Bee Roots for 2026-01-25

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: P/ACIORT
  • Words: 69
  • Points: 345
  • Pangrams: 3
Source: MathIsFun.com

Table content

answers coveredanswer's first two lettersanswer's lengthclue for root (answer may need prefix, suffix, tense change, alt spelling, ...)
1AI7Where you catch flights, compound
1AP5Separately (… from that), or in pieces (taken …)
1AP7Soviet admin system (…-chik)
1AP7Soft juicy orange-yellow fruit with a pit, resembling a small peach, pangram
1AT4Opposite of bottom
1CA9Component in an electric circuit that stores charges for a little while, pangram
1CA4Mafia boss, or moveable bar on a guitar
1CA5Tight-fitting pants that end near the calf
1CA6Someone who imprisons someone else
1CA4Gefilte fish source, noun; or to complain (… about), verb
1CA9Italian hors d'oeuvre consisting of thin slices of raw beef or fish served with a sauce
1CA7Parking space with a roof next to your house
1CA5Group of eight bones that form the wrist and part of the hand
1CO4Chicken pen, noun; or confine in a small space, verb (…ed up)
1CO5Usually hyphenated verb: take for your own use or for another purpose
1CO7Collection of written texts, especially the entire works of a particular author
1CR4Excrement, or something of extremely poor quality, noun/verb
1CR4Plant grown for profit, noun; or cut off the edges of a picture, verb
1OC6Aquatic animal with eight arms
1OP5Relating to the eye (… nerve), med. adj.
1PA4Formal agreement, treaty (don’t make one with the Devil)
1PA4Twosome (socks, aces, e.g.)
1PA4Father, slang
1PA9Squad of soldiers who drop from planes; (…-er)
1PA6Talking tropical bird, noun; or to mimic someone, verb
1PA4Some but not all, or line combed into hair
1PA7Musical suite of variations, usually for a solo instrument
1PA5Outdoor terrace adjoining a house, from Spanish (… furniture)
2PA7,9Person who vigorously supports their country & is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors (… Act or missile), adj. form is a pangram
1PI4A printed type size, or medical condition that makes you want to eat non-foods
1PI7Cooked in a sauce of lemon, parsley, & butter (chicken or veal …)
1PI5One of a series of small ornamental loops forming an edge on ribbon or lace
1PI5Ground-dwelling bird that wags its tail & is named for its song
1PI7Someone from a ship that flies the Jolly Roger; sea thief, often depicted with an eye patch
1PI4Flat bread with a pocket, often dipped in hummus or filled with falafel
1PI7Rhyming, usually hyphenated, adv. for rapid beating (my heart went …)
1PO4Tire out (I’m …ed); or defecate, slang verb/noun
1PO4Lacking $, or worse than ideal
1PO5Daddy
1PO4Nautical “left,” harbor, or wine from Lisbon
1PO7Roof supported by columns at regular intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building
1PO8Depiction of someone on canvas (… artist, self …)
1PO6Spud
1PR4Brit slang for a fool or butt (“…fall”); similar to “Jurassic Park” actor Chris
1PR7Penis adj.: resembling one, relating to ♂ sexuality, or having a persistently erect one; from Greek mythology
1PR5Existing before in time, adj. (Sorry, I have a … engagement)
1PR7Someone who monitors students taking an exam, noun/verb
1PR4Support (… up), verb; on-stage object or ballot initiative abbr., noun
1PR8Prolong (usually appears in past tense: the two countries were locked in a …ed conflict)
1PR10Device for measuring angles
1RA7Close relationship with good communications
1RA4Fascinated, mesmerized; adj.
1RA6Carnivorous bird (eagle, hawk, owl, vulture) or dinosaur (veloci-…)
1RA7Device to catch large rodents, or a run-down place, compound
1TA4Spanish bar snack (usually plural)
1TA7Cassava root starch used in pudding & boba tea balls
1TA5Animal similar in appearance to a pig, lives in Central & S America & SE Asia
1TA7Central plant anchor that grows straight down (others branch off it) & sucks up water; compound; a carrot is one
1TA4Waterproof sheet used as outdoor roof, abbr.
1TI4Native Am conical hut; Spelling Bee accepts 3 spellings
1TI6Rhyming compound adj. that means “of the very best quality” (in … condition), compound
1TO7Lightweight jacket, or final layer of paint; compound
1TO5Subject of a discussion (his ears must have been burning because he was the current … of conversation)
1TO6Lethargy, not quite hibernation
1TR4Device for catching things
1TR4Journey, noun (you’ve won a … to Paris!), or stumble (… over your own 2 feet), verb
1TR5Soldiers (usually plural), or unit of Boy or Girl Scouts
1TR6Area near the equator

About this site

This site provides clues for a day's New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle. It follows in Kevin Davis' footsteps. The original set of 4,500 clues came from him, and they still make up about three quarters of the current clue set.

The "Bee Roots" approach is to provide explicit clues for root words, not every word. 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.

A few words can have one meaning as a suffixed form and another as a stand-alone word. EVENING, for example. In those cases I will use the meaning that I think is more common.

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