Letter Boxed September 11, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required strategic thinking to connect the letters across different sides of the board. Solvers had to balance using common letters to keep options open while ensuring each word met the rules. The official chain and alternatives demonstrate the board's potential for creative solutions.

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.

  • TopECG
  • RightHNS
  • BottomUKB
  • LeftYLO

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 665 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. The goal is to find a word that sets up multiple possibilities for the next word. Focus on using letters that appear on multiple sides to keep options open.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    E · C · G
    Right side
    H · N · S
    Bottom side
    U · K · B
    Left side
    Y · L · O
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    665
  3. Hint 3: The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 5 letters and starts with B. It's a good idea to start with a word that has a strong connection to multiple sides.

  4. Hint 4: How long the opening word was, and where it started
    Opening word
    5 letters, starts with B
    Word 2
    11 letters
  5. Hint 5: The opening word itself

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

    Word 1
    BOUGH
  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
    11 letters, starts with H

Every word of that day's chain

All the words, folded. Each one stays hidden until you open it.

  • Word 1 · 5 letters

    BOUGH

    BOUGH is a type of tree branch or a curved piece of wood. It uses the letters B, O, U, G, and H from the sides, setting up a connection to words starting with H.

  • Word 2 · 11 letters

    HONEYSUCKLE

    HONEYSUCKLE is a type of flowering plant. It starts with H, connecting to BOUGH, and uses letters from multiple sides, making it a strong link in the chain.

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

    BLEUGHHONEYSUCKLE

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    BOUGHHONEYSUCKLES

  • Alternate chain 3 · 3 words

    BELCHHEUGHHONEYSUCKLE

This board by the numbers

Date
Friday, September 11, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
665 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

More Letter Boxed

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