The New York Times Spelling Bee for 18 December 2025 offers a compact but thoughtful challenge. As always, every valid word must be at least four letters long and include the center letter, I. Today’s letter set leans slightly tricky, with a mix of soft consonants and just enough vowels to tease out longer discoveries if you stay patient.
About today’s puzzle
With I locked in the center, today’s hive features B, E, F, L, N, and U around it. The mix feels moderately open, though missing common vowels keeps things interesting. There’s room for repetition and word extensions, but progress depends on spotting smart letter pairings rather than brute force guessing.
NYT Spelling Bee Words and Answers: 18 December 2025
Here’s a best-effort list of words that fit today’s rules. Keep in mind: some are rare or unusual, so the official NYT list may vary.
- bile
- file
- fine
- fuel
- lifebuoy
- lifeline
- belief
- fife
- fine
- infill
- fulfil
- nine
- nibble
- feline
- inline
- lifer
- unfile
Pangram of the day
Today’s pangram is Bluefin. It works perfectly because it includes every letter from the hive while keeping the mandatory I at its core. The word is clean, familiar, and satisfying to spot once you see it. Even better, it doesn’t rely on awkward repeats, making it feel like a natural solution rather than a forced one.
Quick tactics for any puzzle
- Start with the center letter
- Play with prefixes and suffixes
- Anagram your discoveries
- Use repeated letters
- Begin with easy 4-letter words
Final thoughts
December 18’s puzzle rewards steady thinking more than wild guessing. If you stuck with it, the word list opens up nicely. Share how many words you found today, or let others know when the pangram finally clicked for you.
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