NYT Spelling Bee for 25 December 2025 features a hive built around N as the must‑use center letter, with six surrounding letters: P, H, I, E, X, and O.

About today’s puzzle

Today’s hive looks clean and minimal at first glance, but the unusual mix of consonants and just two true vowels can make the grid feel tighter than expected. With N as the anchor, many of the best targets are built around common -ing, -ion, and -en patterns that unfold once you start experimenting. As always, every valid word must be at least four letters long, use the center N, and draw only from the seven hive letters, with repeats allowed.

NYT Spelling Bee answers: 25 December 2025

Below is a curated list of words that fit today’s rules: every word includes N, is at least four letters long, and uses only the hive letters. Letters may repeat, so don’t hesitate to double up when it feels right.​

4-letter words

  • nine
  • none
  • neon
  • noop
  • nope
  • open
  • oven
  • pine
  • peon
  • phon
  • opine
  • nene

5-letter (and longer) standouts

  • phone
  • nephin
  • onion
  • phonon
  • phenix

These examples illustrate the patterns that drive most of today’s finds, especially the recurring -one, -ine, and -on endings. Use them as springboards to explore other combinations that follow the same feel.​

Pangram of the day

Today’s pangram is PHOENIX, a satisfying word that manages to use all seven letters while still feeling natural and familiar. It pulls together the hive’s entire palette—P, H, O, E, N, I, and X—without awkward constructions, and it rewards anyone who leans into the less common X early.

Quick tactics for any puzzle

  • Start with the center letter. Build short roots around N first—ne, ni, no—then extend into endings like -ing, -ion, and -en.​
  • Play with prefixes and suffixes. Experiment with starters such as en-, in-, and non- and endings like -ing, -ine, -one, and -ion to unlock families of related words.​
  • Anagram your discoveries. Once you find a word like open, shuffle those letters mentally to uncover peon and pone-style variants.​
  • Use repeated letters. Remember that puzzles often hide gems behind double letters; patterns like -nn- or repeated vowels can create legitimate words you might overlook.​
  • Begin with easy 4-letter words. Clearing out obvious candidates quickly helps you see new patterns instead of staring at the same stuck combinations.

Final thoughts

This December 25 puzzle rewards players who stay flexible with a slightly tricky letter like X while leaning on more familiar N-centered patterns to keep momentum. Once the hive “clicks,” words tend to arrive in little runs, especially when you experiment with pho-, neo-, and -one or -ine endings. How many words did you uncover today—and did phoenix blaze into view early, or emerge from the ashes right at the end?​