OCT 6 2026

Spelling Bee October 6, 2026 Answers

All 62 valid words for the NYT Spelling Bee. Center letter: C.

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62
Total Words
340
Max Points
238
Genius Score
C
Center Letter

Today’s Pangram

Tap to reveal the pangram (spoiler)

Heads up — this shows the hardest word of the day.

⭐ Today’s Pangram
NOTCHED
Uses all 7 letters — worth 14 points

October 6, 2026 brought one of the more word-rich NYT Spelling Bee: 62 valid words, every single one containing the center letter C.

With 62 valid words, this was an unusually large puzzle — patient, systematic solvers had plenty of material to work with. The outer letters were D, E, H, N, O, T, and the longest answer aside from the pangram ran 9 letters for 9 points. Reaching Genius required 238 points out of a possible 340; see how this compares in the full answers archive.

The pangram used all 7 letters for 14 points — the highest-scoring word of the day (tap the spoiler above if you want it). If pangrams are where you get stuck, the pangram-spotting guide walks through the letter patterns that give them away.

Prefer to solve it yourself? Get spoiler-free hints for today's Spelling Bee instead — the words grouped by starting letter and length, with a nudge toward the pangram, so nothing is spoiled until you ask.

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✓ Official NYT Answers
This list is confirmed against NYT’s official answers for today. Words NYT doesn’t accept are marked with an orange box below.

Word List Hints — October 6, 2026

Prefer a nudge over the full answer key? Here is how the 62 words for the October 6, 2026 Spelling Bee break down — how many begin with each letter, at each word length — followed by the two-letter start list. Work these first, then reveal the complete list only if you get stuck.

Start \ Len456789Total
C87375434
D1·513·10
E2·31··6
H·21···3
N·211··4
O11····2
T1·2···3
Total131215108462

Two-letter starts

CE3CO31DE9DO1EC2EN2ET2HE1HO2NE1NO3OC1ON1TE2TH1

All 62 Words — Sorted by Length

Tap to reveal all 62 answers (spoiler)

Spoiler warning — the complete answer list is below.

9 Letters5 words
CONCOCTED 9
CONNECTED 9
CONTENDED 9
CONTENTED 9
THECODONT ★ 16
8 Letters11 words
COCOONED 8
CONCEDED 8
CONDONED 8
CONNOTED 8
COTTONED 8
DECEDENT 8
DECOCTED 8
DETECTED 8
CONODONT 8
HONCHOED 8
TENDENCE 8
7 Letters16 words
CONCEDE 7
CONCOCT 7
CONDONE 7
CONNECT 7
CONNOTE 7
CONTEND 7
CONTENT 7
DECODED 7
ENCODED 7
NOTCHED ★ 14
COCOTTE 7
CONCENT 7
ECOTONE 7
HOTCHED 7
OCTETTE 7
TETCHED 7
6 Letters23 words
COCOON 6
CONNED 6
COTTON 6
DECENT 6
DECOCT 6
DECODE 6
DETECT 6
DOCENT 6
ECHOED 6
ENCODE 6
ETCHED 6
HONCHO 6
NEOCON 6
TECHNO 6
THENCE 6
CENOTE 6
CODDED 6
COOCOO 6
COOEED 6
HOOTCH 6
NOCENT 6
OCHONE 6
TECHED 6
5 Letters25 words
CEDED 5
CODED 5
CODON 5
CONCH 5
CONDO 5
CONED 5
COOED 5
HENCE 5
HOOCH 5
NONCE 5
NOTCH 5
OCTET 5
CENTO 5
CHETH 5
CHOTT 5
CODEC 5
CODEN 5
CONTE 5
CONTO 5
COOCH 5
COOEE 5
COTED 5
ECHED 5
HOTCH 5
TENCH 5
4 Letters18 words
CEDE 1
CENT 1
CODE 1
COED 1
COHO 1
CONE 1
COOT 1
COTE 1
DECO 1
ECHO 1
ETCH 1
ONCE 1
TECH 1
CETE 1
CHON 1
COCO 1
CONN 1
ECHE 1
Pangram ★ — uses all 7 letters High Value (8+ pts) Standard Valid word — not in NYT’s official list C= required center letter
Scroll to see all 62 words

What the Words Mean

Definitions for the October 6, 2026 answers — so you know exactly what you found, or what you missed. Pangrams are marked ★.

Tap to reveal all 61 definitions (spoiler)

Spoiler warning — every answer word is spelled out and defined below.

CEDE
verb Give over
CEDED
verb Give over
CENT
noun A fractional monetary unit of several countries
COCOON
noun Silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects to protect pupas and by spiders to protect eggs
COCOONED
noun Silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects to protect pupas and by spiders to protect eggs
CODE
noun A set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones)
CODED
noun A set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones)
CODON
noun A specific sequence of three adjacent nucleotides on a strand of DNA or RNA that specifies the genetic code information for synthesizing…
COHO
noun Fatty pinkish flesh of small salmon caught in the Pacific and Great Lakes
CONCEDE
verb Admit (to a wrongdoing)
CONCEDED
verb Admit (to a wrongdoing)
CONCH
noun Any of various edible tropical marine gastropods of the genus Strombus having a brightly-colored spiral shell with large outer lip
CONCOCT
verb Make a concoction (of) by mixing
CONCOCTED
verb Make a concoction (of) by mixing
CONDO
noun One of the dwelling units in a condominium
CONDONE
verb Excuse, overlook, or make allowances for
CONDONED
verb Excuse, overlook, or make allowances for
CONE
noun Any cone-shaped artifact
CONED
noun Any cone-shaped artifact
CONNECT
verb Connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
CONNECTED
adjective Being joined in close association
CONNED
verb Conduct or direct the steering of a ship or plane
CONNOTE
verb Express or state indirectly
CONNOTED
verb Express or state indirectly
CONTEND
verb Maintain or assert
CONTENDED
verb Maintain or assert
CONTENT
noun Everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
CONTENTED
adjective Satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
COOED
noun The sound made by a pigeon
COOT
noun Slate-black slow-flying birds somewhat resembling ducks
COTE
noun A small shelter for domestic animals (as sheep or pigeons)
COTTON
noun Soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
COTTONED
noun Soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
DECEDENT
noun Someone who is no longer alive
DECENT
adjective Socially or conventionally correct
DECO
noun A style of design that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s
DECOCT
verb Extract the essence of something by boiling it
DECOCTED
verb Extract the essence of something by boiling it
DECODE
verb Convert code into ordinary language
DECODED
verb Convert code into ordinary language
DETECT
verb Discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
DETECTED
adjective Perceived or discerned
DOCENT
noun A teacher at some universities
ECHO
noun The repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
ECHOED
noun The repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
ENCODE
verb Convert information into code
ENCODED
verb Convert information into code
ETCH
verb Make an etching of
ETCHED
adjective Cut or impressed into a surface
HENCE
adverb From that fact or reason or as a result
HONCHO
noun A person who exercises control over workers
HOOCH
noun An illicitly distilled (and usually inferior) alcoholic liquor
NEOCON
noun A conservative who subscribes to neoconservatism
NONCE
noun The present occasion
NOTCH
noun A V-shaped indentation
NOTCHED ★
adjective Notched like a saw with teeth pointing toward the apex
OCTET
noun The cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
ONCE
adverb On one occasion
TECH
noun A school teaching mechanical and industrial arts and the applied sciences
TECHNO
noun A style of fast heavy electronic dance music usually without vocals
THENCE
adverb From that place or from there

Word definitions from WordNet® 3.1, Princeton University.

Miss Words Like These Every Week?

The players who find CONCOCTED and CONNECTED consistently know their Latin and Greek roots. These books teach the exact system that unlocks words like NOTCHED before you ever see the puzzle.

See the Books →
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Frequently Asked Questions

October 6, 2026's puzzle contained 62 valid words, above average, giving solvers more paths to reach Genius than most puzzles offer. Every answer used the center letter C; the pangram NOTCHED was worth 14 points, the maximum score was 340, and Genius required 238 points. The longest word, CONCOCTED, scored 9.
The pangram for October 6, 2026 was NOTCHED. A pangram uses all 7 letters of the puzzle at least once — in this case C, D, E, H, N, O, T — and earns a 7-point bonus on top of its length score, making NOTCHED worth 14 points total. Finding the pangram is the fastest way to jump from Amazing to Genius in a single word.
62 words were accepted in the October 6, 2026 puzzle — above average, giving solvers more paths to reach Genius than most puzzles offer. Lengths ran from 1-point 4-letter words up to 9 letters, every entry containing the center letter C and drawing only on C, D, E, H, N, O, T. Letters may repeat, and the 4-letter minimum always applies.
The Genius threshold for October 6, 2026 was 238 points — exactly 70% of the maximum score of 340. The NYT scoring tiers work as follows: Beginner starts at 7 points, Amazing requires roughly 170 points (50% of max), and Genius requires 238 points (70% of max). Queen Bee requires finding all 62 words for the maximum 340 points. Most competitive solvers aim for Genius; Queen Bee is reserved for completionists.
October 6, 2026's letters were C, D, E, H, N, O, T, with C in the center — required in every answer — surrounded by D, E, H, N, O, T. Valid words run 4+ letters, may repeat letters freely, and must be dictionary words; proper nouns and hyphenated forms never count.

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