Word Ladder

How to Play Word Ladder

Word Ladder is a classic word puzzle invented by Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. You get a four-letter start word and a four-letter target word. Climb from one to the other by changing exactly one letter at a time, and every step must be a real word.

• Example: COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM.
• Type a word that differs from the previous one by a single letter, then press Enter.
• You can't reorder letters or add and remove them.
• Undo removes your last step. Hint suggests a good next word.
• Par is the shortest possible number of steps. Can you match it?

Reach the target to win. A new daily ladder appears every day at midnight, and unlimited mode gives you fresh ladders whenever you want. Most ladders take three to five steps at par.

Solving a Ladder, Step by Step

Let's work through the example above: turn COLD into WARM.

1. Compare the two words. C-O-L-D and W-A-R-M share no letters in the same position. That means every letter must change, so the ladder needs at least four steps.
2. Pick a letter you can change easily. Changing L to R gives CORD, a real word, and the R is in the right spot for WARM.
3. Keep moving toward the target. Changing O to A gives CARD. Now the A and R are both in place.
4. Watch out for dead ends. From CARD you could try WARD (C to W) or CARM (not a word). WARD works and puts the W in place.
5. Finish the climb. Changing D to M gives WARM. Four steps, which matches par.

The order in which you change letters matters. Sometimes you must make a "sideways" move, changing a letter that isn't in the target, to reach a word that opens the path forward.

Word Ladder Strategies

Count the letters that already match

Before your first move, compare the start and target words letter by letter. Every letter that doesn't match needs at least one change, so the number of different letters tells you the minimum possible number of steps.

Use vowels as bridges

Vowels are the most flexible letters. Swapping A, E, I, O or U often turns one word into another without changing its overall shape: BAT, BET, BIT, BOT, BUT. When you're stuck, try changing the vowel first.

Lock in the right letters

Once a letter matches the target in the same position, try not to change it again. Each change you make should ideally move one more letter into place.

Work backwards

Think about which words are one step away from the target. If the target is WARM, words like WORM, WARD, FARM, HARM and WART are all one letter away. Finding a path to any of them is the same as solving the puzzle.

Use Undo freely

There's no penalty for exploring. If a path leads nowhere, press Undo and try a different letter. Hints are there when you really need them, but finding the path yourself is far more satisfying.

Lewis Carroll's "Doublets"

Lewis Carroll invented the word ladder around Christmas in 1877, reportedly to entertain two young friends who said they had nothing to do. He called the game Doublets and published a series of puzzles in the magazine Vanity Fair in 1879. One of his best-known examples turns HEAD into TAIL: HEAD, HEAL, TEAL, TELL, TALL, TAIL. Readers sent in their solutions, competing to find the shortest chain. The puzzle has been a favorite of teachers, mathematicians and puzzle fans ever since, and computer scientists still use word ladders to explain how programs find the shortest path between two points.

Why Word Ladder Is a Great Brain Workout

Word Ladder sits right between a vocabulary game and a logic puzzle. You need to know enough words to find each step, but you also need to plan ahead, test ideas and backtrack when a path fails. It's a great way to practice spelling, think flexibly about how words are built and enjoy a few quiet minutes of focused problem solving.

If you enjoy planning ahead, try Word Guess, where every guess is a small logic test. For a relaxing puzzle, play Word Search.

Word Ladder FAQ