy Reflection
What made today’s puzzle interesting was the balance between strong consonants (K, B, M, R) and vowels. Since A was the only guaranteed vowel, finding words required creative rearranging.
I found that focusing on:
-
Food words (KORMA, OKRA)
-
Movement words (ROAM)
-
Descriptive words (MORAL, KARMIC)
-
Object-based words (ROOMBA, CAROB)
helped expand the list faster.
The breakthrough moment was recognizing ROOM inside the grid, then adding prefixes like BACK — which unlocked the pangram.
Unlocking the Final Layers
Today’s NYT Spelling Bee puzzle was moderately challenging, especially because the letter K limited combinations. However, once the pangram BACKROOM was discovered, the rest of the board opened up quickly.
If you struggled today, puzzles with heavy consonant clusters can be trickier. The key is patience and systematic rearranging.
Check back tomorrow for the next Spelling Bee challenge.
Based in Kohima, Anya Tsukru is the co-founder of the Spelling Better App, an app designed to make spelling fun, interactive, and effective for learners of all ages. With a deep passion for language and education, Anya creates content that helps users strengthen their vocabulary and master spelling through engaging challenges and practical tips.