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Streak (Medium): 0· Best 0

Your daily word ladder

Loading today's ladder…

00:00Starts when you play

Loading word ladder…

already matches the goalchanged in that stepfrom a hint

Next ladder in 0:00:00

How to play

  1. Change one letter per step. The other letters stay where they are.
  2. Every step must be a real word, and you can't use a word twice.
  3. Reach the target word. Par is the fewest steps possible.

COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM

Controls

  • Tap a letter in the dashed row (or use ← →), then tap or type the new letter and press Enter.
  • ⌫ puts the old letter back. Undo removes your last step.
  • A hint adds the next word of a shortest ladder – 2 per ladder.

Levels

Easy uses 3-letter words, Medium 4 and Hard 5. Each level has its own daily ladder and streak. A new ladder appears at midnight; your progress stays on this device, no signup.

Use Print to get today’s ladder as a PDF worksheet, with the answer key if you like.

What is a word ladder?

A word ladder turns one word into another by changing a single letter at a time, and every step in between has to be a real word: COLD, CORD, CARD, WARD, WARM. Lewis Carroll made the puzzle popular in 1879 under the name “Doublets”.

Our daily word ladder comes in three levels with 3-, 4- and 5-letter words. Par tells you the fewest steps possible, so you can always see how close you came to the shortest ladder.

  • Three levels a day

    Easy, medium and hard each have their own ladder and their own streak.

  • Two hints per ladder

    A hint adds the next step of a shortest ladder, so you can still finish the rest yourself.

  • Printable worksheet

    Print today’s ladder as a PDF worksheet with an optional answer key – great for class.

Frequently asked questions

Which words are allowed?

Dictionary words of the right length, including plurals and verb forms. Offensive words are not accepted.

What does par mean?

Par is the smallest possible number of steps from the start word to the goal. Reaching the goal in par steps is a perfect ladder.

Is there a new ladder every day?

Yes. All three levels change at midnight in your local time zone.