Top 10 Hardest and Easiest Spelling Bee Words, July 29-Aug. 4

Here are the meanings of the least-found words that were used in (mostly) recent Times articles.

1. lacteal — relating to, or consisting of, milk:

A bipartisan group of 32 members of Congress is asking the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on companies that call plant-based beverages “milk.” They say F.D.A. regulations define milk as a “lacteal secretion” obtained by milking “one or more healthy cows.” — Got Almond Milk? Dairy Farms Protest Milk Label on Nondairy Drinks (Feb. 13, 2017)

2. acetal — a type of chemical compound:

One recent study from Yale and Duke identified chemicals called acetals in some Juul e-cigarette liquids. Those chemicals, the researchers said, may be especially irritating to the lungs and can cause damage when inhaled. — Dozens of Young People Hospitalized for Breathing and Lung Problems After Vaping (Aug. 14, 2019)

3. titmice — any of several small birds:

But enterprising birds can be mischievous. Like the titmice and other Parids that steal hair from dogs, raccoons and even humans, probably to fortify their nests. — 2021’s Most Fascinating Animals (Dec. 28, 2021)

4. mimetic — capable of mimicry or imitation:

But the predatory spider avoided S. collingwoodi and only launched attacks toward the non-mimetic spider, which the researchers interpreted as a sign that ant mimicry worked in some cases. — This Spider Is Imperfect, and That May Be the Secret of Its Survival (May 17, 2023)

5. leucine — an essential amino acid that helps muscles recover:

Likewise, heavy consumers of meat and poultry, rich in the amino acid leucine, may be more likely to develop acne through a complex chain reaction that stimulates the skin’s oil glands. — Managing Teenage Acne (Jan. 7, 2019)

6. unceded — not handed over:

Based in New York’s Hudson Valley (on unceded Muh-he-con-ne-ok land, as the organization notes), it acquires work by Indigenous artists that it loans to exhibitions, hosts programming and taps six people working in a wide variety of fields each year for its Forge Fellowship. — A Brief Guide to the Wide, Wild World of Art Schools and Residencies (July 6, 2022)

7. ecocide — mass destruction of the environment:

Her dedication to “reckoning with ecocide” and “addressing collapse” dates back to plays like the surrealist “Miracle Now” that she wrote and staged with the Johnsons in the 1990s. — Anohni Isn’t Afraid of the Darkness (June 27, 2023)

8. tabla — a musical instrument consisting of two small drums:

“He was actually made to be a performer since he was very, very young,” said Ms. Vergollo, who recalled that her brother began playing the tabla, a pair of hand drums, at 5 years old and continued throughout his adult life. — Michael Batayeh, Comedian and ‘Breaking Bad’ Actor, Dies at 52 (June 10, 2023)

9. trimaran — a boat with three hulls:

There is no better example of small than a 24-foot Diam trimaran, which usually races only short courses. There is no “downstairs” on a Diam 24. Racing around St. Barth, Erick Clement, the skipper of the Karibuni, said, “We feel the energy and the power of wind and sea.” — Hold Tight and Plan to Get Soaked (April 17, 2023)

10. éclat — striking or dazzling effect:

Toradze’s playing “had the best sort of éclat and brilliance in that it stemmed directly from the character of the music rather than from a desire to show off.” — Alexander Toradze, 69, Idiosyncratic Pianist, Is Dead (May 19, 2022)

The list of the week’s easiest words: