TodayHint

Letter Boxed July 22, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required strategic thinking to navigate the board's constraints and find a chain that uses all twelve letters. Solvers had to balance the need for common letters with the requirement to use all sides of the board.

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.

  • TopFTX
  • RightCOR
  • BottomGNI
  • LeftPEU

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 689 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 less common letters. A good opening word should use high-frequency letters and set up multiple possibilities for the next word. The letters 'E', 'N', and 'T' appear to be awkward to place. Look for a word that starts with one of the more common letters and uses a side with multiple options.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    F · T · X
    Right side
    C · O · R
    Bottom side
    G · N · I
    Left side
    P · E · U
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    689
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 7 letters and starts with a common letter often used in many words, frequently found at the beginning of sentences.

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

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

    Word 1
    CENTRIFUGE
  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
    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 · 10 letters

    CENTRIFUGE

    A device used to separate particles of different densities or sizes from a mixture, clearing the letters C, E, N, T, R, I, F, U, G.

  • Word 2 · 4 letters

    EXPO

    A public exhibition or show, clearing the letters E, X, P, O and using the last letter of the previous word.

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

    CENTRIFUGEEXCERPTION

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    CENTRIFUGENCEEXCERPTION

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    GUNFIREEXCERPTION

This board by the numbers

Date
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
689 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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