Letter Boxed July 28, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required strategic thinking to connect the letters. Solvers had to balance using common letters to create multiple paths while avoiding the constraints. The official chain and alternate solutions demonstrate the board's potential for varied word combinations.

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.

  • TopOXK
  • RightASH
  • BottomRIY
  • LeftDCT

Par is 6 words. This board accepts 1099 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. Hint 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. Focus on words that use high-frequency letters and create multiple options for the next word. The letters 'K', 'Y', and 'R' seem awkward, as they appear only twice. A good opening word likely uses a common letter with multiple connections.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    O · X · K
    Right side
    A · S · H
    Bottom side
    R · I · Y
    Left side
    D · C · T
    Par
    6 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    1099
  3. Hint 3: The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 4 letters and starts with a commonly used letter in many words, often found in everyday vocabulary, and is a good starting point for several paths.

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

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

    Word 1
    DOCKYARDS
  6. Hint 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 S

Every word of that day's chain

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

  • Word 1 · 9 letters

    DOCKYARDS

    A large structure for building or repairing ships, using letters DOCK and clearing YARDS.

  • Word 2 · 5 letters

    SIXTH

    Ordinal number for 6, using letters SIX and clearing TH.

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

    KITSCHHYDROTHORAX

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    STOCKYARDSSIXTH

  • Alternate chain 3 · 3 words

    ACARDIACCHOCKSSIXTY

This board by the numbers

Date
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
6 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
1099 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

More Letter Boxed

See the live Letter Boxed hints and answers page for the current board, or browse every archived Letter Boxed date by month.

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