TodayHint

Letter Boxed July 21, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required finding a chain that uses all twelve letters without repeating any side consecutively. Solvers had to balance word length and letter distribution to succeed.

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.

  • TopWRK
  • RightUNC
  • BottomIQS
  • LeftFAD

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 610 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 word should be long enough to give options for the next word, but not so long that it leaves few choices. Sides like WRK and UNC might be good starting points.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    W · R · K
    Right side
    U · N · C
    Bottom side
    I · Q · S
    Left side
    F · A · D
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    610
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    Consider a 4-letter word starting with U, which could offer several paths forward, given its position and the letters around it.

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

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

    Word 1
    QUICKSAND
  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 D
    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

    QUICKSAND

    A type of fast-moving mud, using Q, U, I, C, K, S, A, N, and D. It clears several letters and sets up for a word starting with D.

  • Word 2 · 5 letters

    DWARF

    A small person or creature in mythology, using D, W, A, R, and F. It follows QUICKSAND and uses letters from different sides.

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

    QUICKSANDDWARFS

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    QUICKSANDSSWARF

  • Alternate chain 3 · 3 words

    AQUAAWARDSSCARFSKIN

This board by the numbers

Date
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
610 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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