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NYT Spelling Bee

Started by nebo113, August 28, 2020, 05:56:09 AM

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cathwen

The nytbee.com site is really helpful.  I usually look at it early in SB to see how many total points, how many pangrams, etc.  Then I scroll down and I look at the lists later when I get stuck. 

Ab_grp, you're so close!  You'll get there!

I just found the sixth pangram.  325 points (solid Beta), 56 words ("only" ten to go). 

ciao_yall

#2221
I like the Wordplay Blog comments. If you click on Comments/Reader Picks somebody makes a grid, and commenters give additional hints and definitions.

It starts off with vague hints (how many words start with A, D, et) then stronger (AD words = X number) and the definitions are very clever. So it gives a bit of a poke before giving the whole schebang away.

6 pangrams (I was miscounting earlier) and 317 points.

ciao_yall

Apparently wordplay blog isn't working so I went to the nytbee puzzle solver.

I did have all the pangrams, and learned a few new words. Gah.

Langue_doc

Two twofers, oh my!

The pangram weren't difficult.

Parasaurolophus

259 and four pangrams, in the end. I just can't see anything else.
I know it's a genus.

Langue_doc

Good morning!

Pangram and genius today; it's a rather boring puzzle, so I might not look for more words. I think I've found all possible combinations, including a couple that I didn't think were real words.
QB yesterday, after a very long haul. I tried all kinds of permutations which gave me words that I didn't know existed.

unintended/drowsily, and then unworldly/yetis; I prefer the latter pair.

Happy solving, all!

cathwen

Good morning!

I stalled at Beta yesterday, but I did find the six pangrams.  Annoyingly, I was sure I'd entered initiation, but apparently had not.  Oh well...    I'm at Beta today with the pangram. 

LB:  Yesterday I had endows-sturdily.  I guess there were a number of solutions!  Congratulations on having found not one, but two solutions, Langue_doc!   

I have found a 2fer for today as well.

Now I have no excuse...it's time to grade an assignment I regret having assigned.  Sigh...

Happy puzzling!

Langue_doc

I must be channeling you, cathwen, as I found a twofer effortlessly.

I encountered the same  problem with initiation; I entered it when typing on the Kindle, but noticed that it had disappeared later in the afternoon when I checked my list on the computer.

ciao_yall

#2228
SB - Two new words - diatom and monad. Two itty bitty creatures. I realize to be a regular QB I will need some discipline for a while in learning those little oddball words.

This morning it wouldn't take two words that are sooooo in today's lingo! Argh. Genius, no pangram.

LB - unlisted-drowsy.

This morning, two "ships" on the first try. Almost had a 2fer b4ss but missing one letter. No 2fer yet.

Happy solving!

ab_grp

Good morning!

Got to QB today already, so not a tough puzzle.  Nice to have an easy and quick one after yesterday! On yesterday's we got a team QB.  I was missing diatom, amino, initiation, and he was missing monomania and mammon.  Congrats on your QB yesterday, Langue_doc! That was a tough one.

I had a different LB yesterday: wildest-tourney.  Always cool to see different solutions! And none the schmofficial one, I guess?

Congrats on your 2fers today, cathwen and Langue_doc! Sounds like you are almost there too, ciao_yall.  I just started so have a few contenders but no luck yet.

Happy solving!

ciao_yall

Messy 2fer. /whew.

Well into genius, still no pangram.

cathwen

Yippee!  QB! 

And congratulations on QB today and yesterday, ab_grp, and on your 2fer, ciao_yall!

ab_grp

Yay! Congrats on your QB, cathwen!

And congrats on your 2fer, ciao_yall!  I still have to get back to that and see if I can find a mate.

I forgot to add to the discussion from last night about hints for the bee.  If husband and I get very stumped, we will compare hashes (# words starting w/ each letter) and try to help each other narrow down what we could be missing.  But when we are both missing the same words and stumped and just trying for impure team QB, we first look at the nytbee site mentioned earlier to see how many words there are of each length.  Then, we move on to https://www.shunn.net/bee/latest to try to get some more scaffolded help if we need it.

WARNING: there are several settings you can choose on Shunn's site.  I usually choose "hide solution set" (which was selected already when I went to the link just now), "show 2-letter tally" and and "show compound distribution" (not currently selected when I looked at the link I included above), and then just only look at whichever is the next step in scaffolding (like how many words start with each letter) and ignore the rest until I need more help.  From top to bottom, the selections I mentioned should give you:

  • summary of total words, total score, # pangrams, # compounds
  • # words starting with each letter
  • # words of each length
  • crosstab of letter by how many words of each length (e.g., it might show that for B words there are 5 four-letter, 2 seven-letter, 1 nine-letter... obv made that up)
  • two-letter tally: this is how many words start with each combo of 2 letters (for example, BE x 2, BI x 4, BL x 1....)
  • if there are compounds and you picked compound distribution, it will show how crosstab of which letters they start with and how many letters they have

As you can see, this can give you a little more control over which kinds of hints you want to see.  You could start out by not allowing it to show much of all and then rerun it with other options selected.  I had heard of this site often but finally just took a look at it last week and like that kind of control, personally.  I think some of the above is posted in the Wordplay blog, but I don't want to stumble across anything I don't want to see, so I tend to avoid that.

If you have made QB already, definitely go ahead and check it out and play around with the options, and you won't risk giving yourself any info that would have spoiled it.  If not and you want to check it out, of course please do!

ciao_yall

#2233
Thanks! That's usually what they post on the Wordplay blog, so this works better for me.

I am missing 3 words, one of which is the pangram.

I
MI
MU


ETA: Went to the wordplay blog for the definitions hints. Gahh, those were easy. So still stuck on the I which I assume is the pangram.

Langue_doc

Try rearranging the letters--you'll see the word.

I had decided not to pursue the bee to the bitter end, but once I saw the QBs on this thread, decided to forge ahead, and got to QB. I found the unrecognizable words early on, so finding the remaining four words didn't take up much time.

I'm curious about the "ship" words, ciao_yall. Let us know tomorrow.

ab_grp, let me know if you need a hint for LB.