Can you turn COLD into WARM by changing just one letter at a time, making a real word at every step? That is a word ladder, a puzzle first made popular by Lewis Carroll. Play today’s ladder (the same for everyone), make unlimited practice ladders with three or four letters, or type any two words to see the shortest ladder between them.
loading toolHow to play word ladder
- Read the start word (top) and the goal (green).
- Type a word that changes one letter of the last word, then press Add word or Enter.
- Keep going until you reach the goal word.
- Stuck? Hint adds the next word on a shortest route; Undo removes your last word.
Good to know
- Change vowels first: they open up many more words.
- Work backwards from the goal word too: which words are one step away from it?
Questions
What counts as a valid step?
Change exactly one letter, keep the letters in the same places, and make a word from our list of common English words. You cannot reuse a word already on the ladder.
Why was my word not accepted?
The word list keeps to common, everyday words so the puzzles stay fair. Rare words, names and abbreviations are not included.
How is the shortest ladder found?
The solver looks at every word one step away, then two steps away, and so on (a breadth-first search), so the first ladder it finds is guaranteed to be as short as possible.
Is my data private?
Yes. Everything happens inside your own browser: nothing you type or choose is uploaded to us or anyone else.
Is it free?
Completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many times you use it. Light ads keep the site running.
