Letter Boxed — Free Daily Puzzle, Solver & Today's Answers
Letter Boxed is a daily word puzzle where twelve letters sit on four sides of a square and your only job is to use every single one of them. Simple to explain. Genuinely hard to master. A new original board goes live here every night at midnight — completely free, no New York Times subscription needed, no account required.
Today's Letter Boxed Answer
Today’s optimal solution: [WORD1] → [WORD2]
Need hints first? → Today’s hints and full solution Stuck on the NYT board? → Free Letter Boxed Solver
What Is Letter Boxed?
Letter Boxed (also written as letterboxed, letter-boxed, or letter box) is a word puzzle built around a square grid with twelve letters — three on each of the four sides. You form words by connecting letters, with one strict rule: no two consecutive letters can come from the same side.
Each word must chain into the next — the last letter of word one becomes the first letter of word two. The puzzle ends when every letter on the board has been used at least once. The fewer words you need, the better your score. A two-word solution is the highest achievement.
The four rules in plain English:
- Words must be at least 3 letters long
- No two letters in a row from the same side
- Last letter of each word starts the next word
- Every letter must be used before you finish
Everything You Need in One Place
Free Letter Boxed Solver
Enter any 12-letter board and get every valid word chain instantly sorted from fewest words to most. Works for NYT boards, our daily puzzle, or any custom arrangement. Use the Free Solver →
Today's Answers and Hints
Graduated hints that reveal only what you need starting letter, word count, and progressive reveals. Full solution available when you choose. Get Today’s Hints.
Unlimited Practice
40+ practice puzzles across Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty. No daily limit. Play five in a row or return to a tough one tomorrow. Play Unlimited →
Hints Guide
Learn how to use hints strategically — get unstuck without losing the satisfaction of finishing the puzzle yourself. Read the Hints Guide →
Full Answer Archive
Every past puzzle answer, permanently archived. Check yesterday’s solution or browse back through any previous board. Browse the Archive →
Letter Puzzle Hub vs NYT Letter Boxed
Feature | NYT Letter Boxed | Letter Puzzle Hub |
Daily puzzle | ✅ 1 per day | ✅ 1 original per day |
Cost | Subscription required | $0 — always free |
Practice puzzles | ❌ No | ✅ 40+ across 3 levels |
Free solver tool | ❌ No | ✅ Works for any board |
Custom puzzle builder | ❌ No | ✅ Free, unlimited |
Hint system | ❌ No | ✅ Progressive, spoiler-free |
Archive access | Subscription only | ✅ Free forever |
Account required | Recommended | Never required |
Easy to Access | No (subscription) | No Any Requirements |
How to Play Letter Boxed — Quick Start
If you are new to the game, here is everything you need in under two minutes:
- The board: A square with twelve letters — three on the top side, three on the right, three on the bottom, three on the left.
- Making words: Tap or click letters in sequence to spell words. Each letter you choose must come from a different side than the letter before it.
- Chaining: Your last letter locks in as the automatic start of your next word. You cannot reset — the chain must be continuous.
- Winning: Use every letter at least once. Letters can be reused as many times as you need. The puzzle is complete when zero letters remain unused.
- Scoring: Fewer words = better performance. Par is typically 4-6 words. Under par is excellent. Two words is the best possible result.
For deeper strategy including how to find two-word solutions, read the complete How to Play guide
Strategy Tips for New Players
Start with your rarest letter. Every board has at least one uncommon letter — Q, X, J, or Z. These appear in far fewer English words. Find a word that routes through your rarest letter in your very first move.
Think about where your word ends. The last letter of word one determines where word two must start. Before committing to a word, check whether that ending letter opens useful options for your next move.
Long words beat short ones early. A seven-letter opening word covers more than half the board in one move. Save short words for the endgame when only a few letters remain.
Work backward for hard puzzles. Choose a letter you want to end on. Find a second word starting with a flexible pivot letter. Then build an opener that ends on that pivot. Backward construction unlocks boards that resist forward thinking.
Who Plays Letter Boxed?
Letter Boxed attracts a specific kind of player: someone who enjoys a genuine mental challenge that fits into a short window. Five to fifteen minutes of focused thinking, a clean win condition, and immediate feedback on how efficiently you solved.
Teachers use it as a five-minute classroom warm-up that sharpens vocabulary and logic simultaneously. Writers use it to activate lateral thinking before a session. People who have outgrown Wordle use it as a next-level daily challenge that tests a different and harder set of skills.
Many players do Wordle first as a warm-up and Letter Boxed as the main event. The two games test different cognitive skills — Wordle tests deduction, Letter Boxed tests planning and sequencing — which makes playing both more worthwhile than doubling down on either alone.
About Letter Puzzle Hub
Letter Puzzle Hub is an independent word puzzle site dedicated to the Letter Boxed format. We publish one new original puzzle every night at midnight, maintain a complete archive of every past puzzle, and provide free tools including a solver and custom puzzle builder for players at every skill level.
We are a small team of word game enthusiasts. We are not affiliated with The New York Times or any other publication. Everything here is built and maintained independently. Read more about us →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Letter Puzzle Hub free?
Completely free, permanently. Every feature on this site — the daily puzzle, the solver, unlimited practice, the custom builder, the hint system, and the full answer archive — costs nothing. No subscription tier exists. No account is required.
Is this the official NYT Letter Boxed?
No. Letter Puzzle Hub is an independent site that publishes its own original daily Letter Boxed puzzles. We are not affiliated with The New York Times. Our puzzles follow the same rules as the NYT version.
Can I use the solver for the NYT Letter Boxed puzzle?
Yes. The Letter Boxed Solver works for any board — enter the twelve letters from your NYT puzzle and it returns every valid solution.
How is Letter Boxed different from Wordle?
Wordle gives you six attempts to guess a five-letter word using color-coded feedback. Letter Boxed gives you twelve letters and no feedback — just an open board and the challenge of finding a chain that covers all of them. Wordle tests deduction. Letter Boxed tests planning and vocabulary construction.
What is the hardest part of Letter Boxed?
For new players: the same-side rule. After a few games it becomes automatic. For experienced players: consistently finding two-word solutions, which requires planning the complete chain before placing the first letter.
Does Letter Boxed have multiple valid answers?
Yes. Most boards have several valid word chains that use all twelve letters. The solver shows every valid solution. If the game accepted your answer, it is correct regardless of how it compares to the posted solution.