The New York Times Company publishes a trove of rewarding and unique online word games, and Letter Boxed is certainly one of them! We created this Letter Boxed Review to explain the game and compare it to Last Letter First. The Letter Boxed game can be played once per day, and gameplay involves creating the fewest words possible using individual letters that surround a square box. The 12 letters get changed and rearranged with each new puzzle, and the words you create must be at least three letters long.
Some might say that the trickiest part of the Letter Boxed NYT word game is not being able to use letters that are located on the same side of the square.
For example, if the letters “M” and “E,” for instance, are both located on the right-hand side of the square, you would not be able to form a word that begins with the prefix “me-.” Instead, you’d have to look for another vowel on the top, bottom, or opposite side of the square. The good news is that all the letters at your fingertips can be reused.
A Cousin to Boggle and Other Word Games
Letter Boxed could be considered a “cousin” to Boggle, a popular game that challenges players to connect adjacent letters on a grid. Since you don’t have the luxury of selecting letters, you must work with the ones you’re given — no different, really, than playing the hand you’re dealt in a family-friendly card game like Uno or Quiddler. That said, working with what you have isn’t a bad thing; in fact, it makes you more adaptable and can inspire you to be more strategic.
Like many online word games, the Letter Boxed game is suitable for players of all ages and skill levels. Part of the appeal of playing this game is the chance to use and build your vocabulary, especially when you get a puzzle with more challenging letters such as “J,” “Q,” “X,” and “Z.”
Even though this game isn’t a point-scoring game, Letter Boxed motivates you to solve the puzzle in fewer than six words, or, ideally, two. NYT Games columnist Deb Amlen writes in her article “How to Beat Letter Boxed at Its Own Game” that “while it is not the ultimate goal of the game, a 2-solve is pretty much the best possible score. It is an achievement.”
Why Letter Boxed Fans Love Last Letter First
Maybe your love of Last Letter First led you to Letter Boxed, or vice versa. Playing both games daily can help online word game enthusiasts strengthen their vocabulary, while also experiencing the thrills associated with high-quality word-formation puzzles.
The most significant similarity between the Letter Boxed NYT word game and Last Letter First is how one word gives way to the formation of the next. Specifically, the word you’re tasked to create must begin with the last letter that was submitted. For example, if you submit “papaya” in the Letter Boxed game, your next word must start with an “A.” So on and so forth.
As much as people love the Letter Boxed game, Last Letter First ups the ante. How? Because the last letter in your chosen word goes straight to your opponent, and then the pressure’s on for them to outscore you. This pattern continues throughout the game; not knowing what letter you’ll come face-to-face with on your next turn adds an exciting and even suspenseful layer to an already exhilarating game.
It’s fair to say that both Letter Boxed and Last Letter First complement each other well. Playing these games sharpens your vocabulary and improves your word-chaining skills. Think of your time spent forming words as a worthwhile workout for your brain; you’re training it to learn new words and definitions, recognize patterns, and find strategic ways to win.
We’d also be remiss not to mention that playing Last Letter First and Letter Boxed NYT word games will help you excel at other mentally stimulating word games such as Wordscapes and Bananagrams.
Suggestion: Letter in Letters
Even though you can only play Letter Boxed once per day, remember that you can play Last Letter First as often as you’d like, and you can even invite up to 10 family members or friends to join you. For helpful tips on how to boost your Last Letter First score, check out our Learning Hub.
By the way, do you remember how, in high school, you could earn a letter in sports? Well, we believe that if you’re dedicated to games like Letter Boxed and Last Letter First, you should consider yourself a letterer in letters! Your participation and dedication shouldn’t go unnoticed, so give yourself credit for being a skilled Last Letter Firster and a Letter Boxer. (This is the part where we wink and you give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.)
