The NYT Spelling Bee for 7 December 2025 asks you to build words of four or more letters, always including the center letter L. Today's hive uses the letters G, I, N, T, H, R, and the required L.

About today's puzzle

The center of the hive is L, ringed by G, I, N, T, H, and R, giving you a strong set of consonants paired with just one vowel (I) to work with. The combination invites natural letter clusters like -ING, -LIT, and -ILL that can lead to both short four-letter words and longer, more complex combinations. While the single vowel presents a challenge, the consonant blend is generous with possibilities for those who know where to look.

NYT Spelling Bee words and answers: 7 December 2025

Here is a list of playable words using only G, I, N, T, H, R, and L, always including L and meeting the four-letter minimum. The official NYT list can differ slightly, but this should cover the most common and likely accepted entries.

4 letter words:

  • gill
  • gilt
  • girl
  • hill
  • hilt
  • lilt
  • lint
  • rill
  • till
  • tilt

5 letter words:

  • glint
  • grill
  • light
  • tilth
  • trill

6 letter words:

  • lining
  • riling
  • thrill
  • tiling

7 letter words:

  • gilling
  • hilling
  • lilting
  • tilling
  • tilting
  • titling

8 letter words:

  • giggling
  • glinting
  • grilling
  • lighting
  • niggling
  • tingling
  • trilling

9 letter words:

  • highlight
  • lightning
  • thrilling

10 letter words:

  • nightlight

12 letter words:

  • highlighting

Pangram of the day

'Thrilling' serves as today's pangram, because it threads through every letter in the hive while also including the required L. This word captures perfectly what you might feel upon solving today's puzzle—exciting, exhilarating, and genuinely satisfying.

Quick tactics

  • Start by chaining the center L with every other letter, then expand out into clusters like -ING, -LIT, and -ILL to spark ideas.
  • Experiment with common suffixes such as -ING, -LING, and -TH, then strip and swap letters to uncover new stems.
  • Pay attention to doubled letters. Words like TILLING and FILLING demonstrate how repeating L and other letters can unlock longer, more rewarding words.
  • Remember that repeated letters are allowed, so patterns like -ILL, -ILLING, and doubled consonants before -ING can reveal surprising combinations.
  • When stuck, cycle back through short, obvious four-letter builds like GILL, TILT, and LILT, as they often lead to longer follow-ups you initially missed.

Final thoughts

This hive rewards systematic exploration. Once you crack a few anchor words such as LIGHT, GRILL, and THRILL, related options start to appear in quick succession. The abundance of -ING endings means that identifying base words and extending them can rapidly expand your list.

Keep pushing toward that pangram—THRILLING is absolutely findable with patience and strategic letter combinations. Do share how many words you managed to find, and whether spotting the pangram changed how you approached the rest of the puzzle.