Letter Boxed September 9, 2026: Hints & Answers
Recap
This puzzle required finding a chain of words that used all 12 letters on the board without repeating any side consecutively. The official chain provided a good example of how to use common letters to link words together effectively.
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.
- TopAHV
- RightETN
- BottomGRZ
- LeftUYI
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.
-
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. Starting with a word that uses a central letter like E or T could be helpful. The goal is to find a word that sets up multiple possibilities for the next word.
-
Hint 2: Board facts: letters, par and how many words fitted
Read off the board.
- Top side
- A · H · V
- Right side
- E · T · N
- Bottom side
- G · R · Z
- Left side
- U · Y · I
- Par
- 5 words
- Official chain
- 2 words
- Words this board accepted
- 863
-
Hint 3: The opening word, without naming it
Consider a 5-letter word starting with A. It's a common length for words and could give you some flexibility.
-
Hint 4: How long the opening word was, and where it started
- Opening word
- 5 letters, starts with A
- Word 2
- 10 letters
-
Hint 5: The opening word itself
The recap above already named it; this rung is for a replay.
- Word 1
- AZURE
-
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
- 10 letters, starts with E
Every word of that day's chain
All the words, folded. Each one stays hidden until you open it.
Word 1 · 5 letters
AZURE
A bright blue color, often associated with clear skies. It uses the letters A, Z, U, R, and E, setting up possibilities for words that start with E.
Word 2 · 10 letters
EVERYTHING
All things, collectively. It starts with E, using the letters E, V, E, R, Y, T, H, I, N, and G, which are mostly common and versatile.
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
AUGURIZEEVERYTHING
Alternate chain 2 · 2 words
EVERYTHINGGAUZE
Alternate chain 3 · 2 words
GAUZEEVERYTHING
This board by the numbers
- Date
- Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Board
- 4 sides of 3 letters
- Par
- 5 words
- Official chain
- 2 words
- Words accepted
- 863 on this board
- Other chains we verified
- 3
More Letter Boxed
See the live Letter Boxed hints and answers page for the current board, or browse every archived Letter Boxed date by month.
Try another puzzle
-
The live NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers page
One extra nudge per clue, so one square can be unstuck alone.
-
The live NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers page
Six theme words plus the spangram, with a read-only board that traces each answer.