Word Ladder Game
Change one letter at a time to reach the target word. New puzzles forever.
Loading the word list…
How the puzzles are made
Each puzzle joins two common words. Easy puzzles take 3 to 4 steps, Medium 5 to 6 steps and Hard 7 to 9 steps. Par is the true shortest ladder: no ladder through any word in the list is shorter, and par can always be reached using common words alone.
- Words of 3 letters: 257 common ones for puzzles, 780 accepted as moves.
- Words of 4 letters: 1,161 common ones for puzzles, 2,639 accepted as moves.
- Words of 5 letters: 1,616 common ones for puzzles, 5,074 accepted as moves.
Stuck on a pair? The word ladder solver shows the shortest ladder. For paper practice, print a word ladder worksheet.
FAQ
How do you play a word ladder?+−
Change one letter at a time to turn the start word into the target word. Every step must be a real word of the same length. Par is the fewest steps it can be done in.
Which words count?+−
Any word in the SCOWL size 60 English list: 8,493 words of three to five letters. Start and target words, and the answer ladders, use only common words.
Is this good practice for Weaver?+−
Yes. Weaver's current puzzles use the same word list, so any move that works here works there.