Games

Word Ladder

Turn the top word into the bottom one, changing a single letter at a time. Every rung has to be a real word.

How to play →
0:000 moves
Daily · 2026-09-22
About Word Ladder— the rules, and the twist

Turn the top word into the bottom one, changing a single letter at a time. Every rung has to be a real word.

Turn the word at the bottom into the one at the top, changing a single letter each step. Every rung has to be a real word, so the route matters more than the destination.

The twist: Each puzzle shows its par — the true shortest ladder — so finishing is easy but matching par is the real game.

Free in your browser, desktop or phone, no download. Full rules and tips · Past puzzles.

Word Ladder in short

Turn the word at the bottom into the one at the top, changing a single letter each step. Every rung has to be a real word, so the route matters more than the destination.

  1. 1.Read the two ends. The target sits at the top; your ladder starts from the word at the bottom.
  2. 2.Change one letter. Pick a letter slot and type a new letter. Only one letter may differ from the rung below.
  3. 3.Climb. Press Enter to play the word. If it is a real word one letter away, it becomes your next rung.

Full Word Ladder rules, controls and tips · Past dailies · Leaderboard

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