LinkedIn Wend #40

LinkedIn Wend #40 is the LinkedIn Wend daily for July 18, 2026. Wend is LinkedIn's word-finding game: drag through adjacent letters on a 7×7 grid to spell 5 hidden words (6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 letters each). Every letter is used exactly once. This page includes the live board, a solved-board view, and a step-by-step Solution walkthrough. Difficulty: Hard. Estimated solve time: 6–10 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.

This board hides 5 words: "LARYNX", "MAILBOX", "FLEXIBLE", "XYLOPHONE", "UNORTHODOX".

The longest word is UNORTHODOX — solve it first, then work through the remaining paths in recommended order.

1. Word 1Anchor word10 letters

   UNORTHODOX

   Path

   Starts at row 3, column 4 (interior), then runs one cell north, then one cell east, then one cell north, then 2 cells west, then one cell south, then 2 cells west, then one cell north.

   Contains rare letter X — usually a strong anchor for this word's path. A zigzag path with multiple turns — harder to guess without tracing letter by letter.

   Solving note

   Anchor word: Start here — "UNORTHODOX" claims 10 cells and defines the rest of the partition.

2. Word 2Territory claim9 letters

   XYLOPHONE

   Path

   Starts at row 7, column 7 (corner), then runs 4 cells north, then one cell west, then 2 cells north, then one cell east.

   Contains rare letter X — usually a strong anchor for this word's path. A snaking path with multiple turns — harder to guess without tracing letter by letter. Starts in a corner — fewer adjacent options often mean a clearer first letter to test.

   Solving note

   Territory claim: After prior locks, 30 cells were open; this word consumes 9.

3. Word 3Bridge path8 letters

   FLEXIBLE

   Path

   Starts at row 7, column 1 (corner), then runs one cell east, then one cell north, then one cell east, then one cell south, then one cell east, then 2 cells north.

   Contains rare letter X — usually a strong anchor for this word's path. A zigzag path with multiple turns — harder to guess without tracing letter by letter. Starts in a corner — fewer adjacent options often mean a clearer first letter to test.

   Solving note

   Bridge path: After prior locks, 21 cells were open; this word consumes 8.

4. Word 4Gap filler7 letters

   MAILBOX

   Path

   Starts at row 5, column 2 (interior), then runs one cell west, then 2 cells north, then one cell east, then one cell south, then one cell east.

   Contains rare letter X — usually a strong anchor for this word's path. A snaking path with multiple turns — harder to guess without tracing letter by letter.

   Solving note

   Gap filler: After prior locks, 13 cells were open; this word consumes 7.

5. Word 5Partition lock6 letters

   LARYNX

   Path

   Starts at row 7, column 5 (edge), then runs one cell north, then one cell east, then 2 cells north, then one cell west.

   Contains rare letter X — usually a strong anchor for this word's path. A snaking path with multiple turns — harder to guess without tracing letter by letter. Starts on an edge — edge starts reduce the number of possible directions.

   Solving note

   Partition lock: "LARYNX" is the final 6-letter path — verify no unused cells remain.

Longest-first ordering ("UNORTHODOX" (10), then "XYLOPHONE" (9), then "FLEXIBLE" (8), then "MAILBOX" (7), then "LARYNX" (6)) minimizes dead-end paths on this 7×7 board. "UNORTHODOX" removes the most cells in one trace — 10 letters — leaving 30 for the remaining words. Shorter words after that often have only one legal path through leftover clusters.

Step 1: Lock "UNORTHODOX" (10 letters) first — Starts at row 3, column 4 (interior), then runs one cell north, then one cell east, then one cell north, then 2 cells west, then one cell south, then 2 cells west, then one cell north. 30 playable letters remain. Step 2: Place "XYLOPHONE" (9 letters). 21 letters left in 3 words. Step 3: Place "FLEXIBLE" (8 letters). 13 letters left in 2 words. Step 4: Place "MAILBOX" (7 letters). 6 letters left in 1 word. Step 5: Finish with "LARYNX" — the last 6-letter path. Every letter on the board is now accounted for.

A rare letter (Q, X, Z, J, or K) anchors at least one word. Uncommon letters usually belong to a single path — scan for them before guessing long routes through the center.

All 40 playable letters belong to exactly 5 words (LARYNX, MAILBOX, FLEXIBLE, XYLOPHONE, UNORTHODOX). No letter is shared between paths, and every cell with a letter is used.

This Wend puzzle hides LARYNX, MAILBOX, FLEXIBLE, XYLOPHONE, and UNORTHODOX on a 7×7 board. Each word is spelled by connecting horizontally or vertically adjacent cells — no diagonals, no reusing letters, and no overlapping paths. Word lengths run from 6 to 10 letters; recommended solve order (longest first): UNORTHODOX, XYLOPHONE, FLEXIBLE, MAILBOX, and LARYNX. Start with "UNORTHODOX" — the 10-letter anchor — then fill shorter paths through remaining letter clusters. A rare letter (Q, X, Z, J, or K) anchors at least one word. Uncommon letters usually belong to a single path — scan for them before guessing long routes through the center. Use the Solution tab above for an interactive word-by-word walkthrough with live paths on the grid, or the Solved board tab for the complete answer at a glance.