TodayHint

Letter Boxed September 25, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required finding a delicate balance between the board's letters, using all twelve in a short chain. Solvers had to navigate from a strong opening word into a sequence that respected all rules, with several viable paths.

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.

  • TopPRT
  • RightEHL
  • BottomYMC
  • LeftZSA

Par is 5 words. This board accepts 1771 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 good mix of letters, but some combinations are tricky. The letters 'P', 'R', 'T' on one side and 'Z', 'S', 'A' on another might be awkward to connect. A good opening word likely uses common letters that can lead to multiple next steps, focusing on 'E', 'H', 'L', 'M', 'C', 'Y'.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    P · R · T
    Right side
    E · H · L
    Bottom side
    Y · M · C
    Left side
    Z · S · A
    Par
    5 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    1771
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    Consider a 6-letter word starting with A, which could offer several paths forward.

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

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

    Word 1
    ZEPHYRS
  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
    8 letters, starts with S
    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

    ZEPHYRS

    A gentle, mild breeze. It uses 'Z', 'E', 'P', 'H', 'Y', 'R', 'S', clearing several letters and setting up for a word starting with 'S'.

  • Word 2 · 8 letters

    SCHMALTZ

    An excessive or exaggerated display of sentiment. It starts with 'S' from 'ZEPHYRS', using 'C', 'H', 'M', 'A', 'L', 'T', 'Z' and leaving room for a short final 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

    AMPERESSCHMALTZY

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    APHAERESESSCHMALTZY

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    CAMPERSSCHMALTZY

This board by the numbers

Date
Friday, September 25, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
5 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
1771 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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