Yesterday's NYT Letter Boxed Answer
Stuck on puzzle #2,828? Work through our hints one at a time, or jump straight to the solution. Nothing spoils until you tap.
Hints, one at a time
Welcome back, puzzler. Letter Boxed #2,828 for Tuesday, September 1, 2026 is live: 12 letters on 4 sides (A, C, E, H, I, J, L, M, N, T, U, Y), and one chain of words that clears every last one.
Here's how this page works: the five hints below build from a word count to a starting letter, so work through them in order and stop the moment a chain suggests itself. The full solution sits in the rose box further down, locked behind a tap. Nothing here reveals itself on its own, not the opening word and not the letter it hands off.
Shape first, then the opening letter. Stop when a chain suggests itself.
Drumroll, please…
NYT Letter Boxed Solution for September 1
Spoiler below · tap to revealTap a tile to reveal one letter at a time, or show the whole solution. Each word starts with the last letter of the one before it.
About yesterday's solution 2 words
JEJUNUM then MYTHICAL, spelling out 15 letters end to end.
JEJUNUM (23 pts), MYTHICAL (18 pts), before any bonus squares.
Sides: EHM · ULI · JYC · NTA, all 12 letters, with par set at 5 words.
Puzzle #2,828, published Tuesday, September 1, 2026, edited by Sam Ezersky.
Letter Boxed strategy that actually helps
Proven habits from top solvers, useful today and every day.
Every new word must start with the last letter of the one before it. Plan your next word before you finish typing this one.
Two letters in a row can't come from the same side of the square. The game blocks the move before you can make it.
A longer first word clears more letters in one move, which usually means fewer total words to reach the finish.
Finishing a word on a letter that starts lots of common words (like S, E, or T) keeps your options open for the next one.
Say the unused letters out loud as you go. It's easier to spot a word that uses several of them at once.
Beating par in fewer words is a bonus, not the goal. Any valid chain that clears all 12 letters counts as solved.
How to play NYT Letter Boxed
The rules in full, for anyone arriving without them.
Letter Boxed is a New York Times puzzle set on a square with three letters on each of its four sides. You chain words together until all twelve letters have been used at least once.
- 1 Start any word from any letter
Words must be at least three letters long and made only from the twelve on the box.
- 2 Never use two letters from the same side in a row
Consecutive letters must come from different sides. This is the rule that makes the puzzle hard.
- 3 Begin each new word with the last letter of the one before
The chain is continuous, so your final letter is always your next starting letter.
- 4 Use all twelve letters
The puzzle is solved when every letter has been touched at least once. Letters may repeat, and the NYT sets a target number of words for each day.
The New York Times
12 letters, 3 on each side of a square
No limit, but the NYT target is usually 2 words
Midnight in your local timezone
Work backwards from the awkward letters. Find where a J, Q, V, or X can legally sit, build a word around it first, and the easy letters will fit around that word rather than the other way round.
Letter Boxed, answered
Quick answers to the questions we get every day.
What time does the new Letter Boxed puzzle come out?
Letter Boxed resets at midnight in your local timezone, wherever you are. If the twelve letters in the hero match the box on your screen, the solution below is today's.
What does "par" mean in Letter Boxed?
Par is the NYT's suggested number of words for solving the puzzle efficiently. It's a target for skilled solvers, not a requirement: any valid chain of words that uses all 12 letters counts as a win, however many words it takes.
Can I play past Letter Boxed puzzles?
The NYT doesn't offer an in-app archive for Letter Boxed. Our past boxes table below covers recent puzzles if you just want to check one.
Does my solution have to match the NYT one?
No. Any chain that legally uses all twelve letters is a win, and the game accepts solutions longer than the target. The NYT simply publishes the shortest one it found, usually two words, as the score to beat. Solving it in three or four still completes the puzzle.
Is there more than one valid solution?
Yes. The solution shown here is one valid path, but Letter Boxed almost always has several. Any word chain that legally uses all 12 letters, following the same-side and last-letter rules, solves the puzzle.
Today's hints for every game
Same spoiler-safe format, for each daily puzzle we cover.
Past Letter Boxed boxes
Recent Letter Boxed puzzles, organized by month. The answer column shows the four sides of each day's box, not the solution words, so there's nothing to spoil here. Use it to check a day you missed or see which letters come up most.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 02Today | #2,829 | PSYCHO → OXIDANT |
| Sep 01 | #2,828 | JEJUNUM → MYTHICAL |
| Aug 31 | #2,827 | WRATHFUL → LUMPIER |
| Aug 30 | #2,826 | POLKA → AFTERTHOUGHT |
| Aug 29 | #2,825 | QUAIL → LONGEVITY |
| Aug 28 | #2,824 | EXHIBITION → NUDNIKS |
| Aug 27 | #2,821 | KEYPUNCH → HIJAB |
| Aug 26 | #2,823 | VIBRANCY → YOUTH |
| Aug 25 | #2,822 | WIN → NARCOLEPSY |
| Aug 24 | #2,820 | JOCKS → STARGAZING |
| Aug 23 | #2,818 | WATERBORNE → EYEFUL |
| Aug 22 | #2,819 | ZYGOTE → EXCLAIM |
| Aug 21 | #2,817 | FORGIVEN → NEBULA |
| Aug 20 | #2,816 | OKAPI → INQUIRINGLY |
| Aug 19 | #2,815 | PERMAFROST → TOUCH |
| Aug 18 | #2,814 | WACKO → OUTFOXING |
| Aug 17 | #2,813 | BULKIER → RETRONYM |
| Aug 16 | #2,812 | NOVA → ADJUSTABLE |
| Aug 15 | #2,811 | FOUR → REVAMPING |
| Aug 14 | #2,810 | GOBSMACK → KLUTZ |
| Aug 13 | #2,809 | PSYCHOANALYZE → EXEC |
| Aug 12 | #2,808 | JACINTH → HOMBRE |
| Aug 11 | #2,807 | QUAINTLY → YONDER |
| Aug 10 | #2,806 | SPOTLIGHT → TWERK |
| Aug 09 | #2,805 | BEATIFIC → CULINARY |
| Aug 08 | #2,804 | VETCH → HYPNOTIZING |
| Aug 07 | #2,803 | JUDGMENTAL → LAXLY |
| Aug 06 | #2,802 | OFTENTIMES → SCHWA |
| Aug 05 | #2,801 | GENUFLECTION → NAIVE |
| Aug 04 | #2,800 | AMPHIBIOUS → SLICK |
| Aug 03 | #2,799 | HONEYCOMB → BOXFUL |
| Aug 02 | #2,798 | FLANKS → SOMEBODY |
| Aug 01 | #2,797 | AMOUNT → THEOLOGIZE |
| Jul 31 | #2,795 | PLAITED → DOWNRIVER |
| Jul 30 | #2,796 | SPRUCE → ENJAMBMENT |
| Jul 29 | #2,794 | QUADRUPLING → GAUZY |
| Jul 28 | #2,793 | DOCKYARDS → SIXTH |
| Jul 27 | #2,792 | FREIGHT → TOPONYM |
| Jul 26 | #2,791 | LOGIC → CYBERWARFARE |
| Jul 25 | #2,790 | VINYASA → ALTHOUGH |
| Jul 24 | #2,789 | COUPLE → EMBARKED |
| Jul 23 | #2,788 | JOLT → TRAPEZIUS |
| Jul 22 | #2,787 | CENTRIFUGE → EXPO |
| Jul 21 | #2,786 | QUICKSAND → DWARF |
| Jul 20 | #2,785 | UPCOMING → GLOWER |
| Jul 19 | #2,784 | BIJOUX → XERISCAPE |
| Jul 18 | #2,783 | JAYWALKER → RHINO |
| Jul 14 | #2,779 | VEHICLE → ENGRAFT |
| Jul 07 | #2,772 | GINKGO → OVERHYPED |
| Jul 06 | #2,771 | FRUMP → PLACEHOLDER |
| Jul 05 | #2,770 | WHATSOEVER → RIDGE |
| Jul 04 | #2,769 | KIDNAP → PACHYDERM |
| Jul 03 | #2,768 | FAZE → EXCLAMATORY |
| Jul 02 | #2,767 | JIGSAW → WORMHOLE |
| Jul 01 | #2,766 | WOMB → BACKFIELD |
| Jun 30 | #2,765 | SQUADRON → NIGHT |
| Jun 29 | #2,764 | VIBRATO → ONESELF |
| Jun 28 | #2,763 | NITPICKER → REFINISHED |
| Jun 27 | #2,761 | FLYWEIGHT → TOQUE |
| Jun 26 | #2,762 | HYDROCARBON → NATURAL |
| Jun 25 | #2,760 | EQUIP → PAROXYSM |
| Jun 24 | #2,759 | JUNGLEFOWL → LICHEN |
| Jun 23 | #2,758 | VIEWFINDER → RUGBY |
| Jun 22 | #2,757 | BELTWAYS → SMIRK |
| Jun 21 | #2,756 | POUND → DUMBSTRUCK |
| Jun 20 | #2,755 | LIQUOR → REVITALIZED |
| Jun 19 | #2,754 | ZEALOT → TRIUMPH |
| Jun 18 | #2,753 | BULGOGI → INEXACT |
| Jun 17 | #2,752 | WATCH → HYPOTENUSE |
| Jun 16 | #2,751 | JACKPOT → THEREBY |
| Jun 15 | #2,750 | CRUSHING → GOLEM |
| Jun 14 | #2,749 | QUAGMIRE → EPOXY |
| Jun 13 | #2,748 | CAMPGROUND → DOZY |
| Jun 12 | #2,747 | ANALYTIC → CHECKUP |
| Jun 11 | #2,746 | BOATWRIGHT → TUTELAGE |
| Jun 10 | #2,745 | JAIL → LEXICOGRAPHER |
| Jun 09 | #2,744 | DIVOT → TRANSFUSING |
| Jun 08 | #2,743 | FRAUDULENT → TOQUES |
| Jun 07 | #2,742 | CHICKENPOX → XYLEM |
| Jun 06 | #2,741 | DISTURB → BREAKAWAY |
| Jun 05 | #2,740 | HAMLET → TURFING |
| Jun 04 | #2,739 | SHAMROCK → KIBITZ |
| Jun 03 | #2,738 | COVERUP → PRIMARILY |
| Jun 02 | #2,737 | JUGS → SNOWFLAKE |
| Jun 01 | #2,736 | ADJUTANT → TAXIDERMY |
| May 31 | #2,735 | HARDBACK → KELVIN |
| May 30 | #2,734 | CYNICISM → MUDFLOW |
| May 29 | #2,733 | MAGIC → CELEBRATION |
| May 28 | #2,732 | QUIP → POLYHEDRON |
| May 27 | #2,731 | ZAFTIG → GRUMBLE |
| May 26 | #2,730 | INEPTLY → YARMULKE |
| May 25 | #2,729 | FLUGELHORN → NINJA |
| May 24 | #2,728 | SHIPYARD → DRAWBACK |
| May 23 | #2,727 | CHIVE → ELOQUENTLY |
| May 22 | #2,726 | COLORFUL → LINKAGE |
| May 21 | #2,725 | VESTIBULE → EXCERPT |
| May 20 | #2,724 | RICKSHAW → WROUGHT |
| May 19 | #2,723 | DISBELIEF → FRUMPY |
| May 18 | #2,722 | EQUALIZER → RHYTHM |
| May 17 | #2,721 | DOWNSTREAM → MIX |