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How to play Letter Boxed

Twelve letters sit three to a side of a square; build words that never use two consecutive letters from the same side, and use every letter before you run out of words.

Publisher
The New York Times
Cost
Free, with a New York Times account
How often
One puzzle a day
Time
5–15 minutes

The rules

  1. Twelve letters are arranged three on each side of a square.
  2. Consecutive letters in a word must come from different sides.
  3. The last letter of one word becomes the first letter of the next.
  4. Use all twelve letters to solve it, within the day's target number of words.
  5. Letters may be reused across words as often as you need.

What works

  • The chaining rule makes it a genuine construction puzzle, not a word hunt
  • Solving under the target word count gives a real second goal
  • Free, and one of the more replayable NYT games in terms of approach
  • Rewards long words in a way most daily games do not

What doesn’t

  • The same-side restriction is easy to violate by accident
  • Some boards have one narrow solution and feel like guesswork until it clicks
  • Harder to pick up mid-puzzle than Wordle — you hold more state in your head
  • No partial credit; an unfinished board is just unfinished

Skip Letter Boxed if: Anyone who wants a puzzle with a guaranteed finish in five minutes, or who finds constraint-juggling stressful rather than satisfying

Questions about Letter Boxed

How do you play Letter Boxed?

Make words from the twelve letters around the square. Consecutive letters must come from different sides, and each new word has to begin with the letter your previous word ended on. The puzzle is solved when every letter has been used.

Can you reuse letters in Letter Boxed?

Yes. Letters can appear in as many words as you like — the constraint is only that two consecutive letters cannot come from the same side of the square.

Is Letter Boxed free?

Yes, with a free New York Times account, like Wordle, Connections and Strands.

What is the target in Letter Boxed?

Each puzzle shows a target number of words — usually four to six. Solving in that many or fewer is the real challenge; solving at all in more words still completes the board.

If you like Letter Boxed

Spelling Bee10 minutes to all day — it is designed to be returned toBoggle3 minutes a roundMeldle3–8 minutes

Meldle is a different daily puzzle — four words sharing one missing pair of letters. Try today’s → It’s free, needs no account, and here is what it does badly.