What Does QUININE Mean in NYT Spelling Bee?
QUININE is a bitter substance obtained from cinchona bark.
It appears in the accepted-answer list for the September 22, 2026 NYT Spelling Bee.
For U.S. English, Cambridge gives the pronunciation approximately as KWY-nine.
It is spelled Q – U – I – N – I – N – E.
Quick answer
Word QUININE
Spelling Q – U – I – N – I – N – E
U.S. pronunciation KWY-nine
Spelling Bee status Accepted on September 22, 2026
Pangram No
What does QUININE mean?
QUININE is the name of a bitter substance derived from cinchona bark.
The word has medical and historical uses, but this page only explains the vocabulary needed to understand the puzzle answer.
It is not a treatment or medication guide.
How do you spell QUININE?
The spelling is:
Q – U – I – N – I – N – E
Two details make it easy to mistype:
I appears twice.
N appears twice.
The ending is:
-I-N-E
not:
-I-N
How do you pronounce QUININE?
Cambridge gives the U.S. pronunciation:
/ˈkwaɪ.naɪn/
A simple approximation is:
KWY-nine
The U.K. pronunciation is different, so U.S. readers may hear another valid pronunciation in British sources.
Why is QUININE accepted in Spelling Bee?
The September 22, 2026 puzzle uses N as the required center letter with O, Q, U, X, E and I available around it.
QUININE uses only available letters and contains N.
The official answer list includes it.
Is QUININE the pangram?
No.
A pangram must use every letter in the puzzle.
QUININE does not use O or X.
The September 22 pangram is EQUINOX.
Keep exploring
Related
Evidence
Sources
- Cambridge Dictionary — QUININE
- Cambridge Dictionary — QUININE pronunciation
- NYT Spelling Bee