Your Spelling Bee Companion for Wednesday, July 8, 2026
A field guide for the G I L R T U Y hive: how many words to look for, where the big points are hiding, and full answer lists only when you decide you are ready to reveal them.
Today's Board
Verified Answers
21
Disputed Words
1
Pangrams
1
Score for Queen Bee
79
Genius estimate: 55 points
Verified Answers
21
Find every accepted word in today's puzzle
Pangrams
1
Use all seven letters
Disputed Words
1
Real-looking words to treat with caution
Puzzle Snapshot
Solve The Hive Before The Spoilers
This page is currently in hint mode: you get the board, counts, estimated score targets, and strategy prompts without answer words. Reveal specific words only when you are ready to check your solve.
Today's Read
Tight board with one pangram and heavy double-letter pressure
This G-centered hive is compact enough to feel manageable, but it hides points behind repeated letters and a very small set of productive families. Start by testing GI-, GR-, and GU- openings, then look for words that reuse L, T, or Y instead of assuming each outer letter appears only once. The fastest early progress comes from spotting the lone all-letter shape and the few six-plus-letter builds around it.
Verified answers
21
Max score
79
Genius
55
1 pangram
Pangram Hunt
Start by forcing every letter into longer shapes before clearing short entries. Pangrams are the fastest way to move the score.
79 possible points
Point Density
The current candidate pool estimates a Genius target around 55 points. Longer words matter more than raw word count.
21 verified answers
Queen Bee Path
Use the word lists below to scoop up every point you need to reach Queen Bee.
Study mode
Definition Pass
Click unfamiliar words to reveal their definitions and cement them in your memory for next time.
Spoiler-Light Scan
Two-Letter Start Counts
Use these starts as a checklist without revealing full answers.
GI
6
words
GU
6
words
GR
4
words
GL
2
words
LI
1
word
TR
1
word
UG
1
word
Score Planning
Word-Length Grid
Longer words carry more score. Clear them before the four-letter cleanup.
4 letters
11
one-point cleanup
5 letters
4
score-building row
6 letters
3
score-building row
7 letters
1
1 pangram
8 letters
2
score-building row
Progressive Hint
First-Letter Counts
G
18
answers
L
1
answer
T
1
answer
U
1
answer
Pattern Prompts
Work The Board Without Reveals
GI- family first
GI is the deepest opening on the board, covering both quick cleanup words and the only six-letter repeated-letter build.
GU- carries the scoring tail
GU gives you the board's best non-pangram runway, including the two biggest non-pangram scores.
Repeated letters are not optional
Most of the useful higher-value words reuse letters, especially doubled L, T, or Y. If you avoid repeats, you leave much of the board behind.
One pangram, then short cleanup
With only 21 accepted words and 11 four-letter entries, this board swings on finding the lone pangram and a few six-plus-letter words before you mop up the one-pointers.
-ILY is the premium ending
Two of the best scores come from extending familiar bases into an -ILY finish.
Common Prefixes
GI
The richest start on the board; check it for both plain stems and a doubled-letter extension.
GU
This branch produces the strongest non-pangram scoring run, so it is worth revisiting after every new find.
GR
GR is shorter than GI or GU, but it hides one long payoff and a clean four-letter cleanup chain.
GL
Only two accepted words start here, which makes it a good final sweep once the bigger families are exhausted.
Common Suffixes
-ILY
The best extension on the board turns shorter bases into eight-letter scores.
-LL
Double-L endings show up across multiple short accepted words, so they are useful cleanup checks.
-TY
This ending helps convert solid mid-length words into dependable scoring answers.
Progressive Help
Pangram Hints
No-spoiler nudge
There is only one pangram, and it is not built from the obvious GI/GR/GU starts. Shift your scan to the lone outer letter that can open a seven-letter answer cleanly.
Structure hint
The pangram is 7 letters long, starts with L, and leans on a common -URGY ending rather than on doubled letters.
Reveal
If you want the full pangram, reveal it here.
Reveal words: liturgy
Spoiler Control
Notable Words
- liturgyPangram
- grittily8 pts
- guiltily8 pts
- giggly6 pts
- guilt5 pts
- glug1 pts
- gritty6 pts
- guilty6 pts
- girly5 pts
- grill5 pts
Why these matter
- liturgy
The day's only pangram, so this is the biggest single unlock on a board that otherwise stays very tight.
- guiltily
One of the two eight-letter answers and the highest-value non-pangram extension once you have GUILT.
- grittily
The other eight-letter payoff, and a good example of how repeated letters drive the best scores here.
- giggly
A six-letter repeated-letter word that opens the richest GI family beyond the obvious four-letter starts.
- guilt
This base word matters because it leads directly to the board's biggest non-pangram extension.
- glug
Small, odd-looking, and very missable, which makes it one of the more useful late cleanup checks.
Hard Finds
Tricky Accepted Words
- glug
Easy to miss because it looks too playful, but it is a valid four-letter cleanup word and the only accepted GL- repeat.
- girt
This is the kind of short uncommon word that disappears if you only chase conversational vocabulary.
- guru
The repeated U can feel suspect on a tight board, so it is worth remembering early.
- giggly
A six-letter answer built from repeats, which makes it a strong reminder not to solve this hive with a no-duplicate mindset.
- grittily
High scoring, but easy to skip because the doubled T and adverb ending make it look overbuilt.
- guiltily
Another eight-letter extension that rewards you for pushing past the more obvious GUILT base.
Disputed Candidates
Plausible Rejections
- grig
GRIG has a real word page and fits the hive, so it is a believable guess, but it was not in the verified answer list for July 8.
Answer Vault
All The Words You Need And A Few You Don't.
Trusted words are your safest answer list. Disputed words are real-looking candidates that may not count in the curated puzzle, but they can still be useful for review.