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Word Ladder Club
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Guide

How to play word ladder

The word ladder game asks one simple thing: get from the start word to the goal word by changing one letter at a time. Here are the rules, the controls and the strategies you need to solve word ladder puzzles in fewer steps.

  • ⏱ 2 minutes to learn
  • 3 rules
  • Free · no sign-up
Play today's ladderRead the rules
Example · COLD → WARM⛳ Par 4

4 steps · that's par

01 · Rules

Word ladder rules

  1. 1Start & goal

    You get a start word and a goal word with the same number of letters.

  2. 2One letter per step

    Each step, change exactly one letter. You can't add, remove or reorder letters.

  3. 3Real words only

    Every step must be a real English word. Proper nouns and abbreviations don't count.

  4. 4No repeats

    You can't use the same word twice in one ladder.

  5. 5Fewest steps wins

    Reach the goal word to finish. The fewer steps, the better.

02 · Controls

Controls

Your next row starts as a copy of your last word. Change one letter, then play it.

On a phone or tablet

  1. 1Tap a tile to select it
  2. 2Tap a letter to replace it
  3. 3Press Enter to play the word

On a keyboard

  • Type the full word A–Z
  • Move between tiles ←→
  • Put a letter back ⌫
  • Play the word Enter

  • Undo

    Removes your last word.

  • Rewind

    Tap any earlier row, then the rewind button, to jump back several steps at once.

  • Hint

    Highlights the letter to change next. Tap again and the letter is filled in for you.

  • Show solution

    Reveals a par ladder and ends the puzzle. It counts as revealed, not solved.

  • Auto-finish

    With it on in settings, the goal word drops in when you're one letter away.

03 · Scoring

Scoring & par

Every ladder has a par: the fewest steps needed using familiar, everyday words. Finish in par steps for a Par, one fewer for a Birdie, two fewer for an Eagle, or one more for a Bogey.

Beating par is possible when you know a rarer word that our par ladder skips.

Par 4 ladder · each block is one step⛳ 4
  • EagleTwo under par−2
  • BirdieOne under par−1
  • ParThe shortest everyday ladderE
  • BogeyOne over par+1
  • Double bogeyTwo over — still a finish+2

04 · Strategy

Word ladder strategy

Five habits that shave steps off almost any ladder.

  1. Tip 1

    Lock in the letters you already have

    Compare the two words letter by letter. Positions that already match the goal usually never need to change — protect them. Turn onGoal letter dots in settings to see them at a glance.

  2. Tip 2

    Vowels are your pivots

    Swapping a vowel opens the most doors: BAT, BET, BIT, BOT, BUT. When you're stuck, try every vowel in the middle before touching the consonants.

  3. Tip 3

    Work backwards

    List the words one step away from the goal. If WARM is the target, WARD, WART, WORM, FARM and HARM are all one step off. Now you have several easier targets instead of one.

  4. Tip 4

    Change the hardest letter early

    Awkward letters like J, Q, X and Z have few neighbours. Get rid of them (or bring them in) while you still have flexible letters around them.

  5. Tip 5

    Watch the steps-to-go meter

    The meter under your active row shows the shortest distance left. If it goes up after a move, that move took you further away — undo and try another letter.

05 · Modes

Ways to play word ladder online

Ready to climb?

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