Here are the Letter Boxed May 16, 2026 Answers from New York Times Games. Our solutions and answers are 100% valid and accurate. We suggest trying to solve the game on your own before using the help of our website.
Sides of this Letter Box are:
MTDARPIVEKHO
The answers are:
VODKAAMPHITHEATER
VODKA—AMPHITHEATER
Spirits on stage ?
Looking for more solutions now.
MIKVOTH—HAMPERED
PIPEDREAM—MIKVOTH
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I was starting to think the OA was singular. Then MIKVOTH popped up, and it’s an interesting new word for me. ☕
Interesting word, first time hearing about it. What does it mean? I tried searching online but no results came up. My guess is that it’s Yiddish.
According to ChatGPT, a MIKVOTH (also spelled mikvaot or mikvehs) is the plural of mikveh — a ritual bath used in traditional Judaism for spiritual purification.
I saw it first in Wiktionary, which is what I’ve been using for the half-solutions on those scarce solution days. Wiktionary says that mikveh is an alternate spelling of MIKVAH, which LB also accepts today.
half-solution:
HETEROPODʷ—MIKVAH
I think you mean MIKVAH-HETEROPOD.
Tried it, was really cross it wasn’t accepted. If you have MIKVOTH, you can have a scientific word. Mikvah is Hebrew, so…
correction:
MIKVAH—HETEROPODʷ
MIKVA—ATROPHIATEDʷ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ʷ Wiktionary
☕☕
Nice going!
Thanks Simon! MIKVA, MIKVAH, and MIKVOTH are all new to me. 👍
I knew Heteropod but not Mikvah.
OA. In 38 minutes.
Looking forward to my besties Miss Irim’s and Kanishk-boy’s solutions.
Tight array today especially the K and V. Before trying AMPHITHEATER on a whim, I didn’t expect the K and V to be on the same word.
Well done, RF! Took FOREVER to get the OA today (and on pen and paper!). The V and K were miserable to deal with. Was disappointed that the grid disallowed some good words like APHRODITE and HERMAPHRODITE, etc.
I didn’t actually track how much time it took for me to solve it, but I spotted VODKA as soon as class got over. And was 100% sure it was part of the OA. AMPHITHEATRE took an additional 5 minutes.
We’re waiting for you, Irim!
Good luck to everyone still solving and happy weekend to all.
Hi, my loves, that took an hour: tried ADOPTER, PERMADEATH, VAMPED, MIKVA/H (sadly, HETEROPOD wasn’t accepted), and so on. Came to MIKVOTH and just didn’t see it, so played with other things, but was sure MIKVOTH (plural of MIKVAH, a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism – knew that b/c I taught at a Modern Orthodox Jewish school) and kept coming back to it until suddenly it clicked: HAMPERED.
So MIKVOTH-HAMPERED it is for me. Never saw AMPHITHEATRE/ER – probably because I wanted that V and K gone immediately. One or the other.
Congratulations, my lovelies, the triumvirate is complete!
Good luck, everyone, and happy Saturday!
Nice going on MIKVOTH-HAMPERED. My prog found it, but I didn’t know it’s meaning.
OA here. It took hours. Couldn’t find a word using the V and the K all day. Only saw it after I found amphitheater. Some good words that went to waste included hematoma, heptameter, hitherto, dermatome, mothered, vampire, vomited, and epidermoid. The streak is finally back up to 2 weeks! 24/136, 15/26, 14, 36
Oh, and the IVE was fiendish, as was ARP. Shame about KH, which prevented words like KHEDIVATE or KHEDIVE.
VODKA – AMPHITHEATER…
Why Rome actually burned.
Nice one, MVUA! I came up with one of my own:
VODKA – AMPHITHEATER
On the rocks.
Stuck on words like diphtheria, vomited. Ended up spending a long time with vodka, but by then my brain was tired.
Oa. Saw vodka straight away, amphitheater took me forever though.
Mega fail today. I got AMPHITHEATRE easily but I only know the liquor as WODKA. 🙂
Found amphitheater quickly. Why I could not see Vodka is beyond me. So, alas, no bragging rights for me today.
MIKVOTH HAMPERED but I had a feeling VODKA might have a solution as well.
Must admit that was my solution also.
OA …. FINALLY
Stuck on words like diphtheria, vomited. Ended up spending a long time with vodka, but by then my brain was tired.
Vomited depthmaker ( a technical term in dentistry)
Vodka amphitheater after a nights rest haha. Also Kvoda( Hebrew?) amphitheater
Some tries troika periodate Fermat one Thermidor epitome heterotroph Hama aero drone perimeter thermometer pedometer vats permeate hematoma pipe dream meteorite meteoroid imported readopted vampire diphtheria and others