Good morning, June 18 -- a respectable 40 words on the board, and a center letter that turns up in almost everything you write down. If you came here for the spelling bee answers without the wait, the full list is below the hints.

Today's puzzle, June 18, 2026, uses the letters D, E, F, I, O, T, and X, with T sitting in the center. That means every valid word has to contain a T, which sounds restrictive until you notice how many common verb endings and past-tense forms naturally supply one. The puzzle tops out at a respectable point total, and the path to Genius runs almost entirely through -ED endings once you spot the pattern.

Today's NYT Spelling Bee Hints

If you would rather work through the hive yourself before checking the full s...