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.
The rules
- 1Read the two ends
The target sits at the top; your ladder starts from the word at the bottom.
- 2Change one letter
Pick a letter slot and type a new letter. Only one letter may differ from the rung below.
- 3Climb
Press Enter to play the word. If it is a real word one letter away, it becomes your next rung.
- 4Reach the target
Keep going until you land on the target word. Words cannot be repeated, so no going in circles.
Controls
- Keyboard
- Type a letter to change the highlighted slot, arrows move between slots, Enter plays the word, ↓ steps back a rung.
- Touch
- Tap a letter slot, then tap a letter from the strip. Tap ✓ to play the word.
Tips
- Look at which letters the two ends share — those usually stay put the whole way.
- Vowels are the flexible slot: swapping one often opens a family of new words.
- Stuck? Step back a rung. A dead end usually starts two or three words earlier.
- Par is the shortest possible ladder. Finishing longer still counts, but par is the score worth chasing.
Each puzzle shows its par — the true shortest ladder — so finishing is easy but matching par is the real game.
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.
Common questions
What is a word ladder?
A chain of real words leading from a start word to a target, where each rung changes exactly one letter from the rung below it. The puzzle is finding a route where every intermediate step is itself a valid word.
What does par mean in Word Ladder?
Par is the length of the shortest possible ladder between the two words. Finishing longer still counts as a solve, but matching par is the score worth chasing and what the leaderboard ranks.
Can I reuse a word?
No. Every rung must be new, which stops you circling back through words you have already played and forces real progress towards the target.
What if I get stuck halfway?
Step back a rung and try a different letter. A dead end almost always begins two or three words earlier, where a vowel swap would have opened a wider family of words.