The New York Times Spelling Bee for 23 December 2025 brings a compact but sneaky letter set that rewards patience. As always, every valid word must be at least four letters long and must include the center letter, I. Today’s mix leans consonant-heavy with just enough vowels to keep things interesting, making it easy to stall early but satisfying once momentum builds.
About today’s puzzle
Today’s hive centers on the letter I, surrounded by C, O, Y, D, T, and L. With only two vowels in play, the puzzle feels slightly restrictive at first. Still, the mix opens up once you start repeating letters and exploring softer endings, especially with L and T doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
NYT Spelling Bee Words and Answers: 23 December 2025
Here’s a best-effort list of words that fit today’s rules. Keep in mind: some are rare or unusual, so the official NYT list may vary.
- idiocy
- docility
- locality
- toxicity
- oily
- city
- idol
- idiotic
- licit
- oily
- toil
- lilt
- tilt
- tidy
- clod
- coil
- coldly
Pangram of the day
The pangram for today is docility. It works beautifully because it uses every available letter in the hive while still feeling like a natural, everyday word. The balance between softer sounds and repeating vowels helps unlock other longer words once you spot it. Finding this one often flips the puzzle from frustrating to flowing in just a few guesses.
Quick tactics for any puzzle
- Start with the center letter
- Play with prefixes and suffixes
- Anagram your discoveries
- Use repeated letters
- Begin with easy 4-letter words
Final thoughts
This puzzle may look tight at first glance, but it rewards experimentation and revisiting old patterns. If you stuck with it, chances are you surprised yourself. How many words did you find today—and did you catch the pangram early or late?
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