Your Spelling Bee Companion for Sunday, July 12, 2026
A field guide for the K A E G I N W 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
33
Disputed Words
3
Pangrams
3
Score for Queen Bee
163
Genius estimate: 114 points
Verified Answers
33
Find every accepted word in today's puzzle
Pangrams
3
Use all seven letters
Disputed Words
3
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
Compact board with three overlapping pangram ladders
K is the center of a smaller 33-answer board, but this hive still has real upside because three long pangrams grow out of familiar WAKE and WEAK stems. Start by testing those K-heavy ladders before you sweep the short words. Once those families open up, the doubled-E pocket supplies several efficient follow-up points.
Verified answers
33
Max score
163
Genius
114
3 pangrams
Pangram Hunt
Start by forcing every letter into longer shapes before clearing short entries. Pangrams are the fastest way to move the score.
163 possible points
Point Density
The current candidate pool estimates a Genius target around 114 points. Longer words matter more than raw word count.
33 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.
KI
5
words
AW
4
words
WA
4
words
WE
4
words
KN
3
words
WI
3
words
GA
2
words
GE
2
words
KE
2
words
AK
1
word
EK
1
word
IN
1
word
Score Planning
Word-Length Grid
Longer words carry more score. Clear them before the four-letter cleanup.
4 letters
14
one-point cleanup
5 letters
3
score-building row
6 letters
4
score-building row
7 letters
9
score-building row
8 letters
1
1 pangram
9 letters
2
2 pangrams
Progressive Hint
First-Letter Counts
W
11
answers
K
10
answers
A
5
answers
G
4
answers
E
1
answer
I
1
answer
N
1
answer
Pattern Prompts
Work The Board Without Reveals
WAKE ladder
This is the cleanest route into the pangrams: start with the base, then add the verb and -ING extensions.
WEAK ladder
The WEAK branch is shorter, but it still produces one of the board's best 10-letter payoffs.
Double-E pocket
Once you notice repeated E is friendly here, several medium-value answers fall quickly.
INK and KING extensions
Short K forms can often be pushed into longer scoring answers with -ING or an extra consonant.
KN cluster
Do not forget the silent-looking KN pocket; it contributes both a short answer and its longer extension.
Common Prefixes
aw-
The AW branch matters because it turns the basic WAKE stem into longer premium answers.
wa-
WA is the most productive plain opening on the board and leads directly to a pangram family.
we-
WE supplies both safe short entries and a long all-letter extension.
kn-
KN is a small branch, but it is easy to miss if you only scan more common K starts.
Common Suffixes
-ing
The board rewards repeated verb extensions, especially once you already have the shorter base.
-ake
Several core answers end with the same AKE sound, which helps the WAKE family surface faster.
-ink
The INK ending creates a compact set of valid short answers before they expand outward.
Progressive Help
Pangram Hints
No-spoiler nudge
All three pangrams grow out of everyday WAKE or WEAK material, so try extending a familiar base instead of hunting for a brand-new shape.
Length clue
Two pangrams reach 10 letters and the other lands at 9, and each one keeps K active inside an -ING finish.
Wake branch reveal
One pangram is the shorter WAKE-based extension.
Reveal words: wakening
Full pangram reveal
The two biggest point swings are the longest WAKE and WEAK builds.
Reveal words: awakening, weakening
Spoiler Control
Notable Words
- awakeningPangram
- weakeningPangram
- wakeningPangram
- geeking7 pts
- keening7 pts
- kinging7 pts
- nankeen7 pts
- awaking7 pts
- gawking7 pts
- kinking7 pts
Why these matter
- awakening
This 10-letter pangram is the biggest WAKE-family payoff and an ideal early target once you see the board wants long K-heavy builds.
- weakening
The other 10-letter pangram turns a simple WEAK base into a major score jump, so it is worth chasing before low-value cleanup.
- wakening
The nine-letter pangram is the most compact all-letter route and often appears before AWAKENING if you scan stems methodically.
- geeking
This accepted extension confirms that the doubled-E branch is not just filler; it is one of the board's real score engines.
- nankeen
NANKEEN is the day's best reminder to test unusual vocabulary once a repeated-E pattern starts feeling productive.
- keening
KEENING stretches a common adjective into a longer verified answer and helps confirm how generous the KEEN family is today.
- kinging
KINGING proves the plain KING stem extends farther than many solvers will expect, making it a useful confidence check.
Hard Finds
Tricky Accepted Words
- nankeen
This uncommon fabric word hides a KEEN sound inside an odd opening, so it is easy to skip unless you keep extending the repeated-E family.
- geeking
The doubled-E plus -ING extension is easy to miss if you stop at GEEK and move on too early.
- wakening
It can disappear behind AWAKENING, but the shorter pangram is its own separate score source.
- kinging
This extension feels dubious at first glance, but the source verifies that the KING stem really does grow one step further today.
- kiwi
The short repeated-vowel shape breaks the longer-ladder rhythm and is easy to leave behind during a pangram-first solve.
Disputed Candidates
Plausible Rejections
- gink
It looks believable beside GEEK, KING, and KINK because the G- plus -INK frame fits the hive, but it is not in the verified source list.
- kaka
The repeated-K bird name matches the board's comfort with duplicates, but today's trusted sources did not include it.
- keek
The doubled-E pattern feels board-friendly next to GEEK, KNEE, and WEEK, yet it still misses the verified answer set.
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.