Archive Rankings · Closest to Average
Moderate NYT Spelling Bee Puzzles
Which daily NYT Spelling Bee puzzles land closest to average? These are the 100 difficulty scores nearest the archive mean.
#1 Most Moderate Puzzle
Jun 4, 2024N
A
P
L
I
M
T
- 146.5Difficulty Score
- 60Possible Words
- 294Total Points
- 1Pangrams
- 5.15Rarity Score
- This puzzle
- 146.5
- Archive average
- 146.6
Average Difficulty Score
146.6
across 1,373 archived puzzles
Ranked Percentile Band
55th - 62nd
difficulty percentiles in the ranked set
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Top 100 Most Moderate NYT Spelling Bee Puzzles
The 100 difficulty scores closest to the archive average, ordered from most typical out. Every date links to that puzzle's answer page.
| Rank | Date | Center | Difficulty | Rarity | Words | Points | Pangrams | Rare Letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2024-06-04 | N | 146.5 58th percentile | 5.15 37th percentile | 60 | 294 | 1 | Low |
| #2 | 2023-01-13 | U | 146.6 58th percentile | 7.46 64th percentile | 38 | 171 | 1 | Medium |
| #3 | 2023-03-20 | N | 146.3 58th percentile | 6.50 54th percentile | 41 | 214 | 1 | High |
| #4 | 2026-05-17 | L | 146.3 58th percentile | 6.80 57th percentile | 54 | 212 | 2 | Low |
| #5 | 2026-09-24 | P | 146.3 58th percentile | 6.63 55th percentile | 54 | 201 | 1 | Medium |
| #6 | 2024-02-12 | F | 147.0 58th percentile | 7.68 66th percentile | 36 | 189 | 2 | Low |
| #7 | 2023-01-25 | G | 147.0 58th percentile | 8.40 72nd percentile | 28 | 146 | 1 | Low |
| #8 | 2024-04-23 | U | 147.1 59th percentile | 7.85 68th percentile | 43 | 158 | 1 | Low |
| #9 | 2026-08-26 | K | 145.9 58th percentile | 8.15 70th percentile | 34 | 150 | 2 | Medium |
| #10 | 2023-02-02 | R | 145.8 58th percentile | 6.84 57th percentile | 51 | 201 | 1 | Low |
| #11 | 2023-05-06 | I | 147.3 59th percentile | 6.00 48th percentile | 59 | 247 | 1 | Low |
| #12 | 2024-04-03 | P | 145.8 58th percentile | 8.78 75th percentile | 33 | 103 | 1 | Medium |
| #13 | 2023-10-22 | B | 147.3 59th percentile | 7.64 66th percentile | 39 | 170 | 1 | Medium |
| #14 | 2025-11-20 | E | 145.7 58th percentile | 6.38 52nd percentile | 47 | 236 | 1 | Low |
| #15 | 2025-10-07 | A | 147.4 59th percentile | 6.96 58th percentile | 50 | 204 | 1 | Low |
| #16 | 2024-11-07 | T | 147.4 59th percentile | 7.17 61st percentile | 44 | 185 | 1 | Medium |
| #17 | 2026-01-15 | I | 147.4 59th percentile | 7.80 67th percentile | 37 | 165 | 1 | Medium |
| #18 | 2025-02-10 | T | 145.6 58th percentile | 7.18 61st percentile | 41 | 194 | 1 | Low |
| #19 | 2025-05-11 | K | 145.5 58th percentile | 7.94 68th percentile | 35 | 158 | 2 | Medium |
| #20 | 2024-01-22 | F | 145.4 58th percentile | 7.87 68th percentile | 35 | 152 | 1 | Medium |
| #21 | 2025-11-17 | N | 147.7 59th percentile | 7.02 59th percentile | 35 | 213 | 1 | Medium |
| #22 | 2026-06-30 | O | 145.3 57th percentile | 8.40 72nd percentile | 32 | 124 | 1 | Medium |
| #23 | 2026-09-23 | I | 145.2 57th percentile | 6.50 54th percentile | 40 | 218 | 1 | Medium |
| #24 | 2026-10-07 | A | 147.9 59th percentile | 6.95 58th percentile | 53 | 202 | 1 | Low |
| #25 | 2024-04-07 | R | 147.9 59th percentile | 5.67 44th percentile | 55 | 289 | 2 | Low |
| #26 | 2024-04-28 | T | 148.1 59th percentile | 5.30 40th percentile | 59 | 279 | 1 | Medium |
| #27 | 2024-12-27 | L | 148.1 59th percentile | 6.58 55th percentile | 53 | 235 | 2 | Low |
| #28 | 2026-03-28 | N | 148.1 59th percentile | 6.49 54th percentile | 50 | 225 | 1 | Medium |
| #29 | 2024-01-01 | A | 148.1 59th percentile | 7.21 62nd percentile | 50 | 193 | 1 | Low |
| #30 | 2025-04-29 | E | 144.8 57th percentile | 7.18 61st percentile | 48 | 180 | 1 | Low |
| #31 | 2023-07-07 | W | 144.6 57th percentile | 7.69 66th percentile | 29 | 164 | 1 | Medium |
| #32 | 2024-04-10 | B | 144.6 57th percentile | 7.68 66th percentile | 40 | 152 | 1 | Medium |
| #33 | 2024-10-05 | O | 144.6 57th percentile | 7.03 59th percentile | 46 | 191 | 1 | Low |
| #34 | 2024-06-19 | T | 144.5 57th percentile | 6.94 58th percentile | 47 | 195 | 1 | Low |
| #35 | 2024-12-20 | B | 144.4 57th percentile | 7.03 59th percentile | 47 | 178 | 1 | Medium |
| #36 | 2024-11-12 | N | 148.7 60th percentile | 6.46 53rd percentile | 50 | 231 | 1 | Medium |
| #37 | 2025-11-28 | A | 144.3 57th percentile | 6.33 51st percentile | 55 | 230 | 2 | Low |
| #38 | 2024-09-04 | G | 148.9 60th percentile | 7.99 69th percentile | 39 | 166 | 1 | Low |
| #39 | 2024-09-14 | A | 148.9 60th percentile | 7.14 61st percentile | 47 | 191 | 2 | High |
| #40 | 2023-03-25 | A | 148.9 60th percentile | 5.80 46th percentile | 60 | 257 | 1 | Medium |
| #41 | 2024-04-09 | L | 149.0 60th percentile | 7.01 59th percentile | 52 | 206 | 1 | Low |
| #42 | 2026-07-26 | O | 144.1 57th percentile | 5.66 44th percentile | 63 | 244 | 1 | Low |
| #43 | 2024-04-17 | M | 149.1 60th percentile | 8.19 70th percentile | 38 | 149 | 1 | Medium |
| #44 | 2026-02-27 | P | 149.3 60th percentile | 6.51 54th percentile | 55 | 241 | 2 | Low |
| #45 | 2025-10-30 | R | 149.3 60th percentile | 7.79 67th percentile | 45 | 171 | 1 | Low |
| #46 | 2025-02-03 | N | 149.4 60th percentile | 6.59 55th percentile | 49 | 229 | 1 | Medium |
| #47 | 2025-11-14 | K | 143.6 57th percentile | 7.91 68th percentile | 39 | 134 | 1 | Medium |
| #48 | 2023-11-17 | Q | 143.4 57th percentile | 8.20 71st percentile | 19 | 131 | 1 | Medium |
| #49 | 2026-07-19 | V | 143.3 57th percentile | 7.21 62nd percentile | 29 | 206 | 3 | Medium |
| #50 | 2023-12-12 | N | 143.2 57th percentile | 5.27 39th percentile | 59 | 261 | 1 | Medium |
| #51 | 2025-03-20 | G | 143.2 56th percentile | 7.19 62nd percentile | 47 | 173 | 1 | Low |
| #52 | 2026-04-10 | N | 143.1 56th percentile | 6.18 50th percentile | 38 | 215 | 1 | High |
| #53 | 2026-03-12 | C | 150.0 60th percentile | 6.93 58th percentile | 39 | 231 | 1 | Low |
| #54 | 2024-05-05 | M | 150.0 60th percentile | 7.80 67th percentile | 47 | 171 | 1 | Low |
| #55 | 2023-11-12 | L | 150.1 60th percentile | 5.73 45th percentile | 60 | 275 | 1 | Low |
| #56 | 2024-03-01 | F | 143.0 56th percentile | 6.50 54th percentile | 47 | 223 | 2 | Low |
| #57 | 2026-03-04 | G | 143.0 56th percentile | 6.35 52nd percentile | 37 | 246 | 2 | Low |
| #58 | 2024-02-24 | O | 143.0 56th percentile | 7.27 62nd percentile | 30 | 179 | 1 | Medium |
| #59 | 2023-04-18 | L | 142.9 56th percentile | 5.98 48th percentile | 52 | 247 | 2 | Low |
| #60 | 2024-03-04 | G | 150.2 60th percentile | 7.86 68th percentile | 42 | 186 | 2 | Low |
| #61 | 2024-08-03 | V | 142.8 56th percentile | 8.00 69th percentile | 28 | 151 | 2 | Medium |
| #62 | 2024-01-11 | E | 150.3 60th percentile | 6.90 57th percentile | 52 | 209 | 1 | Medium |
| #63 | 2025-09-18 | V | 150.3 61st percentile | 8.30 71st percentile | 21 | 169 | 2 | Medium |
| #64 | 2023-10-06 | F | 142.7 56th percentile | 7.10 60th percentile | 44 | 172 | 1 | Medium |
| #65 | 2025-05-01 | M | 150.4 61st percentile | 7.68 66th percentile | 46 | 181 | 1 | Low |
| #66 | 2024-04-21 | D | 150.6 61st percentile | 6.45 53rd percentile | 48 | 239 | 1 | Medium |
| #67 | 2025-10-06 | L | 150.6 61st percentile | 6.01 48th percentile | 50 | 271 | 2 | Medium |
| #68 | 2023-03-15 | P | 142.5 56th percentile | 6.87 57th percentile | 38 | 198 | 2 | Medium |
| #69 | 2025-06-30 | L | 150.6 61st percentile | 7.07 60th percentile | 55 | 195 | 1 | Medium |
| #70 | 2024-07-01 | H | 150.6 61st percentile | 7.93 68th percentile | 39 | 209 | 4 | Low |
| #71 | 2026-06-24 | T | 142.4 56th percentile | 4.71 29th percentile | 64 | 292 | 1 | Low |
| #72 | 2023-01-16 | V | 150.8 61st percentile | 8.64 75th percentile | 30 | 132 | 1 | Medium |
| #73 | 2026-04-04 | G | 150.8 61st percentile | 8.38 72nd percentile | 40 | 161 | 2 | Low |
| #74 | 2024-04-15 | L | 150.8 61st percentile | 6.44 53rd percentile | 55 | 237 | 1 | Medium |
| #75 | 2024-05-31 | A | 150.9 61st percentile | 6.49 54th percentile | 50 | 253 | 2 | Medium |
| #76 | 2026-03-03 | A | 142.2 56th percentile | 5.44 41st percentile | 60 | 266 | 3 | Medium |
| #77 | 2023-10-25 | F | 150.9 61st percentile | 7.47 64th percentile | 44 | 190 | 1 | Medium |
| #78 | 2026-06-05 | F | 151.1 61st percentile | 8.51 73rd percentile | 27 | 157 | 1 | Low |
| #79 | 2024-12-15 | U | 142.0 56th percentile | 7.33 63rd percentile | 39 | 170 | 1 | Low |
| #80 | 2026-02-25 | W | 141.9 56th percentile | 8.08 70th percentile | 27 | 156 | 4 | Medium |
| #81 | 2023-12-30 | R | 141.9 55th percentile | 7.22 62nd percentile | 40 | 160 | 1 | Medium |
| #82 | 2023-06-14 | A | 151.4 61st percentile | 7.27 62nd percentile | 45 | 203 | 1 | Medium |
| #83 | 2026-09-07 | P | 141.6 55th percentile | 6.76 56th percentile | 41 | 201 | 1 | Low |
| #84 | 2026-06-04 | M | 141.6 55th percentile | 5.45 41st percentile | 56 | 256 | 1 | Low |
| #85 | 2023-06-13 | M | 151.6 61st percentile | 6.23 51st percentile | 56 | 270 | 2 | Low |
| #86 | 2024-09-25 | D | 141.4 55th percentile | 6.98 59th percentile | 37 | 211 | 3 | Low |
| #87 | 2025-02-12 | T | 141.3 55th percentile | 5.22 38th percentile | 61 | 261 | 1 | Low |
| #88 | 2025-03-11 | T | 151.9 62nd percentile | 6.79 56th percentile | 52 | 223 | 1 | Medium |
| #89 | 2024-07-27 | B | 152.0 62nd percentile | 7.94 68th percentile | 39 | 186 | 2 | Medium |
| #90 | 2024-08-29 | W | 141.1 55th percentile | 7.52 65th percentile | 34 | 153 | 1 | Medium |
| #91 | 2025-07-14 | T | 152.0 62nd percentile | 7.45 64th percentile | 49 | 198 | 1 | Low |
| #92 | 2024-12-19 | O | 152.0 62nd percentile | 7.07 60th percentile | 43 | 231 | 1 | Low |
| #93 | 2025-11-13 | O | 141.0 55th percentile | 5.12 37th percentile | 58 | 271 | 1 | Low |
| #94 | 2024-05-14 | D | 152.2 62nd percentile | 7.92 68th percentile | 39 | 195 | 2 | Low |
| #95 | 2026-04-12 | N | 140.9 55th percentile | 5.05 35th percentile | 62 | 269 | 1 | Low |
| #96 | 2025-09-13 | B | 152.2 62nd percentile | 7.68 66th percentile | 41 | 220 | 3 | Low |
| #97 | 2025-01-17 | N | 140.9 55th percentile | 5.07 35th percentile | 54 | 279 | 1 | Low |
| #98 | 2024-12-03 | E | 152.3 62nd percentile | 7.38 64th percentile | 57 | 192 | 2 | Medium |
| #99 | 2023-01-24 | M | 140.8 55th percentile | 6.60 55th percentile | 44 | 191 | 1 | Medium |
| #100 | 2023-08-19 | F | 140.5 55th percentile | 6.83 57th percentile | 44 | 195 | 2 | Low |
Swipe sideways to see all columns.
Patterns Behind the Ranked Set
How the ranked puzzles compare with the archive they came from. Values update automatically when new puzzles enter the archive.
Center Letters in the Top 100
- N×10
- A×9
- L×8
- T×8
- F×7
- G×6
- M×6
- O×6
- B×5
- P×5
- E×4
- R×4
- V×4
- D×3
- I×3
- K×3
- U×3
- W×3
- C×1
- H×1
- Q×1
How often each letter sat in the center of a ranked hive. Frequency alone does not make a letter the reason a puzzle lands near the average.
Top 100 vs Archive
- Average word count
- 44.9vs 43.9 archive
- Average word length
- 5.44 lettersvs 5.41 letters archive
- Average pangram count
- 1.38vs 1.48 archive
Ranked-set averages against all 1,373 archived puzzles.
Benchmarking on a Typical Puzzle
A hive that scores near the archive mean is the closest thing to a standard daily puzzle, which makes it a steady yardstick for practice. Open the spoiler-free hints to see word-length and starting-letter counts without seeing any answers, test single candidates in the solver, and only open the date’s answer page when you are ready for the full solution list.
Quick Access Tools
The ranking shows the archive’s middle ground. These tools help you go further.