Letter Boxed July 28, 2026: Hints & Answers
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
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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Hint 4: How long the opening word was, and where it started
- Opening word
- 9 letters, starts with D
- Word 2
- 5 letters
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Hint 5: The opening word itself
The recap above already named it; this rung is for a replay.
- Word 1
- DOCKYARDS
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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.
Try another puzzle
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The live NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers page
One extra nudge per clue, so one square can be unstuck alone.
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The live NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers page
Six theme words plus the spangram, with a read-only board that traces each answer.