TodayHint

Letter Boxed September 7, 2026: Hints & Answers

edited by Sam Ezersky.

Recap

This puzzle required a strategic approach to find a chain that uses all twelve letters. Solvers had to balance the need to clear letters with the need to set up possibilities for the next word. The official chain and alternate chains demonstrate the complexity and variety of solutions possible with this board.

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.

  • TopHRT
  • RightLPA
  • BottomSIO
  • LeftYDF

Par is 4 words. This board accepts 1165 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 vowels or common consonants. The goal is to find a word that sets up multiple possibilities for the next word, avoiding sides with awkward letter combinations.

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

    Read off the board.

    Top side
    H · R · T
    Right side
    L · P · A
    Bottom side
    S · I · O
    Left side
    Y · D · F
    Par
    4 words
    Official chain
    2 words
    Words this board accepted
    1165
    Back to the twelve letters
  3. The opening word, without naming it

    The first word has 4 letters and starts with S. It's a relatively short word that could give you some flexibility for the next word.

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

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

    Word 1
    SLIPSHOD
  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
    6 letters, starts with D
    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 · 8 letters

    SLIPSHOD

    This word means careless or sloppy. It uses the letters S, L, I, P, S, H, O, and D, clearing the sides with these letters and setting up possibilities for words that start with D.

  • Word 2 · 6 letters

    DRAFTY

    This word means drafty or breezy. It uses the letters D, R, A, F, T, and Y, clearing the remaining letters and providing a strong ending to 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

    ADOPTORSSHIFTILY

  • Alternate chain 2 · 2 words

    AIRDROPSSHIFTILY

  • Alternate chain 3 · 2 words

    AIRSHAFTTORPIDLY

This board by the numbers

Date
Monday, September 7, 2026
Board
4 sides of 3 letters
Par
4 words
Official chain
2 words
Words accepted
1165 on this board
Other chains we verified
3

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