Top 10 Hardest and Easiest Spelling Bee Words, Sept. 30-Oct. 6

Here are the meanings of the 10 hardest words that have also been used in Times articles.

1. foofaraw — excessive attention to a small matter; or, similarly, unnecessary items:

But it’s so dense with serious world literature of every stripe, and so absent trinkets and elaborate bookmarks and candles and other foofaraw, that it’s a Platonic ideal. — Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s Enduring San Francisco (March 11, 2019)

2. cichlid — a tropical freshwater fish often found in aquariums:

“The good news is that we really were able to save many protected and rare species,” he said, among them some breeds of snails and tilapia, and several types of cichlid fish. — Berlin Hotel’s Huge Aquarium Bursts, With 1,500 Fish Inside (Dec. 16, 2022)

3. litchi — a small juicy fruit, also called lychee:

Hermé’s signature specialty, Ispahan, with a combination of rose, litchi and raspberry. L’Avenue is open beyond store hours. Pierre Hermé at L’Avenue at Saks Fifth Avenue, 8 East 50th Street, eighth and ninth floors, 212-940-4099, saks.com. — L’Avenue Travels From Paris to Saks Fifth Avenue (Feb. 4, 2019)

4. geoid — a model of average sea level throughout the world:

The effort to measure all these mile high points has its roots in Washington, 15 years ago. That is when the National Geodetic Survey, a federal agency, adopted a new standard for measuring vertical distances. And the geoid — an imaginary line used to measure elevation — replaced the old sea-level standard, allowing surveyors to measure to within a tenth of a millimeter. — Denver Journal: Hoping Third Try Is Right, Mile High City Marks the Spot (Oct. 5, 2003)

5. cetacean — an aquatic mammal, such as whales, dolphins and porpoises:

Perucetus and Tutcetus were alive just a few million years before primitive whales began their evolutionary split into the two cetacean suborders of today: the toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises known as odontoceti, and the baleen-bearing mysticeti, including blue whales and humpbacks. — An Ancient Whale Named for King Tut, but Moby-Dinky in Size (Sept. 25, 2023)

6. ductility — the ability to be changed into a new shape or form:

“They’re incomparable,” said Mr. Buquet of the pastels that lay arrayed on cotton wool. “In terms of luminosity, of quality, of resistance to light, of ductility.” — Centuries of Creating a Rainbow in Pastels (Nov. 14, 2022)

7. coati — a relative of the raccoon, also known as coati-mundi:

From under the forest canopy came the guttural, trash-compactor roar of the loudest land animal in the world, one of many endangered species that live here, along with pumas, toucans, spider monkeys and coati-mundis. — The Return of the Jaguar (Nov. 8, 2022)

8. paratha — a fried, flaky flatbread:

Chai is the specialty, to sip, in assorted preparations, and to lick, as soft serve, at this sibling to the original Indian cafe in the East Village. Also on the menu are “egg rolls” made with scrambled eggs and mint chutney wrapped in a paratha. — Jaffa Cocktail + Raw Bar, From the Laser Wolf Team, Opens at the Hoxton in Williamsburg (May 16, 2023)

9. falloff — decline:

The sharp falloff, however, is shifting the ground under media companies and distributors alike. Already, many cord-cutters are piecing together their own bundle, subscribing to a mix of services including Netflix, Max and Hulu. — Cable TV Is on Life Support, but a New Bundle Is Coming Alive (Sept. 14, 2023)

10. tilth — the ability of soil to support plant growth:

The coated particles bind together in small aggregates, creating spaces for water to penetrate, improving the soil’s tilth. — Why Your Garden Needs Mulch (Assuming You Do It Right) (May 4, 2022)

The list of the week’s easiest words: