Letter Boxed Solver
Enter the 12 letters from your NYT Letter Boxed puzzle and find every valid word. Solve the daily puzzle instantly.
What is NYT Letter Boxed?
Letter Boxed is one of the signature daily puzzles in The New York Times Games app and website, alongside Wordle, Spelling Bee, and The Mini. The puzzle presents you with a square divided into four sides, each containing three letters â??12 letters total. Your mission: build a chain of words that uses up all 12 letters as last letters.
What makes Letter Boxed uniquely challenging is the connectivity rule: you cannot use two consecutive letters that are on the same side of the square. This means every transition between letters must cross a side boundary.
Each day, all NYT Letter Boxed players worldwide receive the same 12 letters. Our solver shows you all valid words, so you can find your own path to the solution.
How to Use the Letter Boxed Solver
Enter the 12 letters
Type all 12 letters from your Letter Boxed puzzle â??the letters shown on the four sides of the square.
Find all valid words
The solver shows every valid 3+ letter word you can make from those letters, following Letter Boxed rules.
Build your chain
In Letter Boxed, the last letter of each word must be the first letter of the next word. Use our list to plan optimal chains.
Complete the puzzle
Use all 12 letters as last letters to complete the puzzle. Fewer words in your chain = a better score.
Letter Boxed Rules Explained
Rule 1: Minimum 3 Letters: Every word you submit must be at least 3 letters long. Single-letter and two-letter words are not allowed.
Rule 2: No Repeating Letters in a Word: Even if a letter appears on multiple sides of the square, you cannot use it twice in the same word.
Rule 3: No Consecutive Same-Side Letters: This is the most important rule. You cannot write two consecutive letters that are on the same side of the square. If R and A are on the same side, you cannot write RA or AR in the same word.
Rule 4: Chain the Last Letter: The last letter of your previous word automatically becomes the first letter of your next word.
Rule 5: Complete the Puzzle: Once you've used all 12 letters as the last letter of a word, your puzzle is complete. Fewer words = a better score.
Letter Boxed Strategy Tips
1. Think in chains, not individual words: Letter Boxed isn't about finding as many words as possible â??it's about finding the shortest path through all 12 letters. A 4-word solution is better than a 12-word solution.
2. Find "bridge" letters first: Some letters can connect to many others without breaking the same-side rule. Common bridge letters like R, S, T, L, and N are versatile.
3. End with hard-to-use letters: Letters like Q, Z, X, J, V, and W are difficult to end a word with. Save these for the end of your chain.
4. Use our solver to check your work: Our Letter Boxed solver shows you every valid word from your 12 letters. Run your proposed chain through it to verify each word is legal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is NYT Letter Boxed and how does it work?
Letter Boxed is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times Games. You're given 12 letters arranged in a square â??three letters on each of the four sides. Your goal is to form a chain of words using these letters, where each word must use letters from at least two different sides of the square, and no letter can be used twice in the same word.
What are the Letter Boxed rules I need to follow?
The rules of Letter Boxed are: (1) Each word must be at least 3 letters. (2) You cannot use the same letter twice in a single word, even if it appears on different sides of the square. (3) Crucially: You cannot use two consecutive letters that come from the same side of the square. For example, if T and R are on the same side, you cannot write "TR" or "RT". (4) The last letter of each word becomes the first letter of your next word, creating a chain.
How does the Letter Boxed scoring work?
Your score in Letter Boxed is based on how few words you use to complete the puzzle. The challenge is not to find more words, but to find a short chain that uses all 12 letters as last letters.
How do I solve Letter Boxed efficiently?
The best Letter Boxed solutions use the fewest words possible. Start by identifying "bridge" letters â??letters that appear on one side but can connect to many others. Look for common 3-letter words that use letters from multiple sides. High-value target letters: Q, Z, X, J, V, W, Y.
Can I use the Letter Boxed solver every day?
Absolutely. Our Letter Boxed solver works with any set of 12 letters, so you can use it for the daily NYT puzzle, custom puzzles, or practice mode. It's completely free with no sign-up required.
Why does the NYT Letter Boxed use exactly 12 letters?
The 12 letters are arranged 3 per side to create a constrained but not overwhelming search space. With 12 distinct letters and rules preventing same-side consecutive pairs, the puzzle becomes a word puzzle about connectivity and chain-building rather than just vocabulary.