Letter Boxed Today: Hints and Answers for August 9
Twelve letters, four sides, and one rule that does all the damage: no two letters in a row from the same side. The hints start with how to read the board and only name a word from the chain five rungs down.
The board
12 letters, three to a side. A word may hop from any side to any other, but never twice in a row from the same side, and the next word has to start on the letter the last one ended on.
- TopNEC
- RightTBY
- BottomIUR
- LeftFAL
Letter Boxed hints, one rung at a time
Six rungs, softest first. This page remembers which ones you opened while this board is current.
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Hint 1: How to attack this board
Method only — no word from the chain.
The board has a mix of common and less common letters. Focus on words that use high-frequency letters and create multiple options for the next word. The letters on each side don't share many connections, so think about how to bridge them. Look for words that end in letters that appear on other sides.
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Hint 2: Board facts: letters, par and how many words fit
All read off the board.
- Top side
- N · E · C
- Right side
- T · B · Y
- Bottom side
- I · U · R
- Left side
- F · A · L
- Par
- 4 words
- Official chain
- 2 words
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Hint 3: The opening word, without naming it
The first word has 7 letters and starts with B. It's a decent length to work with.
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Hint 4: How long the opening word is, and where it starts
- Opening word
- 8 letters, starts with B
- Word 2
- 8 letters
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Hint 5: The opening word itself
The rest of the chain is still yours.
- Word 1
- BEATIFIC
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Hint 6: What each remaining word has to do
Last rung before the full chain.
Every word after the first has to begin on the letter the previous one ended on, and together they still have to cover all 12 letters.
- Word 2
- 8 letters, starts with C
Today's Letter Boxed solution, word by word
Spoilers below. Each word of the official chain stays folded until you open it.
Word 1 · 8 letters
BEATIFIC
This 8-letter word means extremely beautiful or attractive. It clears the letters B, E, A, T, I, F, I, and C, setting up a strong foundation for the next word.
Word 2 · 8 letters
CULINARY
This 9-letter word relates to cooking or food. It starts with C, the last letter of BEATIFIC, and clears the letters C, U, L, I, N, A, R, Y.
Other chains that solve this board
Any chain that uses all twelve letters and starts each word where the last one ended is a win. These were found in this board’s own word list, so every one of them is playable.
Alternate chain 1 · 2 words
BARFIERRELUCTANTLY
Alternate chain 2 · 2 words
BEAUTIFIERRELUCTANTLY
Alternate chain 3 · 2 words
BIFTERRELUCTANTLY
This board by the numbers
edited by Sam Ezersky.
- Puzzle
- Sunday, August 9, 2026
- Board
- 4 sides of 3 letters
- Par
- 4 words
- Official chain
- 2 words
- Words accepted
- 1248 on this board
- Other chains we verified
- 3
- Difficulty
- medium
The last board we archived
The newest archived page is Letter Boxed answers for Saturday, August 8, 2026, created once its date stopped being current everywhere on Earth.
More puzzles today
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Today's NYT Mini Crossword clues, nudges and answers
One extra nudge per clue, so one square can be unstuck alone.
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Today's NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers
Theme words, the spangram, and a board that traces each answer.
How Letter Boxed works, in short
Trace words around a square of twelve letters. Consecutive letters must come from different sides, and every word after the first has to begin on the letter the previous one ended on. Use all twelve letters and you win — in as many words as you like, though par is the number to beat. Our full Letter Boxed guide covers the tactics.
NYT Letter Boxed questions we get asked
When does a new NYT Letter Boxed puzzle appear?
At midnight in your own time zone, the same way the NYT Games app rolls over. This page reads that zone off your request, so the board you see is the current one where you are.
What is the Letter Boxed par for August 9?
4 words. The published chain does it in 2, and the board accepts 1248 words in total, so there is plenty of room to beat par your own way.
What are the Letter Boxed letters for August 9?
Top: N, E, C; Right: T, B, Y; Bottom: I, U, R; Left: F, A, L. No word may use two letters from the same side back to back.
Does the NYT solution have to be the shortest one?
No. Any chain that uses every letter and starts each word on the previous word’s last letter wins. The published chain is one valid answer, not the only one.
What is the Letter Boxed answer for August 9?
BEATIFIC then CULINARY. We also verified 3 other chains against this board's own word list.
Is TodayHint affiliated with The New York Times?
No — TodayHint is independent. Letter Boxed and NYT are trademarks of The New York Times Company. Board data is reported as fact; the hints around it are written for this site.