Word ladder

How to play Word ladder

You start at the top word and need to reach the target word at the bottom. Change exactly one letter at a time to make a brand new real word. Each rung of the ladder must be a valid English word. Take as many steps as you need. There is no time limit, just see how short a path you can find from start to target.

Tips

• Look at which letters need to change first, work outward from there
• Sometimes a longer chain is the only path, do not force a short one
• Try changing vowels before consonants when stuck
• Read your word out loud, fake words feel real until you say them

About Word ladder

Word ladder was invented by Lewis Carroll in 1877, the same Lewis Carroll who wrote Alice in Wonderland. He called it Doublets and shared the puzzles in a magazine. The idea is timeless. Hop between real words by changing one letter, like stepping stones across a river. It still shows up in newspapers and brain teaser books today. Our version gives you a fresh ladder to climb, with a built in dictionary check so you know when a word is real.

More word games

• Daily word: Guess the 5-letter word in six tries. New word every day.
• Anagram blitz: Six letters, sixty seconds. How many real words can you find?
• Mini crossword: A fresh 5 by 5 crossword every day. Quick and free.
• Typing sprint: Type as fast as you can in 30 seconds. Track your words per minute.
• Save the smiley: A friendly hangman game. Guess the word before the smiley falls apart.
• Owls: Place one owl per row, column and color region. A new puzzle every day.

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