Bee Roots for 2022-07-13

The table provides clues for the roots of words in today's NY Times Spelling Bee. You're responsible for prefixes, suffixes, tense changes, plurals, doubling consonants before suffixes, and alternate spellings of roots. An exception: since Sam won't allow S, when the root contains an S, the clue may be for a plural or suffixed form. "Mice" for example. If a clue isn't self-explanatory, try googling it. The TL;DR about the site comes after the table.

Past clues are available here

 
Today's puzzle
  • Letters: M/DEINPT
  • Words: 60
  • Points: 274
  • Pangrams: 1
Source: pngwing.com

Table content

  • with first two letters of answer and length
root #answers coveredanswer's first two lettersanswer's lengthclue for root (answer may need prefix, suffix, tense change, alt spelling, ...)
11DE4Consider (I … it a great success)
31DE5Obscure word meaning resign from an office or position
41DE5What jeans are made of
11DE6Consider (I … it a great success)
21DE6Person suffering from a chronic mental disorder characterized by memory loss, personality changes, and impaired reasoning (usually with -ed suffix)
21DE8Person suffering from a chronic mental disorder characterized by memory loss, personality changes, and impaired reasoning (usually with -ed suffix)
31DE8Obscure word meaning resign from an office or position
61DI4Coin worth 10 cents
51DI6Faintly lit, adjective/verb
91EM4Give off (radiation, signals)
71EM5Alter text to fix errors
71EM7Alter text to fix errors
81EM7Renowned (scholar); used with “domain” to mean gov property grab
91EM7Give off (radiation, signals)
101EM7Opposite of full, adj./verb
121IM6Obstruct; or hinder
141IM6Be about to happen (normally used in gerund form)
121IM7Obstruct; or hinder
111IM8About to happen (… demise, e.g.), adj.
141IM8Be about to happen (normally used in gerund form)
131IM10Obstruction; or defect in a person's speech; pangram
321IM10Feeling or showing sorrow & regret for having done wrong, adj.; or a person seeking forgiveness for their sins, noun
151IT4One thing as part of a set, 10 or fewer of these at an express register
161ME4Encounter (I’m supposed to … him in the park)
171ME4Viral internet funny image, noun/verb
181ME4Repair, especially clothes or shoes
201ME4Dispense justice (“… out punishment”), homophone of “animal flesh for consumption”
171ME5Viral internet funny image, noun/verb
201ME5Dispense justice (“… out punishment”), homophone of “animal flesh for consumption”
181ME6Repair, especially clothes or shoes
191ME6Experienced and trusted adviser, usually an older person
211MI4Computer music protocol, calf-length skirt, or noon in French
221MI4A person’s look or expression, NOT an average
231MI4Silent performer
241MI4Intention (I changed my…), noun; or dislike (I don’t…a little rain) or heed (…your manners), verb
251MI4Where you dig for ore, or anti-ship bomb
261MI4Smaller version (as in Cooper car), slang abbr.
281MI4Breath candy or its flavor or plant source, noun; or create coins, verb
291MI4Tiny tick, or very small amount (I'm a … testy today)
301MI4Catcher’s glove, or Sen. Romney
231MI5Silent performer
251MI5Where you dig for ore, or anti-ship bomb
271MI51/60 dram, UK music ½ note, or calligraphy short vertical stroke
241MI6Intention (I changed my…), noun; or dislike (I don’t…a little rain) or heed (…your manners), verb
281MI6Breath candy or its flavor or plant source, noun; or create coins, verb
311MI6Fingerless winter glove for a kid or Sen. Bernie Sanders at inauguration
331PE6Archaic for writer; compound made from “ink stick” & ♂
341PI4♂ who controls prostitutes, noun/verb
341PI6♂ who controls prostitutes, noun/verb
351TE4Be full or swarming with; homophone of Yankees group
361TE4Office worker fill-in, slang abbr.
371TE5Speed at which a passage of music is played; more generally, pace of an activity
381TE5Entice (as a donut to a dieter, e.g.), verb
351TE6Be full or swarming with; homophone of Yankees group
361TE6Office worker fill-in, slang abbr.
381TE7Entice (as a donut to a dieter, e.g.), verb
391TE8Set of rooms within a house, or cheap multi-family bldg.
401TI4What clocks measure & display
401TI5What clocks measure & display
411TI5Lacking courage or confidence, adj. (… as a mouse)

About this site

This site provides clues for a day's New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle. It exists to make it easier for Kevin Davis to take a day off. Most of the clues come from him. There may be some startup problems, but long term I think I can put the clues together with no more than half an hour's work.

The "Bee Roots" approach is to provide explicit clues for root words, not every word. This is similar to what Kevin Davis does, but without information about parts of speech As logophiles, we are pretty good at putting on prefixes and suffixes, changing tense, and forming plurals (including Latin plurals!). The clues cover root words, arranged alphabetically by root word, with a count of words in the puzzle that come from each root. For example, if a puzzle includes ROAM and ROAMING, there will be a clue for ROAM and a count of 2. The root may not appear in the puzzle at all; for example, the 2021-07-23 Bee included ICED, DEICE, and DEICED. For such a puzzle, the clue would be for ICE with a word count of 3.

The Bee Roots approach involves judgement sometimes. For example, if a puzzle includes LOVE, LOVED, and LOVELY, how many roots are needed to cover them? LOVE and LOVED share the root LOVE, certainly, but LOVELY is tricky. LOVE is part of its etymology, but by now, the word means "exquisitely beautiful," which is a lot farther from the meaning of LOVE than swithcing to past tense. I'm inclined to treat LOVE and LOVELY as separate roots. You may not agree, which is fine. Another thing we logophiles share is a LOVE of arguing about words on Twitter.

One last complication, until another one pops up: a few roots have multiple spellings, for example LOLLYGAG and LALLYGAG. Depending on the day's letters, and maybe even the editor's whims, one or both could be in the puzzle's answer list. With such roots, you could see a word count of 2, even if there are no applicable prefixes or suffixes.

I will do my best to keep this site up to date and helpful (I hope). Check it out, and tweet feedback to @donswartwout Tweet to @donswartwout

Many thanks to Kevin Davis, whose 4,500-word clue list made this possible.