Spell Bee
Rate itMake words from a seven-letter hive and fill a small hidden crossword, with one shared puzzle a day.
on spell-bee.com
Spell Bee gives you seven letters arranged in a hive, with one letter in the middle that every word must use. Each word you find counts toward your score, and certain target words fill in a small crossword under the hive. The daily mode serves the same hive to every player on a given day.
About Spell Bee
Spell Bee is a free browser word game in the Spelling Bee family. You get seven letters in a hexagon hive, with the centre letter highlighted, and you build words of three letters or more that always include that centre letter.
The site is run by Lean House sp. z o.o., a Polish company, and lists Karol Górecki as the author. Next to the endless mode on the home page there is a daily mode, where the puzzle is chosen from a fixed list by counting days since May 2024, so everyone sees the same letters on the same day. The list holds 152 puzzles, so a hive returns after about five months.
What sets it apart is the crossword. Below the hive sits a small grid of hidden words made from the day's letters, and the puzzle is only finished when every crossword word has been found. A progress bar shows the maximum score and word count in advance, three-letter words earn three points, longer words one point per letter, and a pangram using all seven letters adds seven more. Stuck players can spend honey jars, earned by playing, to reveal a crossword letter.
It suits people who like the New York Times Spelling Bee but want a clear finish line instead of an open-ended list, and who are happy to play in a browser with ads.
How to play Spell Bee
- Open the daily mode page.
- Type or tap letters from the hive to form a word of at least three letters that includes the centre letter.
- Press enter to submit the word and collect its points.
- Use the shuffle button to rearrange the outer letters when you need a new view.
- Keep going until every word in the crossword below the hive is filled in.
Screenshots
Tips
- Look for a pangram early: using all seven letters is worth seven bonus points and often fills a long crossword slot.
- Crossword slots show word lengths, so aim for words that fit the empty rows and columns.
- Save honey jars for the last stubborn crossword word rather than spending them early.
Questions
Is everyone given the same daily puzzle?
Yes. The daily mode picks the puzzle from a fixed list by counting days from a start date, so all players get the same hive on a given day.
When is a puzzle finished?
When you have found every word hidden in the crossword under the hive. Other valid words still add to your score.
What are honey jars?
An in-game currency you earn by playing. A hint that reveals a crossword letter costs 15 honey jars.
Does it cost anything?
No. It is free to play in a browser and shows ads; no account is needed.
Do the daily puzzles repeat?
Yes. The daily mode steps through a fixed list of 152 hives, one a day, and starts again at the top when it reaches the end. A puzzle comes back about five months after you last saw it.
Is there a leaderboard?
Each day's puzzle has its own ranking of player scores under the board. You only appear on it if you type a name and press Confirm.
Ratings and reviews
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