TodayHint

Letter Boxed July 18, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required strategic thinking to find a chain that uses all the letters on the board. Solvers had to balance using common letters to keep options open and finding words that fit the consecutive letter rule.

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.

  • TopWOR
  • RightJIL
  • BottomYNK
  • LeftEHA

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 597 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 short words that use high-frequency letters like E, A, and O. The goal is to find a starting word that sets up multiple possibilities for the next word. Focus on using letters that appear on different sides of the board to keep options open.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    W · O · R
    Right side
    J · I · L
    Bottom side
    Y · N · K
    Left side
    E · H · A
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    597
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    A 5-letter word starting with J. Consider how this length and starting letter could be useful.

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

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

    Word 1
    JAYWALKER
  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 R
    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

    JAYWALKER

    A person who crosses the street outside of a crosswalk. This word uses J, A, Y, W, A, L, K, E, and R, setting up a strong foundation.

  • Word 2 · 5 letters

    RHINO

    A large, horned mammal. This word starts with R, the last letter of JAYWALKER, and uses H, I, N, and O, clearing several letters.

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

    JAYWALKERRHINION

  • Alternate chain 2 · 3 words

    AJARRHINALLOKEWAY

  • Alternate chain 3 · 3 words

    AKEENJOYERREWHIRL

This board by the numbers

Date
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
597 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

More Letter Boxed

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