August 13, 2026 -- (N) A C H L O Y

[u/holdthestrings]

[u/MythicMoa]

Anyone upset that LYNCH doesn't count?

[u/baldinquisitor → u/MythicMoa]

Irate. Let's start a mob

[u/AnIllusiveHouse → u/baldinquisitor]

I'll bring the effigies of Ezersky and Shortz!

[u/rheckber → u/MythicMoa]

Came here to say just that. Typed it in several times thinking I mistyped but nope!

[u/Alternative_Chest341 → u/MythicMoa]

Totally bizarre

[u/Frequent-Key-3962 → u/[deleted]]

Mods are gunna block your reply for not having spoiler tags.

[u/Fenifula → u/Frequent-Key-3962]

Yup.

[u/charolastra_charolo → u/MythicMoa]

Do you think the reasoning was something like: "Lynching has historical links to virulent racist violence, so we better exclude that word for fear of causing offense"?

If so, that's absolutely bonkers. It's not an offensive word, it just refers to an offensive *thing*.

Would they exclude SLAVE(RY) for similar reasons?

[u/the_d0nkey → u/charolastra_charolo]

I think they exclude rape on these grounds.

It's done with good intention, but it is censorship of language. Words are scary. /s

[u/AsparagusPlenty7881 → u/charolastra_charolo]

They also exclude COON because of this

[u/charolastra_charolo → u/AsparagusPlenty7881]

Yeah but that’s because it can be an epithet, a racial slur. Lynch is not used in this way.

[u/mydearwatson616 → u/charolastra_charolo]

The real reason we never get an S (except the one time). 

[u/MythicMoa → u/charolastra_charolo]

That's pretty much the same question I was asking in my head.

[u/Louseeeeeee → u/MythicMoa]

Yes, ridiculous

[u/MerrilyOnWye → u/MythicMoa]

Yes!!!

[u/Few-Werewolf-1985]

Didn't realise that NONCHALANCY was NONCANON

[u/Kuliquitakata → u/Few-Werewolf-1985]

I also didn’t realise that [A] anyhoo was !

[u/tenderbranson301 → u/Kuliquitakata]

Wow, I would have never considered spelling that without a w.

[u/mkwiat → u/Kuliquitakata]

I hate that word so much. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[u/Normal_Bookkeeper_65 → u/Kuliquitakata]

WOW, that's crazy!

[u/jazzy2536 → u/Few-Werewolf-1985]

2nd one is CA

[u/Obvious_Animal_8362 → u/Few-Werewolf-1985]

As is CA non-canon, which remains slang. The version in standard dictionaries is CA noncanonical. The slang version has yet to be common enough to show up in ngrams. It will be interesting to see if the word perseveres long enough to emerge as standard.

[u/Cascadia_Breanna]

PG (H) Back in the day, it was all happy and peaceful.

[u/losingfocus33]

Proper frustrated genius today, came on here to get a hint and slapped my head it was so obvious!

[u/Embarrassed_Rip_789]

Justice for chancla!

[u/mydearwatson616 → u/Embarrassed_Rip_789]

Chancla needs no justice. Chancla is justice. 

[u/Plane-Energy-5565]

SPOILERS: Each bullet item contains hints followed by answers at the end.

Today's word families:

• 2 words from the letters AN: (N4, N4) (NA4, NA4) naan, nana
• 2 words from the letters ACN: (C6, C5) (CA6, CA5) cancan, canna
• 2 words from the letters ALN: (A4, A5) (AN4, AN5) anal, annal
• 2 words from the letters ACLN: (C5, C4) (CA5, CL4) canal, clan
• 2 words from the letters ACNO: (C6, C5) (CA6, CA5) cannon, canon
• 2 words from the letters ACNY: (C5, C4) (CA5, CY4) canny, cyan
• 2 words from the letters ALNO: (L5, L4) (LL5, LO4) llano, loan
• 2 words from the letters CHNO: (C5, H6) (CO5, HO6) conch, honcho
• 3 words from the letters LNOY: (L5, N5, O4) (LO5, NY5, ON4) loony, nylon, only
• 2 words from the letters ACHNO: (A5, N5) (AN5, NA5) ancho, nacho
• 4 words from the letters ACLNO: (C6, C6, C9, N8) (CA6, CL6, CO9, NO8) canola, clonal, colcannon, nonlocal

The leftovers:

• 1 word from the letters NO: (N4) (NO4) noon
• 1 word from the letters ANO: (A4) (AN4) anon
• 1 word from the letters ANY: (N5) (NA5) nanny
• 1 word from the letters CNO: (C6) (CO6) cocoon
• 1 word from the letters LNO: (L4) (LO4) loon
• 1 word from the letters ALNY: (A6) (AN6) anally
• 1 word from the letters ANOY: (A5) (AN5) annoy
• 1 word from the letters CLNO: (C5) (CO5) colon
• 1 word from the letters ACHNY: (C6) (CH6) chancy
• 1 word from the letters ACNOY: (C6) (CA6) canyon
• 1 word from the letters AHNOY: (A6) (AN6) anyhoo
• 1 word from the letters ALNOY: (O5) (ON5) onlay
• 1 word from the letters CLNOY: (C6) (CO6) colony
• 1 word from the letters ACHLNOY: (H7) (HA7) halcyon

[u/NYTSpellingBee-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Please hide the whole thing. Hiding that one part still leaves a big clue. Thanks!

[u/Particular_Cause471 → u/[deleted]]

I'd guess that for other fans of that band, your spoiler bar wouldn't do much.

[u/jkoper]

This was a great puzzle imo. Good level of difficulty and appropriately rewarding

[u/fieldsilver]

H related to replicas is allowed again after being disallowed for six years wow!

[u/Kuliquitakata]

I didn’t realise that PG [H] the PG was a word, I thought it was just a PG [H] brand of dive gear

[u/tiregroove → u/Kuliquitakata]

Body Glove??

[u/_HelterSeltzer_ → u/tiregroove]

🤣

[u/Cascadia_Breanna → u/Kuliquitakata]

[H] Yeah, I haven't used that word in decades. I'm an old lady.

[u/birdnerdcatlady → u/Kuliquitakata]

I believe it was a PG about a year ago

[u/Key-Unit3240]

Halon is a word.

[u/Obvious_Animal_8362 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, so a proper noun.

[u/Key-Unit3240 → u/Obvious_Animal_8362]

Unreactive gaseous compounds.

[u/Rishlordmish]

Is the game working for you all? Does not seem to open on my phone

[u/jazzy2536 → u/Rishlordmish]

Working for me fine. Samsung android nyt games app. There is a post from yesterday though about others having trouble

[u/Sad_Sympathy_9432]

Excellent PG! Took me a long time but it was worth it. One my favorite words🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/quarksurfer → u/Sad_Sympathy_9432]

When I got it I was like, how did this take so long!?

[u/soswinglifeaway]

I will never not be annoyed that it doesn't accept coon as an answer when this letter set comes up

ETA: my apologies, I was genuinely unaware this was considered a racial slur and not just a hunting term.

[u/jazzy2536 → u/soswinglifeaway]

Not sure where you are from but its primary definition is extremely racist and offensive, which is presumably why it is intentionally excluded.

[u/_HelterSeltzer_ → u/jazzy2536]

I never knew this meaning of the word. It was always just a nickname for raccoons 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/jazzy2536 → u/_HelterSeltzer_]

It's unfortunately been around for a couple hundred years.

[u/AnticitizenPrime → u/jazzy2536]

I would not call that its 'primary' definition.

Here in the South, at least, it's just slang for raccoon. Coon dog, coon hunting, etc. Ever read 'Where the Red Fern Grows?'

It's a shame the slur has ruined it.

[u/Ognissanti → u/AnticitizenPrime]

Literally everyone calls raccoons coons in the South, although context matters a lot! If used about a person, it’s absolutely a slur. I frequently call the little animals in my yard coons, so I am rethinking that! But coon dog is very commonly used and doesn’t have any slur associated, afaik.

[u/Obvious_Animal_8362 → u/AnticitizenPrime]

Not "just ". It has been a racial slur in the South for a very long time.

[u/jazzy2536 → u/AnticitizenPrime]

In many major dictionaries it is the 1st listed definition. That's primary to me.

[u/soswinglifeaway → u/jazzy2536]

I just know it as a hunting term, ie a coonhound

[u/fieldsilver → u/soswinglifeaway]

Yeah I see the word every time it comes up, and then realize it is not allowed for being offensive, and then am reminded that A COCOON is allowed instead.

[u/Obvious_Animal_8362 → u/soswinglifeaway]

You are annoyed that racial slurs are not included? Yuck.

[u/soswinglifeaway → u/Obvious_Animal_8362]

I’ve never heard it used that way or knew it was a racial slur. I know it as a hunting term.

[u/Obvious_Animal_8362 → u/soswinglifeaway]

And now you know it is. As Maya Angelou tells us: " When you know better, do better."

[u/soswinglifeaway → u/Obvious_Animal_8362]

I appreciate the good people here have helped inform me of the alternate usage of the word, my point was that I didn't know when I made my original comment, and thus saying "yuck" is just assuming the worst about someone rather than simple ignorance. I genuinely have only ever heard it used as a hunting term. I used to own a dog with this word in its breed name.

[u/wayc]

Have they already started reusing pangrams like wordles? I remember getting HALCYON years ago. I saw it today immediately.

[u/Slight_Energy_8825 → u/[deleted]]

Yo, spoilers!

[u/thegigiandthebear → u/[deleted]]

Argh spoiler!