Tomtit & Baobab: A Bee-Inspired Podcast

Whether you had a problem with PAPAW, forgot how to spell FETTUCCINE, or didn’t have a clue about DAPHNE, T&B has something to lift every Bee player’s spirits…and it's probably a COCKTAIL! On this week’s episode, we’re serving up funny words, fabulous ducks, and old-fashioned attitudes about informal talk in the workplace. Warning: you might just burst out laughing ;)

If you like your Halloween silly, spooky, and full of word candy, Tomtit & Baobab is the place to Bee! This week on T&B, we’re counting up the tricks and treats from last week’s puzzles, unmasking the meaning of HORROR, and just about laughing our heads off talking Trash Words with C’s mom. When you knock on this door, we hand out FIVEFOLD the fun.  

Remember the carefree days of youth, when all seemed right with the world and the only bodily pains you had were growing pains? Nope, we don’t either! On this episode of T&B, we are officially claiming the status of ANCIENT, distracting ourselves from reality with a GIGUE,  and delving into the realms of fantasy and Facebook, where anyone can be a god and everyone has an AVATAR to prove it. To...

To paraphrase J.R.R. Tolkien, not all those who stravaig are lost! On this episode of T&B, we’re taking the long way, going ERRANT, and branching off as the roads RAMIFY. So, embrace your inner HOBBIT and join us for a TANTARA-filled adventure that stretches from Wales to New Zealand to New England and back again.

What do you get when you throw two jet-lagged word nerds in a room, take away their usual recording equipment, and ask them to say the longest place name in the world? A pod o’ gold, of course! Just returned from our jaunt through England, Wales, and Ireland, we’re back with Spelling Bee banter, lighthearted HECKLING, and a lesson in how to pronounce Welsh all kinds of wrong. So put on your woolly...

With C & Jenn on a well-deserved holiday, they called in the reinforcements: two-time T&B guest/unofficial T&B fan club president Jared Goodman to host. He covers all your favorite segments, from the Week in Bees to Word of the Week to Strange Words (or is there another name in the works?) and a Wildcard that has to be listened to at 2x speed to bee-lieve. But don't get your hayfor...

There’s Spelling Bee level genius, and then there’s Mensa level genius—which are we? Listen and find out! In this episode of T&B, we’re soaring on an UPDRAFT, getting the VITAMIN Bee backstory, and challenging ourselves to an online I.Q. workout. If you’re smart you’ll stick around to the end!

AI is all the buzz. But who needs Artificial Intelligence when you're a NYTimes Spelling Bee genius?! On this episode we're reviewing a veritable BLIZZARD of words, learning why BAA and BOWWOW don't translate, and having a wild time compliments of ChatGPT.

Pick out your first day OUTFIT, grab your backpack (or your BARBACK), and come get schooled T&B style! This fall Tomtit & Baobab is back to the NYTimes Spelling Bee and back to the basics: the Week in Bees (“It was hmmm...”), the Word of the Week (CHECKMATE!), and the Wild Card (a look back at our favorite summer words and games).

It's summertime, the sun is shining, and T&B is ready for VACAY! In this final episode of Season 3, we're going BANANAs over CIVETs, putting NANOBOTs under the microscope, and having a grand old time with Spelling Bee Solver 's William Shunn. We'll BEE back in the fall. Until then, visit us on social, keep in touch at tomtitandbaobab@gmail.com, and catch up on old episodes wher...

Turn up the DANCEHALL and get ready to CANCAN. There's no time to be tired on this week's episode of T&B! Janis joins us for BUGLING; Jenn anatomizes the APPENDIX; and NYTimes SpellingBee group admins Pat and Keith show up for a very social CONVO that might just get C back on Facebook.

A week full of queens, coronations, birthdays and Bea, has us in a royally good mood! Laugh along with us as we give Sam some TEFF love, remember the CABALs of our youth, and come up with a BEVY of ways to make your Bee game feel brand new.

Major Jackson, host of APMstudio's The Slowdown , considers the relationship between music and language and his own role as poet-composer.

Major Jackson, host of APMstudio's The Slowdown , remembers the early encounters that led him to poetry.

On today's episode, we're showing up with ÉCLAT, celebrating CINQUAIN, and tying it all up with an AGLET. Poet Major Jackson, host of APM Studios' The Slowdown, joins us for a reflective Wild Card full of runnels, relish, and really good conversation. Learn more about Major at majorjackson.com and listen to The Slowdown wherever you get your podcasts.

X-tra! X-tra! Hear all about it! Double Xs, double Ns, and two-for-one words mean twice as much fun here at T&B. This week we're BENEFIT(T)ING from alt spellings; leading the way on LEITMOTIFs; and getting the LOWDOWN on compounds. Oh, and Sam, we accept your apology.

What do you get when you mix together a few HOMOPHONEs, a bit of MACADAM, and an interview with a picture book author/illustrator? A brand new episode of T&B, of course! This week, we're arghing about AARGH, uncovering the history of HIRAGANA, and talking with Sarah S. Brannen about everything from banned books to Bee peeves. Learn more about Sarah's work at sarahbrannen.com .

METONYMs, MACADAMs, eponyms, and cardigans. In this episode, we're going down every rabbit hole we can find and ENJOYing every second of it. So pull up your TATAMI, grab your NYT Spelling Bee Buddy, and get ready for awesomeness.

Land can be FECUND, balls can be ODD, it's always fun times with the T&B pod! This week on T&B, National Poetry Month inspires us, Sam CONFOUNDs us, and some teens remind that us that we may not be young, but we'll always be extra!

On this week's episode of T&B, we BEE like wha-huh?! We're questioning everything: Why isn't it CAKEABLE? Who wore the first TUXEDO? And how does Merriam-Webster's 7-letter word game stack up to the competition? Think you have the answers? Tag @tomtitbaobab on social and let us know!

The episode in which we keep C happy, noodle on NEOCON, and learn the long and short of abbreviations.

It's the one-year anniversary of T&B and we're not here to PUTZ around. In this fan-FIXIN'-tastic episode, we're expressing EMOTIVITY, belting Broadway tunes, and having a NONILLION laughs. So pass the ⁠Mane Man , grab a slice of pi, and get ready for some wordplay, GRAMMA!

We're so excited not even QUAALUDEs can get us down! This week we're celebrating the promise of spring with a kicky grande BATTEMENT, a long but social QUEUE, and an extra wild Wild Card. 

It's time to LEVEL up, Hivemind! In this episode, we're getting our game on, having an AWKWARD conversation, and getting answers to some outstanding questions, like "Is TENTING British?", "What's the deal with pirate speak?", and "Did Bill ever make a Bee playlist"? (Spoiler: Bill did make a playlist...and so did Jenn! Listen to Bill's here . Listen to Jenn's here . And post yours here !)

The struggle is real. Jenn has COVID, C has a POULT problem, and Sam has a MONOMYNY issue. But we won't be BEDIMMED! On this episode, we're finding poetry in the taste of sun-baked garbage, seeking out AGONY's not so miserable origins, and learning how to get more out of every Bee from our friend Leslie.