Word Ladder Game
Your daily word challenge, with more room to practice.
A new challenge at midnight, New York time.
- Moves
- 0
- Shortest
- 4
- Hints used
- 0
- COLD, starting word, current word
Challenge a friend. Shared text never includes your answer path.
Your current puzzle can be saved in this browser.
How to play Word Ladder
Connect the starting word to the target using four-letter English words. Take your time and think one step ahead.
- 01
Change one letter
Change exactly one letter from the previous word. Keep the other letters in the same positions.
- 02
Make a real word
Use four letters to make a word in the game’s English word list. Do not add, remove, or rearrange letters.
- 03
Reach the target
Build your way to the final word without repeating a word already in your ladder.
A daily puzzle, or a little more practice
Daily gives everyone the same puzzle for the date shown. Practice lets you choose New puzzle whenever you want another challenge. Each mode keeps its own progress in this browser.
Type your next word and press Enter to submit it. Hint looks for a familiar next word and fills it in for you to submit. If no hint is available, try Undo to take back your last move.
After finishing, share your score to invite a friend to the same puzzle. The generated share text includes your move and hint counts, but leaves out the words and solution.
Frequently asked questions
What is a word ladder?
A word ladder connects a start word to a target word by changing one letter at each step. This game uses four-letter English words. For example, COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM.
Why was my word rejected?
Enter exactly four English letters, change only one letter from the current word, and avoid words already in your ladder. Each step must also appear in the game’s word list. The message by the input explains what needs changing.
Can I get a hint or undo a move?
Hint looks for a route through familiar words you have not used and, when one is available, fills in the next word for you to submit. Hints may suggest a longer route than the shortest possible solution. If no hint is available, use Undo to remove the last accepted word and try a different route.
When does the daily puzzle change?
The daily puzzle changes at midnight in New York time (America/New_York). Everyone sees the same puzzle for the same date. A game already open stays on its selected date, so midnight does not erase a ladder you are working on. A shared daily link opens the puzzle for the date in that link.
How is Practice different from Daily?
Daily offers one selected puzzle per date. Practice lets you play more puzzles from our selected collection using New puzzle. Progress is separate, so you can switch modes and return to an unfinished daily ladder. Practice puzzles can repeat; the collection is not an unlimited supply of unique puzzles.
Will sharing give away the answer?
The generated result includes a date or puzzle ID, your moves, the shortest move count, hints used, and a link to that puzzle. It does not include the starting word, target, or any steps in your solution. Nothing is sent automatically: you choose whether to copy the text or share it using your device. Opening the link starts that same puzzle with the recipient’s own progress.
Do I need an account to play?
No account or payment is needed. This game was built for this website and runs in your browser.
Is my progress saved?
Daily, Practice, and shared challenges keep separate saves in this browser when local storage is available. Saved puzzles include accepted steps, hint counts, and completion results. Older saved puzzles may be removed to limit storage. Saves do not sync to other devices, and clearing this site’s browser data removes them. Read our Privacy Policy for details.
What if the game does not work?
The game needs JavaScript and its files must finish loading. Try refreshing the page. Browser privacy settings or private browsing may prevent progress from being saved. Use About & contact for website feedback.