Here are the Letter Boxed December 11, 2023 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:
GMTACKEIOPHR
The answers are:
ARTICHOKEEPIGRAM
Whatever choked Arty’s not going to choke me (Abbot and Costello if i remember right)
OA. Disappointed because PITCH HEKTOGRAM are both valid words but HEKTOGRAM wasn’t recognized. HECTOGRAM is, but didn’t see a match for it. Maybe someone else will.
PITCH – HEKTOGRAM counts. Both are PSWs. Well done!
GRAMPA ARTICHOKE
My grandfather grew artichokes on his allotment, so I was sad that GRAMPA was disallowed. AMPITHEATRE/AMPITHEATER also disallowed. It seems to be a day of illegal words.
Annoyingly and bizarrely Gramp is accepted.
I’m guessing grampa is far more common but what the hey, this is LB.
I tried Gramp too 🙁
GRAMPA is a PSW, so it counts. AMPHITHEATRE/ER needs another H, and, sadly, P and H are on the same side.
Just for my own sanity, what does does PSW mean?
Playable Scrabble word.
OA, surprisingly quickly, because it looked quite difficult.
OA. I knew everything hinged on the letter K and Choke looked right. Also had Epigram.
Artichoke came crashing through the brain fog (finally) like a runaway express train…
TCHOTCHKE / EPIGRAM.
Pretty pleased to find that!
You should be! OA here. I would have predicted it would be a one-off, forgetting that I had earlier found and abandoned Tchotchke!
Happily, the OA is redolent with TI, as there are many epigrams featuring artichokes. E.g., “Life is like eating an artichoke
– you have to go through so much to get so little.”
YES! This was my solution, too. Was looking for a pair for EPIGRAM, but had to look up the spelling for TCHOTCHKE (which has a red underscore even as I type).
Thought I had this licked with EMPATHETIC, then with THERMOTROPIC, but I couldn’t find complements.
Cheers to those who remembered Tchotchke. Well done!
I had artichoke basically the whole time, but I couldn’t get past grampa not being allowed.
I was trying with empathic and empathetic, but the K was a huge problem, so back to artichoke, but I was just so hung up on a word ending in A. The back half stunk.
So I yielded and epigram is an easy (enough) word and now i feel foolish.
Same! I found THEMEPARK first and really wanted to make it work, but the best I could come up with was
ARTICHOKE / ERGOT / THEMEPARK
Then I noticed HEMATOCRIT and disappointedly couldn’t find a place for the “K” so I wrote down HEMATOCRIT / THEMEPARK / KEG just because.
Back to ARTICHOKE I went, and after finding the following, was very disappointed that “empight” was rejected.
ARTICHOKE / EMPATHIC / COG
ARTICHOKE / EMERGE / EMPATH
ARTICHOKE / EMIGRATE / ECTOPIC
ARTICHOKE / EMPT / TAG
I finally landed on the OA and am mindblown that
#1 I somehow missed using GRANDPA as my first word
#2 “Grandpa” is somehow NOT an acceptable word 🤯
And just for giggles, here is one last 3-word solution
HERITAGE / EMPATHIC / COKE
OA. Had Hematocrit, but couldn’t find a working combination. Anybody find one?
there were 21 solutions (according to LB) today. Here are some…
14/2
gotcher / rampike
hamerkop / pigcot
kipah / hectogram
15/2
hamerkop / pagetic
hamerkop / pigcote
pigcot / themepark
16/2
artichoke / epigram
tchotchke / epigram
porket / tamagotchi
So many words that aren’t in any scrabble dictionaries:
tamagotchi, porket, pigcot, hamerkop, pigcote, pagetic, kipah, gotcher
Pigcote – a place to keep flying pigs?
The OED describes this word as: A barn or shed in which pigs are kept; a pigsty.
Doesn’t mention whether they fly or not. So let’s assume you’re right!
OA, eventually. I thought that they were toying with us by using EMPATHETIC twice in a week’s time. But I couldn’t get that to work.
KIPAH – HECTOGRAM for me today.
Got stuck on TIGHTROPE, MICROCHIP, HOGCHOKER, EMPATHETIC, KIMCHI, KORMA…
I also got stuck on tightrope. And pictogram. Always had one letter left over.
OA Somehow, it took a while to fight through to Artichoke, then Grampa didn’t fly. . . ALIOW
12-11-23
GMT—ACK—EIO—PHR
hektogram*
===================
HEKTOGRAM—MEROPIC*
HEKTOGRAM—METOPIC
HEKTOGRAM—MICROCHIP
HEKTOGRAM—MICROPORE
HEKTOGRAM—METEMPIRIC
HEKTOGRAM—MICROPIPET
HEKTOGRAM—METROPATHIC
HEKTOGRAM—MICROAMPERE*
🐘 : Ape, Cheetah, Goat, Hare, Hippo, Horgi, Kiko Goat, Markhor, Marmot, Miki, Otter, Pig, Pomapoo, Potoroo, Rat, Tapir, Tiger,
🐞 : Maggot, Mite, Moth, Termite, Tiger Moth, Treehopper
🦅 : Egret, Great Egret, Kea, Kite, Parrot, Potoo, Rook
🦈 : Arapaima, Gar, Opah, Perch, Pike, Tetra
🐍 : Krait
🦖 : Trichoptera
🤖 : Great Arctic Orc 🙂
A fairly quick OA for me today, but I am delighted to see so many other excellent solutions!
🐦 HERERO CHAT, COCHOA, COMET, GREAT EGRET, HAMERKOP, HERMIT, KEA, KITE, MAO, MOREPORK, OMAO, PAROTIA, PIHA, PIPIPI, PARAMO PIPIT, PECHORA PIPIT, TCHAGRA, TIT 🐦🐦 CHATTERER, COOT, CREEPER, EARTHCREEPER, PARROT, PITTA, POTOO, ROOK, TREECREEPER
I gave up after so many valid words were not accepted. Hometime and kith are apparently acceptable words yet grampa, marktime, homegame, hometeam, hatchmark, kompot, hektogram, kirigami, and hemotropic were all deemed invalid. I got tired and frustrated having so many words rejected.
I found epigram and found choke but couldn’t find artichoke. That k was so difficult to deal with!
I nearly gave up after HETEROTOPIA was rejected.
(It passes the Scrabble test in the UK, but not in the US.)
Finally found the OA:
Stems so stout
Can’t bend about;
Leaves with spikes
Impale like shrikes.
It’s hairy choke
Cannot revoke
A heart well hidden
Yet not forbidden.
Exactly. The essence of the ‘choke.
I did an experiment and added the oxford english dictionary words. Here are the results. If a word doesn’t have a *, then LB allows that spelling.
apothem / mcgirk*
archagitator* / rampike
archimage* / epitoke*
artichoke / empight*
artichoke / epigamic*
coheritage* / empark*
epitoke* / echogram
gamotropic* / chatchke*
gamotropic* / cheke*
gamotropic* / cheki*
gamotropic* / chetek*
gamotropic* / chirker*
gamotropic* / choke
gamotropic* / choker
ghorkhar* / recompetitor*
grampa* / artichoke
hectogram / maikop*
hektogram* / maricopa*
hektogram* / meropic*
hektogram* / metapectic*
hektogram* / metempiric*
hektogram* / metopic
hektogram* / metrectopia*
hektogram* / metrectopic*
hektogram* / metropathic*
hektogram* / microampere*
hektogram* / microchip
hektogram* / microchiroptera*
hektogram* / microhepatia*
hektogram* / microperthite
hektogram* / microperthitic
hektogram* / micropia*
hektogram* / micropipet
hektogram* / micropore
hektogram* / microptic*
keap* / pathogermic*
kemp / pathogermic*
kempite* / echogram
kep / pathogermic*
ketipate* / echogram
khagiarite* / ectropometer*
khagiarite* / emporetic
khagiarite* / epicormic
khagiarite* / epitomic
kip / pathogermic*
kipage* / echometer*
kipage* / ectotherm
kipage* / ectothermic
kipage* / eremochaeta*
kogia* / archtarchtempter*
kohemp* / pathogermic*
kohemp* / pictogram
kop / pathogermic*
korahite* / epigamic*
korahitic* / compage*
korahitic* / crimpage
kragh* / hemitropic*
kragh* / hemotropic*
kragh* / heptatomic*
krogh* / hemiparetic*
krogh* / heptatomic*
kromogram* / metropathic*
kromogram* / microchiroptera*
kromogram* / microhepatia*
kromogram* / microperthite
kromogram* / microperthitic
maikop* / pathogermic*
marketech* / hightop
megaptera* / artichoke
michigamea* / arkport*
okeghem* / metrectopia*
okeghem* / metropathic*
okeghem* / microchiroptera*
okeghem* / microhepatia*
pathogerm* / mcgirk*
pathogerm* / michiko*
pathogerm* / microtektite*
pathogermic* / chark*
pathogermic* / charkha
pathogermic* / chatchke*
pathogermic* / cheke*
pathogermic* / cheki*
pathogermic* / chetek*
pathogermic* / chimariko*
pathogermic* / chirk*
pathogermic* / chirker*
pathogermic* / chok*
pathogermic* / choke
pathogermic* / choker
pathogermic* / choko
pathogermic* / chokra
pathogermic* / coke
pathogermic* / coker*
pathogermic* / comatik*
pathogermic* / cork
pathogermic* / corke*
pathogermic* / corker
pathogermic* / corkir*
pathogermic* / corkite*
pathogermic* / craik*
pathogermic* / croker*
patriarch / hektogram*
patrich* / hektogram*
patrico / okeghem*
peritrich / hektogram*
peritroch* / hektogram*
petrogram* / michiko*
pich* / hektogram*
picogram / marketech*
picogram / mathematik*
picogram / merkhet*
picotah / hektogram*
pictogram / marketech*
pictogram / mathematik*
pictogram / merkhet*
pikeperch / hektogram*
pikeperch / heterogamete*
pikeperch / heterogamic*
pitch / hektogram*
pitchometer* / rokeage*
pokom* / megathermic
pokomam* / megathermic
porogamic / chatchke*
porogamic / chetek*
repitch* / hektogram*
rokeage* / empathetic
rokeage* / empathic
trekpath* / hemagogic*
trekpath* / heterogametic
trekpath* / heterogamic*
trekpath* / homogametic
trekpath* / homogamic*
OA today
MARKET TIGHTROPE ECO
I just couldn’t give up on tightrope and found choke and liked how it took care of k and c but alas…. Never thought of artichoke. I too was annoyed by GRAMPS not being accepted.
So close —
Architect toker rampage
and
Impetigo okra arch
But just couldn’t make the leap to artichoke.
I have a love hate relationship with this game.
CHAMP POKER RIGHT
TRAFIC CHAMP POKER
TRAGIC CHAMP POKER
OA. Spent a ton of time on PICTOGRAM / MICROGRAM / THERMOGRAM / THEMEPARK and looking for add-ons to MICRO / METRIC. Really thought THEMEPARK was going to be part of the OA. So few “K” words, and it took me forever to find CHOKE. OA followed quickly after.
Huge kudos to those who found TCHOTCHKE — I’ve tried using it in previous puzzles but never worked it into a solution, and it lays out EPIGRAM perfectly once you’ve got it. More satisfying than OA, I think.
Some 3 word solutions:
gramp / poke / ethic
keg / gothic / cramp
pitch / homage / erk
age / empathic / cork
champ / poker / right
chi / impetigo / okra
chimp / poker / retag
choke / epigram / math
cramp / poker / right
gothic / cramp / poke
gip / poker / rematch
kempt / tragic / choker
kite / epigram / mochi
magic / choker / repeat
tragic / champ / poke
airtime / empath / hogchoker
chimp / patch / hogchoker
hogchoker / ramp / pit