Letter Boxed August 13, 2026: Hints & Answers
Recap
This puzzle required strategic thinking to link words across the board's sides. Solvers had to balance word length and letter usage to create a coherent chain.
The board that was printed
Twelve letters, three to a side. A word could hop from any side to any other but never twice in a row from the same side, and each word had to start on the letter the last one ended on.
- TopLSH
- RightCXA
- BottomOZN
- LeftPYE
Letter Boxed hints, one rung at a time
Six rungs, softest first. The recap above already named the chain, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.
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Hint 1: How the board wanted to be attacked
Method only — no word from the chain.
The board has a mix of common and uncommon letters. Starting with a word that uses high-frequency letters or letters that appear on multiple sides could be beneficial. The goal is to find a word that sets up multiple possibilities for the next word.
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Hint 2: Board facts: letters, par and how many words fitted
Read off the board.
- Top side
- L · S · H
- Right side
- C · X · A
- Bottom side
- O · Z · N
- Left side
- P · Y · E
- Par
- 6 words
- Official chain
- 2 words
- Words this board accepted
- 824
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Hint 3: The opening word, without naming it
Consider a 7-letter word starting with P. It's a good length for setting up subsequent words and uses a relatively common starting letter.
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Hint 4: How long the opening word was, and where it started
- Opening word
- 13 letters, starts with P
- Word 2
- 4 letters
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Hint 5: The opening word itself
The recap above already named it; this rung is for a replay.
- Word 1
- PSYCHOANALYZE
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Hint 6: What each remaining word had to do
Last rung before the full chain.
Each word after the first began on the letter the previous one ended on, and between them they covered all 12 letters.
- Word 2
- 4 letters, starts with E
Every word of that day's chain
All the words, folded. Each one stays hidden until you open it.
Word 1 · 13 letters
PSYCHOANALYZE
A 13-letter term referring to the process of analyzing someone's thoughts and feelings, using letters P, S, Y, C, H, O, A, N, L, Y, Z, E.
Word 2 · 4 letters
EXEC
A 4-letter abbreviation for 'executive,' often used in business or formal contexts, clearing letters E, X, E, C.
Other chains that solved that board
Any chain using all twelve letters, each word starting where the last ended, was a win. These came out of that board's own word list, so every one of them was playable.
Alternate chain 1 · 2 words
PSYCHOANALYZEEXECS
Alternate chain 2 · 2 words
PSYCHOANALYZESSCOLEX
Alternate chain 3 · 3 words
AHEAPPSYCHOANALYZEEXEC
This board by the numbers
- Date
- Thursday, August 13, 2026
- Board
- 4 sides of 3 letters
- Par
- 6 words
- Official chain
- 2 words
- Words accepted
- 824 on this board
- Other chains we verified
- 3
More Letter Boxed
See the live Letter Boxed hints and answers page for the current board, or browse every archived Letter Boxed date by month.
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