Looking for a simple yet challenging word game that you can play every day? A game that — much like Last Letter First — allows you to build and strengthen your vocabulary and requires you to create a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word you submitted? The Letter Boxed word game checks all those boxes and more!
At first glance, the game’s letter-lined white box and pink background look warm and inviting. Any puzzle enthusiast new to the Letter Boxed word game will likely approach it with the notion that the game is easy to solve. Those of us who are familiar with the game, however, can attest that the Letter Boxed word game can leave you biting your lip as you try to connect letters and form words.
Just like Last Letter First, Letter Boxed requires you to call upon that big dictionary in your brain, and having a substantial vocabulary will definitely work in your favor. In this blog post, we’re going to explain what Letter Boxed is, how to play, what makes it fun, and some strategies you can use to get closer to solving the game in as few words as possible.
What is the Letter Boxed Word Game?
The New York Times’s Games Expansion Team, spearheaded by the talented game designer Sam Von Ehren, developed Letter Boxed. This was the same team behind Spelling Bee, another game that’s part of the publisher’s ever-growing suite of online word games.
When The Letter Boxed word game debuted in 2019, The New York Times described it as “just as challenging and unique as a crossword puzzle.” That description certainly reflects why Letter Boxed garnered such a huge following among language enthusiasts and online word game aficionados. Similar to a crossword puzzle, the Letter Boxed word game is a fun way to exercise your brain and relish the sense of achievement associated with puzzle-solving.
As of late 2025, The New York Times no longer offers daily free access to the Letter Boxed word game. Games such as Wordle, Strands, and Connections are still free to play, but if you want to play Letter Boxed, you’ll have to either pay for a full NYT subscription or a NYT Game subscription. The latter would be the cheaper option, perfect if you intend to play games only. Both subscriptions provide full access to all daily word games, plus an archive of Crossword puzzles dating back to 1993 and Minis to 2014.
How to Play Letter Boxed
The Letter Boxed word game comes in the form of a white box outlined with 12 random vowels and consonants. To play Letter Boxed, all you have to do is connect one of three letters on one side to a letter on another side to make a word of at least three letters. You win when you’ve used every letter at least once. You can make multiple words to get there, but each subsequent word must begin with the last letter of the word you just submitted.
The tricky part? Although you can reuse letters, you can’t use two letters consecutively from the same side of the box. So, if you want to form the word “MAGNESIUM,” for instance, and the letters “M” and “A” appear on the same side, you’ll have to choose another word.
Playing Letter Boxed can feel a lot like navigating a town full of dead-end roads. Just when you think you’re cruising toward an ideal first word to submit, you may realize that the next two letters you need sit on the same side of the box. You’ll have no choice but to reverse and try a new route. In an equally frustrating scenario, your first word could leave you stranded with a handful of letters that refuse to connect at all. (Reverse again.)
In the world of Letter Boxed, you can click three buttons during gameplay: Restart, Delete, and Enter. Use Restart to clear all your word submissions and start over . Use Delete as you would the backspace bar on your computer keyboard, and use Enter when you’re ready to submit your word. You can submit as many words as you’d like until all the letters are accounted for, but the game encourages you to solve in four or fewer, and two is the ultimate goal.
If you like going for the gold, you’ll be happy to know that you can hit Restart and Delete as much as you want. Take it from us: you’ll be surprised by how often you feel compelled to use these options. But maybe there’s a lesson in clearing the board, right? Maybe the game is trying to tell us that there’s no harm in restarting something if you’re convinced that you’ll be more successful when you have the luxury of a blank slate.
What Makes Letter Boxed Fun
Beyond the captivating challenge of trying to solve this puzzle in just two words is the opportunity to explore all the words you can create with the 12 letters you’re afforded. Plus, you can reuse letters, which comes in handy when you’re experimenting with word combinations.
Some players also appreciate how you can delete letters or clear your answers at any time. You can keep working at the puzzle and, in turn, improve your chances of solving in fewer than four words. If you’re stumped, there’s no harm in taking a break; NYT allows you to resume gameplay at any time. Just keep in mind that a new puzzle is published every day at midnight, so be sure you solve the day’s puzzle before the night clock strikes 12!
How to Increase Your Chances of Solving the Puzzle
Whether you’re new to Letter Boxed or have been playing for years, you can implement some strategies to boost your chance of success.
Before we discuss strategies, here’s a quick recap of the rules:
- You must use every letter on the game board.
- Each word you create must contain at least three letters.
- You can’t use two letters from the same side consecutively.
- You cannot submit abbreviations such as “TTYL” or proper nouns like “Washington.”
- The words you create must start with the last letter of the previous word you submitted.
- All letters can be reused.
And now, here are four strategies to use during gameplay:
Strategy #1:
Think ahead, and keep your options open for your next move. To avoid getting stuck with an unused (and seemingly unusable) letter at the end of your Letter Boxed game, end your first word with a letter that connects easily to the other sides of the square. Ending a word with “X,” for instance, will be much more difficult than ending a word with “T.”
Strategy #2:
Use tricky consonants to begin a word, or tuck those consonants in the middle of a word so you can get them out of the way as soon as possible. If you have a “J” or “K” on your board, for instance, playing “JUKED” uses both letters and makes your next move easier by having to create a word that begins with the friendlier consonant “D.”
Strategy #3:
Don’t bother trying to use words containing consecutive identical letters. Words like “tomorrow” that feature back-to-back consonants aren’t possible in this game because there will always be 12 unique letters, and you can’t use two consecutive letters from the same side of the box.
Strategy #4:
Unlike Spelling Bee or Connections, you can’t shuffle the letters that surround the box. If your eyes (and brain) start feeling fatigued, there’s no harm in walking away. In fact, this is a surprisingly reliable strategy; you’ll be impressed by how quickly you can spot new words when you revisit the game after taking a much-needed break!
Letter Boxed and Last Letter First: Two Games That Go Hand-In-Hand
Since both Last Letter First and Letter Boxed require you to pay close attention to the last letter of the word you submit (or, in the case of Last Letter First, the word your opponent submits), you may find yourself recycling some words and using them across both games. This is a great way to reinforce your vocabulary, boost your Last Letter First score, and get closer to conquering the day’s Letter Boxed puzzle.
If you like playing Letter Boxed, you’ll probably love Last Letter First! Our game encourages you to expand your vocabulary, connect with family and friends, and play at your leisure. If you’re new to Last Letter First or want to introduce it to someone in your inner circle, check out this comprehensive guide!
Stay tuned for more blog posts on our Learning Hub. We’re always eager to introduce you to games that share similarities with Last Letter First, and Letter Boxed is certainly one to keep in your toolbox!
