HATCH puzzle #11, November 7, 2026

Saturday's HATCH word hunt had three boards of 25 letters. Here is the best word on each board, with the letters laid out five to a row.

The best words

• Board 1 (Y T C D I / N G N S C / O O N B R / R O E U T / A T U B O): best word NEUTRONS, 8 letters. The list holds 101 words worth up to 222 points. Other long words: NEUTRON, BRUNET, TENONS.
• Board 2 (E Y L D I / D A O T E / K C S B V / I E A T N / A E S A P): best word STOCKIEST, 9 letters. The list holds 252 words worth up to 781 points. Other long words: SEACOAST, STOCKADE, TACKIEST, BOASTED, COASTED, DEBASES.
• Board 3 (E Y T A H / J C M N H / N E T R E / E R F E C / E S D X A): best word REFERENCE, 9 letters. The list holds 137 words worth up to 600 points. Other long words: DEFERENCE, RECENTER, REENTERS, REFEREES, REFERENT, REJECTED.

Worth knowing about this day: the best words have 8, 9, and 9 letters, so hunt for the longest chain first. Longer words are worth more points, and the letters J, X, Z and K add a point each.