Letter Boxed Faq
ABOUT THE GAME
Everything you need to understand the game — from basic rules to advanced strategies.
Q: What is Letter Boxed?
Letter Boxed is a daily word puzzle where twelve letters are arranged on the four sides of a square, three per side, and your goal is to chain words together until every letter has been used. The defining rule is that no two consecutive letters in any word can come from the same side of the square — which transforms a vocabulary challenge into a spatial logic puzzle.
Q: Who created Letter Boxed?
Letter Boxed was created by Sam Ezersky, a puzzle editor at The New York Times, and officially launched in 2019. Independent websites like Letter Puzzle Hub now offer the same game mechanics with original daily puzzles, completely free.
Q: Is Letter Boxed the same as Wordle?
No — they test different skills entirely. Wordle asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Letter Boxed asks you to build a continuous chain of words using all twelve letters on a board, navigating a spatial rule about which letters can follow which. Wordle takes about two minutes. Letter Boxed typically takes five to fifteen minutes depending on the board.
Q: How is Letter Boxed different from other word games?
RULES & GAMEPLAY
Q: What is the same-side rule?
The same-side rule means you cannot use two consecutive letters from the same side of the square within any word. The board has four sides with three letters each — and every consecutive letter in your word must come from a different side. This is the rule that makes Letter Boxed feel like a spatial puzzle rather than a standard word game.
Q: Can I reuse letters?
Yes. Letters can appear more than once across your word chain. The only requirement is that every letter on the board appears at least once in your completed chain.
Q: What counts as a valid word?
Standard English dictionary words of three or more letters. Common words, plurals, past tenses, and verb forms are generally accepted. Proper nouns, abbreviations, and very recent slang are not. If the game rejects a word you are confident is real, it usually means the word falls outside the standard dictionary list used.
Q: Do words have to connect to each other?
Yes — this is the chaining rule. The last letter of your first word must be the first letter of your second word. The chain runs unbroken from your opening letter to the final letter of your last word. This rule is what makes word choice in Letter Boxed strategic — every word affects what comes next.
SCORING & DIFFICULTY
Q: What is par in Letter Boxed?
Par is the target word count for a well-executed solution. Most puzzles have a par of four to six words. Finishing at par is solid. Under par is impressive. A two-word solution — all twelve letters in just two chained words — is the highest possible result.
Q: How is difficulty rated?
On Letter Puzzle Hub, every puzzle is rated Easy, Medium, or Hard based on real playtesting before it is published. Easy puzzles have vowels spread across multiple sides. Hard puzzles have clustered vowels, rare consonants like J, Q, X, or Z, and fewer valid long words available.
Q: What is a two-word solution?
A two-word solution uses all twelve letters in exactly two chained words. One word typically covers eight or nine letters and the second sweeps up what remains. Two-word solutions exist on many boards but require deliberate backward planning to find. They are the most satisfying result in the game.
Tools and Features
Q: What is the Letter Boxed solver?
The solver lets you enter any 12 letters across four sides and automatically finds every valid word chain. Results are sorted by word count, shortest first. It works for any Letter Boxed board including the NYT puzzle, and it is completely free.
Q: What is practice mode?
Practice mode is a library of 40+ pre-built puzzles sorted by difficulty — Easy, Medium, and Hard — available at any time with no daily limit. It is designed for skill-building outside the daily puzzle.
Q: What is the custom puzzle builder?
The custom puzzle builder lets you create your own Letter Boxed board with any 12 letters across four sides. It verifies a valid solution exists, then generates a shareable link so anyone can play your board. Completely free, no limits.