NYT Dictionary

ORAL

/ˈoɹəl/
AdjectiveNounO-ralo-ral · 2 syllablesGrade 6

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

Relating to the mouth.

Etymology

Origin: Latin

PIE word *h₁óh₃s Early 17th century borrowing from Late Latin ōrālis, from ōs (“the mouth”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

mouthlyspokenverbalvivaunwrittenbuccalacknowledgedadmittedarticulateaudition

Antonyms

writtenaboralanal

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 33 recorded puzzles:

+21 earlier appearances in the archive.

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