What Does GILLING Mean in NYT Spelling Bee?
GILLING is a real word because GILL is not only a noun for a fish’s breathing organ. GILL can also be a verb. Merriam-Webster gives two related verb uses: to catch fish with a gill net for a fish to become entangled in a gill net GILLING is the -ing form of that verb. It appears in the September 23, 2026 NYT Spelling Bee answer list.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Word | GILLING |
| Base verb | GILL |
| Verb meaning | To gill-net fish, or for fish to become caught in a gill net |
| Spelling Bee status | Accepted on September 23, 2026 |
| Center letter | I |
Is GILLING really a word?
Yes.
Merriam-Webster lists GILL as a verb with:
gilled
gilling
gills
So GILLING is a normal grammatical form of a dictionary verb.
Why does GILL sound strange as a verb?
Most people first learn GILL as a noun:
a fish’s breathing organ.
That makes GILLING look like a made-up extension of the noun.
But the verb has a separate fishing meaning tied to gill nets.
What does the verb GILL actually do?
In the transitive sense, GILL can mean to catch fish with a gill net.
In the intransitive sense, a fish can GILL when it becomes entangled in a gill net.
A simple explanatory example is:
The fish were gilling in the net.
That sentence is only an illustration of the dictionary sense.
Why does Spelling Bee accept GILLING?
The September 23, 2026 puzzle uses I as the required center letter.
GILLING uses only allowed letters and contains I.
The official answer list for that date includes GILLING.
Is this about removing a fish’s gills?
Not in the Merriam-Webster verb sense used here.
The dictionary entry tied to GILLING is about gill-net fishing and entanglement.
Evidence
Sources
- Merriam-Webster — GILL
- NYT Spelling Bee