The NYT Spelling Bee for 6 December 2025 asks you to build words of four or more letters, always including the center letter E. Today’s hive uses the letters A, M, B, N, I, C, and the required E.

About today’s puzzle

The center of the hive is E, ringed by A, M, B, N, I, and C, giving two vowels (A, I) supported by consonants that combine cleanly into chunks like AM, AN, BE, and IN. The set feels generous for everyday words, but the fixed E means a few promising starts will stall unless that vowel can be slotted in naturally.​

NYT Spelling Bee words and answers: 6 December 2025

Here is a list of playable words using only A, M, B, N, I, C, and E, always including E and meeting the four-letter minimum. The official NYT list can differ slightly, but this should cover the most common and likely accepted entries.​

  • menace
  • cinema
  • cabmen
  • mince
  • amine
  • anime
  • ambiance / ambience
  • mien
  • mine
  • mane
  • mean
  • name
  • beam
  • bean
  • bane
  • been
  • amen
  • came
  • cane
  • acne

Pangram of the day

Ambience (and its variant spelling 'ambiance') serves as today’s pangram, because it threads through every letter in the hive while also including the required E. Since both forms are standard English spellings, either version should qualify as the full-hive word for this layout.

Quick tactics

  • Start by chaining the center E with every other letter, then expand out into clusters like ME-, BE-, -ENE, and -INE to spark ideas.​
  • Experiment with common prefixes and suffixes such as EN-, EM-, -ENCE, and -INE, then strip and swap letters to uncover new stems.​
  • Shuffle letters on paper or in your head to reveal hidden anagrams; when you spot a solid base like MINE or BEAN, extend it with extra letters.​
  • Remember that repeated letters are allowed, so patterns like -EEN, -EER, or -EME can unlock a surprising number of valid words.​
  • When stuck, cycle back through short, obvious four-letter builds, as they often lead to longer follow-ups you initially missed.​

Final thoughts

This hive rewards patience. Once you crack a few anchor words such as menace, cinema, and ambience, related options start to appear in quick succession. Do share how many words you managed to find, and whether spotting the pangram changed how you approached the rest of the puzzle.