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Letter Boxed

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Not to be confused with Letterboxd.
The New York Times Letter Boxed
Developer(s)Sam Ezersky
Publisher(s)New York Times Company
Platform(s)Browser, Mobile App
Release2019
Genre(s)Word game
Mode(s)Single player

Letter Boxed is an online word puzzle video game created by Sam Ezersky and published in 2019 (soft-launched in 2018) on The New York Times Games.[1] It was the third game published in the puzzles section on the New York Times website after the Crossword and Spelling Bee.[2] Originally created as part of an effort to attract new subscribers, Letter Boxed is one of a suite of casual games that has become an important revenue driver for the company, and for which "The New York Times has attained the reputation for having fun, quick and easy daily games."[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Gameplay

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A partially completed game of Letter Boxed from March 12, 2024.

Players are given a square with three letters per side (12 letters in total). Starting anywhere, they must connect the letters to make words of at least three letters. The goal is to use all of the letters at least once, in as few words as possible – equal to or below the target number set by the game (usually within 4, 5, or 6 words).[8][9] The first letter of each new word must be the last letter of the previous word.[2] Consecutive use of letters from the same side is not permitted (which precludes the use of double letter words such as "Brilliantly", "Formatted", and "Dazzle"). Proper nouns, profanities, and certain offensive terms are also excluded.

The Harvard Crimson says that the game "appears simple but can get quite challenging very quickly. It can induce an intrinsically competitive nature in the player as they try to complete the task in as few words as possible."[10] Another US college newspaper notes that Letter Boxed can be "frustrating" due the inclusion of words such as "azurite and erythrocyte".[11]

A new game is published daily at 3:00 a.m. EST.[12] Each daily update includes a menu item "Yesterday" which reveals a two word solution for the previous day's puzzle.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Times Launches Letter Boxed, Its Newest Game for Curious, Language-Loving Players". The New York Times Company. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Sarkar, Samit (1 February 2019). "New York Times develops new word game for crossword section". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  3. ^ Fitzpatrick, Alex (January 29, 2024). "Games are helping the New York Times thrive amid media chaos". Axios. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Maher, Bron (March 23, 2023). "How games are powering online subscriptions at The New York Times". Press Gazette. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Robertson, Katie (7 February 2024). "New York Times Co. Adds 300,000 Digital Subscribers in Quarter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  6. ^ Tortusa, Mikaella (8 September 2023). "Rating The New York Times Mini Games". The Spectator (Hamilton College). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ^ Klein, Charlotte (2023-12-19). "Inside The New York Times' Big Bet on Games". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  8. ^ Avery, Dan (21 February 2022). "Beyond Wordle: The New York Times Games Section, Explained". CNET. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. ^ Gurewitsch, Matthew (2023). "Letter Boxed Word Game Creator Sam Eserksy Talks Shop". airmail.news. New York City, New York: Air Mail News. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  10. ^ Giese, Emerson L. (14 November 2023). "A Guide to The New York Times Games". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  11. ^ Perkins, Meredith (14 April 2024). "I played every New York Times game for a week". The Miami Student. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Word Games and Logic Puzzles". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
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