Spelling Bee
Statistics & Insights
Deep data across 2,988 puzzles — letter patterns, records, and historical trends.
2,988
Puzzles
122,339
Total Words
4,128
Pangrams
1,033
Perfect Pangrams
Word History Search
Find every puzzle where a specific word appeared
Search the full archive database — finds official NYT puzzle answers only.
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~ Averages Per Puzzle
Most Common Center Letters
How often each letter sits in the center position across all puzzles
All Letters Frequency
Total appearances across all puzzles (c = times as center letter)
Word Length Distribution
How many answers of each length exist across all puzzles. Gold = contains pangrams.
Understanding Spelling Bee Statistics
Our database covers 2,988 Spelling Bee puzzles spanning years of daily gameplay. The average puzzle contains roughly 41 words, though this swings significantly — some puzzles have as few as 15 words while others push past 60.
Center letter selection follows clear patterns. O leads with 273 appearances (9.14%), making it the most common center letter. A rare center letter typically constrains the word pool significantly.
Perfect pangrams — 7-letter words using each letter exactly once — are genuinely rare. Out of 2,988 puzzles, only 1,033 contain one (34.6% of all puzzles).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common center letter in the Spelling Bee?
The most common center letter is O, appearing in 273 puzzles (9.14%). Top 5: O, T, A, L, I.
How many words does the average puzzle have?
About 41 words, with 1.4 pangrams on average. Puzzles with more pangrams tend to have higher maximum scores.
How rare is a perfect pangram?
Out of 2,988 puzzles, only 1,033 contain a perfect pangram — roughly 34.6% of all puzzles.