Letter Boxed October 24, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required a bit of strategy to get the chain going, but the letters eventually fell into place. Solvers had to think creatively to come up with words that fit the constraints.

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.

  • TopEPL
  • RightMRH
  • BottomSNT
  • LeftUKI

Par is 4 words. This board accepts 1898 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. Look for a starting word that uses a side with multiple common letters, and try to clear one side quickly. The letters 'E', 'T', and 'S' seem like good starting points.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    E · P · L
    Right side
    M · R · H
    Bottom side
    S · N · T
    Left side
    U · K · I
    Par
    4 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    1898
  3. Hint 3: The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 8 letters and starts with 'M'. It's a decent length and has a fairly common starting letter.

  4. Hint 4: How long the opening word was, and where it started
    Opening word
    8 letters, starts with M
    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
    METHINKS
  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 · 8 letters

    METHINKS

    A verb meaning to think or consider. It clears the letters 'M', 'E', 'T', 'H', 'I', 'N', 'K', and 'S'.

  • Word 2 · 5 letters

    SLURP

    A verb meaning to make a sucking sound while eating or drinking. It clears the letters 'S', 'L', 'U', 'R', and 'P'.

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

    KERNITESSHLUMP

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    LUMPIERRETHINKS

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    METHINKSSLURPS

This board by the numbers

Date
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
4 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
1898 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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