🪜 Word Ladder

Word Ladder is a daily chain puzzle where you turn one four-letter word into another by swapping a single letter on each rung. Every rung must form a real word, and the whole board uses the same date-seeded ladder for everyone, so the shortest path is a genuinely shared challenge.

1. Start from the word shown at the top of the ladder.
2. Choose an option that changes exactly one letter from the previous rung.
3. Keep climbing rung by rung toward the goal word shown at the top.
4. Finish every rung to lock in your daily score.

Scoring

Your score is based on the share of rungs you climb correctly, rounded to a value out of 100.

• Say each candidate word aloud — one-letter swaps are easier to hear than see.
• Work backward from the goal word when a middle rung feels stuck.
• Common short words are more likely than rare ones at every rung.
• When two options both look like words, check which one keeps you closer to the goal.

Does everyone get the same Word Ladder?

Yes. The puzzle is generated from the game date and is identical for every player that day.

Can I replay Word Ladder the same day?

Your first completed attempt is saved as the daily result. A new scored ladder arrives at midnight US Eastern.

What if I pick the wrong rung?

You see the right word, then carry on from it to the next rung. A wrong pick just doesn't score.