TodayHint

Letter Boxed October 20, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required finding a chain that used all 12 letters on the board without repeating any side consecutively. The official chain VICUNA -> ATROPHY was a good example of this.

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.

  • TopIHR
  • RightVTU
  • BottomACO
  • LeftNYP

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 1149 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 vowels and consonants. Look for common word patterns and try to use letters that appear on multiple sides. The goal is to find a chain that uses all 12 letters without repeating any side consecutively.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    I · H · R
    Right side
    V · T · U
    Bottom side
    A · C · O
    Left side
    N · Y · P
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    1149
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    A good starting word has 6 letters and begins with A. It might be a noun or a verb.

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

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

    Word 1
    VICUNA
  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
    7 letters, starts with A
    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 · 6 letters

    VICUNA

    VICUNA is a type of wild South American camelid. It clears V, I, C, U, N, A.

  • Word 2 · 7 letters

    ATROPHY

    ATROPHY means to waste away or shrink. It clears A, T, R, O, P, H, Y.

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

    AVAUNTTROPOPHYTIC

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    NUNCUPATIONNAVARCHY

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    PRONUNCIATIONNAVARCHY

This board by the numbers

Date
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
1149 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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