The NYT Spelling Bee for July 23, 2026 uses center letter F, with outer letters C, O, U, N, D, and E. Today’s puzzle contains 40 words worth 239 points at Queen Bee level. Two pangrams are hiding in the same word family – find one and the other comes quickly.
Today’s Pangrams
The pangrams for the July 23 Spelling Bee are CONFOUNDED (10 letters, 17 points) and COFOUNDED (9 letters, 16 points). Both use all seven letters in the grid. They share the same root – a compound verb built on FOUND – which makes the jump between them shorter than it looks.
Hints for July 23, 2026
Today’s difficulty runs moderate. Three vowels in the outer ring – O, U, and E – give strong construction material. Every word must include the center letter F, which cuts the field considerably. Two productive patterns to work with: words built around the -OUND ending, and words using -ENCE or -END. Today’s grid also rewards double-F combinations.
Hint 1: One six-letter answer is a formal adjective meaning “fertile” or “intellectually productive.”
Hint 2: One six-letter answer became a political verb in the last decade, used when funding is removed from public institutions or agencies.
Hint 3: One seven-letter answer is the British English spelling of a common legal or law-enforcement word.
All NYT Spelling Bee Answers for July 23, 2026
4-letter words (1 point each): CUFF, DOFF, DUFF, FEND, FEUD, FOND, FOOD, FUND
5-letter words (5 points each): FENCE, FOUND, UNFED
6-letter words (6 points each): CUFFED, DEFEND, DEFUND, DOFFED, FECUND, FENCED, FENDED, FEUDED, FONDUE, FUNDED, OFFEND
7-letter words (7 points each): COFOUND, DEFENCE, FOUNDED, OFFENCE
8-letter words (8 points each): CONFOUND, DEFENDED, DEFUNDED, OFFENDED
9-letter pangram (16 points): COFOUNDED
10-letter pangram (17 points): CONFOUNDED
Queen Bee status requires finding all 40 words for 239 points. The puzzle resets at midnight ET. If yesterday’s session gave you trouble, the NYT Spelling Bee answers for July 22, 2026 are still available. For an earlier puzzle, see the NYT Spelling Bee answers for July 21, 2026.
