Word ladder game
Climb from the top word to the bottom word by changing one letter at a time, and every step must be a real word: COLD, CORD, CARD, WARD, WARM. Each level has a daily ladder with a leaderboard, and we tell you the shortest possible number of steps (par) so you know what to aim for.
Loading today's leaderboard…
Today's ladder
Par 5Steps 0
How to play word ladder
- Pick a level. Today is the daily ladder everyone plays; New ladder is unlimited practice.
- Type a word that differs from the word above it by exactly one letter, in the same position (COLD → CORD), and press Enter. Letters can't be added, removed or moved.
- Every rung must be an everyday English word from our list, and you can't use a word twice.
- Reach the bottom word to finish. Undo takes back your last step. Hint shows the next word on a shortest path from where you are and adds 20 seconds.
- The leaderboard ranks fewest steps first, then time. Par is the minimum, so you can't beat it, only match it.
Levels
| Level | Word length | Par (shortest ladder) |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 4 letters | 3 steps |
| Medium | 4 letters | 5 steps |
| Hard | 5 letters | 6 steps |
Lewis Carroll invented word ladders in 1877 and called them "doublets". Our ladders are built by a computer search: we pick two everyday words and run a breadth-first search over every everyday word of that length (1,849 four-letter and 2,799 five-letter words from our public-domain ENABLE dictionary, offensive words removed). A daily ladder is only used if its shortest path is exactly the par for that level, so par is always reachable and never beatable.
Tips
- Look at which letters already match the target and keep them. Change the others one by one.
- Vowels are the hard part. If you're stuck, change a vowel first: it opens up many more words.
- Work backwards in your head from the bottom word: what words are one letter away from it?
Frequently asked questions
What is a word ladder?
A word puzzle where you change one word into another one letter at a time, making a real word at every step. Lewis Carroll invented them in 1877 and published them as "Doublets" in Vanity Fair from 1879.
Why was my word rejected?
It must be the same length, differ from the previous word in exactly one letter, be a word you have not used yet, and be an everyday word in our list. Rare or archaic words, names and abbreviations are not accepted.
How do you know the shortest solution?
We run a breadth-first search over our whole everyday word list, which finds the fewest possible steps. That number is the par shown above the ladder.
Can I play more than one ladder a day?
Yes. Each level has one daily ladder for the leaderboard, and New ladder gives you as many practice ladders as you like.
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