TodayHint

Letter Boxed October 17, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required finding a balance between word length and letter distribution. Solvers had to navigate the board's constraints to find a valid chain, using all twelve letters exactly once.

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.

  • TopBYT
  • RightALR
  • BottomGNM
  • LeftPOE

Par is 4 words. This board accepts 1705 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. Look for a starting word that uses a side with multiple common letters. The goal is to find a word that sets up good options for the next word, using letters that appear on different sides to keep the chain going.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    B · Y · T
    Right side
    A · L · R
    Bottom side
    G · N · M
    Left side
    P · O · E
    Par
    4 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    1705
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 6 letters and starts with P. It's a decent length to work with.

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

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

    Word 1
    PROBATE
  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
    10 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 · 7 letters

    PROBATE

    A legal term for proving a will, using P, R, O, B, A, T, E to clear several letters and set up the next word.

  • Word 2 · 10 letters

    ENTOMOLOGY

    The study of insects, using E, N, T, O, M, O, L, O, G, Y to wrap up the puzzle with a long 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

    ABNEGATEEMPLOYER

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    ABROGABLEEMPLOYMENT

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    ABROGATEEMPLOYMENT

This board by the numbers

Date
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
4 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
1705 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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