Letter Boxed Solver

How to Use the Letter Boxed Solver

1. Enter each side. Type the three letters on the top, right, bottom, and left sides in any order. The picture beside the fields shows the box as you have entered it. All twelve letters must be different.
2. Read the solutions. One-word solutions (a single word using every letter) come first, then two-word chains, each shown as word → word. Chains are listed with the fewest total letters first.
3. Ask for three-word chains if you need them. They are searched with a cap, most efficient first, because a box can have far too many to list.
4. Try a starting word. Enter a word you like in the optional field and the solver shows only chains that begin with it. The next word always starts with the last letter of the one before.

The Rules the Solver Applies

• Words use box letters only, and have at least three letters.
• Neighboring letters come from different sides. A word may not move from one letter to another on the same side, so a doubled letter such as the ll in dolly is out, and so is lore when R and E share a side.
• Letters can repeat, as long as the sides alternate: denied and minimal both reuse letters.
• Words chain by their ends. The first letter of each word is the last letter of the one before.
• The aim is every letter, in as few words as possible. A chain only counts once, at the length where it first covers the box — a third word is never padding on a finished pair.

How the Search Works

Each valid word is boiled down to its first letter, its last letter, and a 26-bit mask of the letters it contains. A chain is complete when the masks combine to cover the box. For a two-word solution the solver pairs every word with each word that starts where it ends and keeps the pairs whose combined letters are all twelve. For three words it adds a shortcut: the last word must contain a letter that is still missing, so only words that start in the right place and contain that letter are tried. Even large boxes finish in a fraction of a second.

A Worked Example

Enter nod, fms, rel, and aiy (or press Try an example). The ENABLE word list gives 1,665 valid words. No single word uses all twelve letters; the closest, formalised and informedly, use ten. There are 167 two-word solutions. The shortest use 13 letters in total, among them folds → seminary, informal → lysed, manyfold → dries, and ensiform → madly. Putting solidify in the starting-word field narrows that to solidify → yeomanry and solidify → yeomanries, and asking for three words from the same start gives chains such as solidify → yearned → dames.

Solving by Hand

• Start with the awkward letters. Letters like J, Q, V, X, and Z fit few words. Find a word containing yours, and the chain follows from its ends.
• Look at the ends. A word that ends in a letter few words start with, such as X or Q, is a dead end unless the second word can begin there. Check what starts with a letter before you commit to ending on it.
• Prefer words that cover many letters. The list of words that use the most letters in the results is a good set of first words.
• Work backwards. Pick a strong last word, then look for first words that end with its first letter.

About the Word List

The solver uses ENABLE, the public-domain list also behind CitationEasy's Anagram Solver. It is a general word-game list, not the list a puzzle publisher uses: it includes obscure words such as daneworts and damnified that a daily puzzle might not accept, and it caps at 15 letters. A chain that works here may not work in your game, and a solution your game accepts may be missing. Plurals and verb forms count as separate words.

This tool is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any publisher of a Letter Boxed puzzle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the rules of Letter Boxed?

Letters sit on the four sides of a square. You build words of at least three letters by moving from letter to letter, never using two letters from the same side in a row. Each new word starts with the last letter of the previous one. You win by using every letter of the box, ideally in as few words as possible.

Can I use the same letter more than once?

Yes. A letter may appear as often as you like, in one word or across several, provided consecutive letters are on different sides. What the solver does not do is use the same word twice in one chain.

How many words does a solution need?

As few as you can manage. One word that uses all twelve letters is very rare, so two words is the usual best result. The solver shows one-word and two-word solutions first and finds three-word chains on request.

Why does the solver show words the game does not accept?

The solver uses the public-domain ENABLE list, which is larger than a puzzle's dictionary and has no editor removing rare words. If a chain is rejected, try another from the list; there are usually plenty.

How do I find a solution that starts with a particular word?

Type the word in the optional starting-word field. It must be valid for the box. The solver then lists only chains that begin with it, and each following word starts with the last letter of the one before.

Why does a three-word search show only some chains?

A box can have thousands of valid three-word chains, so the search stops after a few hundred, taking the words that use the most letters first. The page says when a list was cut short.

Does it know today's puzzle?

No. It works only from the twelve letters you enter, so it is as useful for archived or homemade boxes as for any daily one.