TodayHint

Letter Boxed July 31, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required strategic thinking about letter placement and word chaining. Solvers had to balance the need to use all letters with the constraints on consecutive letters and word connections. The official chain and alternate solutions demonstrate the board's potential for creative wordplay.

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.

  • TopLWI
  • RightEON
  • BottomRDP
  • LeftVAT

Par is 4 words. This board accepts 2025 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. Starting with a word that uses a central letter like E or O could be beneficial. Avoid starting with L or V, as they appear on the edges and might limit options. Look for a word that ends with a versatile letter, setting up multiple possibilities for the next word.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    L · W · I
    Right side
    E · O · N
    Bottom side
    R · D · P
    Left side
    V · A · T
    Par
    4 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    2025
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    Consider a 6-letter word starting with A. It's a good length for setting up the next word and uses a relatively common starting letter.

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

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

    Word 1
    PLAITED
  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
    9 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 · 7 letters

    PLAITED

    PLAITED is a verb meaning to weave or interlace. It starts with P, using L and I from the board, and ends with D, which is a common letter to build upon.

  • Word 2 · 9 letters

    DOWNRIVER

    DOWNRIVER refers to something moving or located downstream. It starts with D, using the previous word's last letter, and clears the remaining letters on the board efficiently.

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

    ANTEPORTTELEVIEWED

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    ANTIPODALLOVEWARE

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    APOLARREINTERVIEWED

This board by the numbers

Date
Friday, July 31, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
4 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
2025 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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