TodayHint

Letter Boxed August 20, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This Letter Boxed puzzle required strategic thinking to navigate the constraints and find a valid chain. Solvers had to balance the use of letters across the board to meet the requirements. The official chain provides one efficient solution.

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.

  • TopOUN
  • RightALI
  • BottomKGQ
  • LeftPRY

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 674 words in total.

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.

  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. Look for a starting word that uses a side with multiple common letters. The goal is to find a word that sets up good options for the next word, given the constraints.

  2. Board facts: letters, par and how many words fitted

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    O · U · N
    Right side
    A · L · I
    Bottom side
    K · G · Q
    Left side
    P · R · Y
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    674
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 5 letters and starts with O. It's not an obvious animal, but it's a valid English word. Consider words that start with a common letter and have a good balance of letters.

  4. How long the opening word was, and where it started
    Opening word
    5 letters, starts with O
    Word 2
    11 letters
  5. The opening word itself

    The recap above already named it; this rung is for a replay.

    Word 1
    OKAPI
  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
    11 letters, starts with I
    Open the full chain

Every word of that day's chain

All the words, folded. Each one stays hidden until you open it.

  • Word 1 · 5 letters

    OKAPI

    The okapi is a giraffe-like animal native to Africa. This word uses the letters O, K, A, P, and I, clearing the side OUN and setting up the next word.

  • Word 2 · 11 letters

    INQUIRINGLY

    This adverb means in a questioning or inquiring manner. It uses the letters I, N, Q, U, I, R, I, N, G, L, and Y, effectively using the remaining letters and meeting the chain requirements.

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

    INQUIRINGLYYAPOK

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    POROPOROAKIINQUIRINGLY

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    QUAKINGGROPINGLY

This board by the numbers

Date
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
674 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

More Letter Boxed

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