TodayHint

Letter Boxed July 16, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required finding a balance between using common letters and setting up future words. Solvers had to think ahead to use all twelve letters while following the rules about consecutive letters and word connections.

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.

  • TopKIH
  • RightCUO
  • BottomBNY
  • LeftTSM

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 836 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 multiple possibilities for the next word. Focus on using letters that appear on multiple sides to keep options open.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    K · I · H
    Right side
    C · U · O
    Bottom side
    B · N · Y
    Left side
    T · S · M
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    836
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 5 letters and starts with S. It's a good idea to start with a word that has a high chance of being connected to multiple other words.

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

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

    Word 1
    SYMBIOTIC
  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
    5 letters, starts with C
    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 · 9 letters

    SYMBIOTIC

    This word means a close relationship between different species. It uses the letters S, Y, M, B, I, O, T, I, C, clearing several letters from the board, especially from the sides KIH and CUO.

  • Word 2 · 5 letters

    CHUNK

    This word refers to a large piece of something. It starts with C, the last letter of SYMBIOTIC, and uses the letters C, H, U, N, K, clearing letters from the sides CUO and BNY.

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

    BOHUNKSSYMBIOTIC

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    CHUNKSSYMBIONT

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    HUNKSSYMBIOTIC

This board by the numbers

Date
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
836 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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