Well, I didn’t make it to genius today. And it’s just as well. I ran out of words in my brain. And energy.

I’m fighting to keep my eyelids from closing and sealing right now, so this will be brief.

Yesterday I missed LENIENT, NINETEEN, NITE, TELNET, TITTLE, TUBULE, TULLE, UNLET, UNLIT, and UTILE.

Meatier Misses

BETEL: The leaf of an Asian evergreen climbing plant that is used in the East as a mild stimulant. Parings of areca nut, lime, and cinnamon are wrapped in the leaf, which is then chewed, causing the saliva to go red and, with prolonged use, the teeth to go black. Oh, right. This thing that I keep blocking from my mind.
INUTILE: formal Useless; pointless.
LINNET: A mainly brown and gray finch with a reddish breast and forehead.
LUNETTE: An arched aperture or window, especially one in a domed ceiling.

Today’s summary

Letters: PEILNTY
Final score: 39 words for 164 points.
Genius minimum: 173 points.
First word: PELLET.
Pangram: INEPTLY.
Tweet:

My mom makes the best pecan pielets. I usually eat about eight on Thanksgiving. Which omg I guess is about equivalent to an entire pecan pie. #nytsb #nytspellingbee #spellingbee pic.twitter.com/MkQG0tqKij

— Matt Raab (@theraab) June 30, 2021