Hard Spelling Bee Words
33,147 genuinely challenging, less-common words — the tougher cousins of our common spelling bee words. Each has its pronunciation and meaning so you can actually learn it.
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33,147 words · uncommon, advanced words from our 167,000+ dictionary
- corduroy/ˈkɔɹdɝˌɔɪ/a cut pile fabric with vertical ribs
- engulf/ɪnˈɡəɫf/devote (oneself) fully to
- gendarme/ˈʒɑnˌdɑɹm/a French policeman
- kowtow/ˈkaʊˈtaʊ/a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission
- malarkey/məˈɫɑɹki/empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk
- motley/ˈmɑtɫi/a multicolored woolen fabric woven of mixed threads in 14th to 17th century England
- prelim/pɹiˈɫɪm/an examination taken by graduate students to determine their fitness to continue
- rampart/ˈɹæmˌpɑɹt/an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
- suitably/ˈsutəbɫi/in accordance with what is appropriate or suitable for the circumstances
- upping/ˈəpɪŋ/
- abdicate/ˈæbdəˌkeɪt/give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
- brannigan/ˈbɹænɪɡən/
- cellophane/ˈsɛɫəˌfeɪn/a transparent paperlike product that is impervious to moisture and used to wrap candy or cigarettes etc.
- delinquency/dɪˈɫɪŋkwənsi/an antisocial misdeed in violation of the law by a minor
- detainee/ˌditeɪˈni/some held in custody
- downwind/daʊnˈwɪnd/towards the side away from the wind
- extradite/ˈɛkstɹəˌdaɪt/hand over to the authorities of another country
- fraternal/fɹəˈtɝnəɫ/like or characteristic of or befitting a brother
- okeydokey
- ovarian/oʊˈvɛˌɹiən/of or involving the ovaries
- pueblo/ˈpwɛbɫoʊ/a communal village built by Indians in the southwestern United States
- purview/ˈpɝvˌju/the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated
- rationality/ˌɹæʃəˈnæɫɪti/the quality of being consistent with or based on logic
- ritualistic/ˌɹɪtʃuəˈɫɪstɪk/of or characterized by or adhering to ritualism
- roomful/ˈɹumˌfʊɫ/the quantity a room will hold
- swampy/ˈswɑmpi/(of soil) soft and watery
- thievery/ˈθivɝi/the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
- wristbanda band of cloth or leather or metal links attached to a wristwatch and wrapped around the wrist
- asinine/ˈæsəˌnaɪn/extremely silly or stupid
- barnacle/ˈbɑɹnəkəɫ/European goose smaller than the brant
- bonsai/bɑnˈsaɪ/a dwarfed ornamental tree or shrub grown in a tray or shallow pot
- fortuitous/fɔɹˈtuɪtəs/occurring by happy chance
- grassland/ˈɡɹæsˌɫænd/land where grass or grasslike vegetation grows and is the dominant form of plant life
- hitherto/ˈhɪˌðɝˈtu/used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
- idleness/ˈaɪdəɫnəs/having no employment
- indecency/ˌɪnˈdisənsi/an indecent or improper act
- locality/ɫoʊˈkæɫəti/a surrounding or nearby region
- papyrusa document written on papyrus
- speedway/ˈspidˌweɪ/a racetrack for racing automobiles or motorcycles
- stubby/ˈstəbi/short and blunt
- swordplay/ˈsɔɹdˌpɫeɪ/the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully
- whittle/ˈhwɪtəɫ/English aeronautical engineer who invented the jet aircraft engine (1907-1996)
- airhead/ˈɛɹˌhɛd/a bridgehead seized by airborne troops
- alabaster/ˈæɫəˌbæstɝ/a very light white
- beanbaga small cloth bag filled with dried beans
- beastie/ˈbisti/
- blacklist/ˈbɫæˌkɫɪst/a list of people who are out of favor
- censure/ˈsɛnʃɝ/harsh criticism or disapproval
- kickback/ˈkɪkˌbæk/a commercial bribe paid by a seller to a purchasing agent in order to induce the agent to enter into the transaction
- lazybonesa lazy person
- lopsided/ˈɫɑpˈsaɪdɪd/turned or twisted toward one side
- mightier/ˈmaɪtiɝ/
- narcissus/nɑɹˈsɪsəs/(Greek mythology) a beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection
- oddest/ˈɑdəst/
- remedial/ɹɪˈmidiəɫ/tending or intended to rectify or improve
- repute/ɹipˈjut/the state of being held in high esteem and honor
- stocky/ˈstɑki/having a short and solid form or stature
- storey/ˈstɔɹi/a structure consisting of a room or set of rooms at a single position along a vertical scale
- whitewash/ˈhwaɪtˌwɑʃ/a specious or deceptive clearing that attempts to gloss over failings and defects
- wintertime/ˈwɪntɝˌtaɪm/the coldest season of the year
- yakking
- zealous/ˈzɛɫəs/marked by active interest and enthusiasm
- arcane/ˌɑɹˈkeɪn/requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
- bangle/ˈbæŋɡəɫ/cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing
- butchery/ˈbʊtʃɝi/the savage and excessive killing of many people
- buttery/ˈbətɝi/a teashop where students in British universities can purchase light meals
- carsick/ˈkɑɹsɪk/experiencing motion sickness
- chugger
- coitus/ˈkɔɪtəs/sexual activity between individuals, especially the insertion of a man's penis into a woman's vagina until orgasm and ejaculation occur
- excise/ˈɛksaɪz/a tax that is measured by the amount of business done (not on property or income from real estate)
- exhaustive/ɪɡˈzɔstɪv/performed comprehensively and completely
- fattest/ˈfætəst/
- incursion/ˌɪnˈkɝʒən/the act of entering some territory or domain (often in large numbers)
- irrigate/ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/supply with a constant flow or sprinkling of some liquid, for the purpose of cooling, cleansing, or disinfecting
- overstep/ˈoʊvɝˌstɛp/pass beyond (limits or boundaries)
- peepholea hole (in a door or an oven etc) through which you can peep
- pneumatic/nuˈmætɪk/of or relating to or using air (or a similar gas)
- ravage/ˈɹævɪdʒ/(usually plural) a destructive action
- reestablish/ɹiɪˈstæbɫɪʃ/bring back into original existence, use, function, or position
- sandalwoodclose-grained fragrant yellowish heartwood of the true sandalwood
- shtick/ˈʃtɪk/(Yiddish) a devious trick
- triathlon/ˌtɹaɪˈæθɫən/
- unburden/ənˈbɝdən/take the burden off
- verilyin truth
- armament/ˈɑɹməmənt/the act of equiping with weapons in preparation for war
- artisan/ˈɑɹtəzən/a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
- avarice/ˈævɝəs/reprehensible acquisitiveness
- bambino/ˌbæmˈbinoʊ/a young child
- bigwig/ˈbɪˌɡwɪɡ/the most important person in a group or undertaking
- certifiablecapable of being guaranteed or certified
- colonization/ˌkɑɫənɪˈzeɪʃən/the act of colonizing
- contributor/kənˈtɹɪbjətɝ/a writer whose work is published in a newspaper or magazine or as part of a book
- encephalitis/ɛnˌsɛfəˈɫaɪtəs/inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus
- flunkya person of unquestioning obedience
- gauche/ˈɡoʊʃ/lacking social polish
- manicurist/ˈmænɪkˌjɝɪst/a beautician who cleans and trims and polishes the fingernails
- orthodontist/ˌɔɹθəˈdɑntəst/a dentist specializing in the prevention or correction of irregularities of the teeth
- pallet/ˈpæɫət/board that provides a flat surface on which artists mix paints and the range of colors used
- pituitary/pəˈtuəˌtɛɹi/the master gland of the endocrine system
- precursor/pɹiˈkɝsɝ/something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone
What makes these words hard
These are real English words that show up rarely in everyday writing — words like corduroy, engulf, gendarme, kowtow, malarkey, motley. We selected uncommon (but not absurdly obscure) words of 6–12 letters and excluded simple inflected forms, so the challenge is genuine vocabulary, not trickery. Start with the common list and graduate to these.
Practice harder words
Read, cover, and spell each word, checking the pronunciation and meaning. Then play HiveWords for an active workout. For the complete dictionary with nothing filtered, browse words by length: 8, 7, 6 letters.
Frequently asked questions
What are the hardest spelling bee words?
Truly hard bee words are uncommon, often longer words with unusual letter patterns. This list focuses on uncommon-but-real words of 6–12 letters, sorted so you can ramp up gradually.
Are these words too obscure?
No — we exclude the rarest and most archaic entries. These are uncommon words you could plausibly meet, not dictionary trivia. Browse the by-length lists if you want everything with no filtering.