Here are the Letter Boxed March 03, 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:
EHGIBCRUTOAF
The answers are:
FIREBUGGOTCHA
FIREBUG—GOTCHA
TORCHBEARER—REFUGIA
FIREBUG – GOTCHA. Took me 51 minutes.
3/3.
56/62.
Current streak: 6
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the wee donkey! Around an hour to get OA (colleague came in & we were chatting, so just over or just under). Thought I had it immediately with BRACHIATOR-REFUGE, then saw GE on the same side and yelled in frustration and REFIGURE didn’t offer an option either. GH was fiendish, as was FA, BIC, TUR – no TURBO, AFTER, BIO, FORE options. Ouch. Just thought of FIREBUG when FIREFIGHTER wasn’t an option and finally made it.
Well done, RF, and nice one with TORCHBEARER, Mark – and damn, REFUGIA would have worked with BRACHIATOR! Totally with you, Samuel – the options need to allow for more solutions and creative ones.
Congrats, all, and Kanishk, fingers crossed for your success – hope to see you soon!
Well done, Irim! We posted at exactly the same time. Agreed – GH was fiendish; and good job spotting BRACHIATOR!
Happy Tuesday to everyone!
Same general concept. Was flailing a bit, granted not working at full capacity following a night spent at the hospital. But thought I saw Firefight for a nanosecond before the GH blocked it, but that was enough to get me to FIREBUG and the OA immediately after. Probably 30 minutes if I added up the time spent in a couple of spurts. 60/62, 3/3, 34
The TORCHBEARER led the way to the BRACHIATOR.
Good one!
All I can say is: what the ACTUAL hell? This is by far one of the hardest puzzles I’ve played. I did get the OA, but only after what felt like HOURS. I found AGROBACTERIA (which I couldn’t connect despite it leaving out just three letters), BATHROBE, CHATEAU, BEARHUG, CHATBOT, GROUCHIER, TOUCHIER, BROUHAHA, ARCHITECT, GRATIFIER, to name a few. This was even worse than OVIDUCT – TRAMWAY.
At least it’s over with. I’m so glad I didn’t lose my streak! Well done, RF – haven’t seen Irim yet, hope she makes it through (I’m sure she will!)
3/3, 55/62
Current streak: 7
Right?! High five, my friend (btw, from something you posted last week, I realise you get your puzzle the same time I do – 8am in the UK, and we’re 5.5 hours behind you). I found EUBACTERIA & ARCHITECT as well…worked on GROUCHIER for a while because, well, it sums me up perfectly.
Solidarity on the tired and enjoy your evening. Seeing you always makes me smile and reminds me that I need to plan to visit cousins in Lahore and that one day, I’d love to visit India properly – not least Jalandhar where my family is from.
That’s so lovely about Lahore and Jalandhar. Family roots really do pull you back, don’t they? If you ever take the full trip to India, you should do it right. It’s chaotic, colorful, and definitely worth it.
Also BREACH, FRIGATE, GRIFTER, REFRACTOR, RECOGITATE, FIFTIETH…
FIREBUG-GOTCHA
(Surprised to solve, surprised it is OA)
Brachiator – Refugia
I had Firebug early, but didn’t see Gotcha lol
Got the OA, but the puzzles really do seem to have gotten into a rut lately. Heavy on the arcane stuff and not much room for imaginative solutions, even when it comes to the OAs themselves and how they’re contrived.
Agreed. I often feel that Sam tends to focus on narrowing down the number of available solutions in each puzzle, for whatever reason. There seems to be almost no room for alternative approaches.
TORCHBEARER REFUGIA
Had FIREBUG but didn’t see GOTCHA
BRACHIATOR REFUGIA
Got it, firebug – gotcha, but it took a bit after working with words like abrogate, giftbag, grouchier – all to no avail.
Brachiator Refugia and I had to climb to the treetops for that one
OA. Gotcha is a lame word for LB.
Agreed, seems too slangy for LB
Torchbearer – Refugia
FRATCHIER* ROGUEBOT**
*more fratchy, MW, Eng dialect. Also listed in “Sanskrit Origins of English: Etymologies of English Words. 2025”
**Roguebot is a trending term used in sci-fi and cyber fiction as well as gaming. Think HAL.
“Open the pod bay doors, HAL.”
“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
👍
😎”I am putting myself to the fullest possible use… which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.”
The future is now.
Same general concept. Was flailing a bit, granted not working at full capacity following a night spent at the hospital. But thought I saw Firefight for a nanosecond before the GH blocked it, but that was enough to get me to FIREBUG and the OA immediately after. Probably 30 minutes if I added up the time spent in a couple of spurts. 60/62, 3/3, 34
For myself, there’s no way I could concentrate on LB for more than 5 or 10 consecutive minutes. Have to switch off and on again, which seems to help. Also, I’m not above entertaining myself with words such as FROGCRAB, HOTGIFT and the inprobable but valid BATHCHAIR. The joy is in the trying. Winning kinda-sorta puts an end to the fun.