How to Play Word Ladder (Ladder)

🪜What is a word ladder?

Invented by Lewis Carroll in 1877, a word ladder gives you a start word and an end word of the same length. You climb from one to the other by changing exactly one letter at a time — and every rung of the ladder must be a real word. COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM is a classic five-rung climb. On DailyGrid the goal is to finish in as few steps as you can; the puzzle's shortest possible solution is its par.

📜The rules

1. Each step changes exactly one letter of the previous word. Letter positions never move, and word length never changes.
2. Every step must be a valid English word — proper nouns and plurals formed with a trailing S are not allowed on DailyGrid.
3. You win by reaching the end word. Fewer steps is a better score; matching par is a perfect solve.
4. You can always step back and try a different rung — there's no lock-in.

🎯Strategy

Getting started

• Count the differences. Compare start and end letter by letter. Each differing position needs at least one change, so the number of differing letters is your minimum possible steps — and usually par is that number or one more.
• Change vowels early. Vowels are the flexible joints of English words. Repositioning the vowel pattern first usually opens the most follow-up words.
• Work from both ends. Solve down from the start and up from the end, then bridge the middle. The end word's neighbors are just as informative as the start's.

Level up

• Route through hub words. Some words connect to dozens of others (words ending -AT, -ALL, -ORE, -IGHT families). Steering toward a hub gives you options; steering into a rare-letter corner (J, Q, X, Z) usually dead-ends.
• Watch consonant skeletons. If start and end share a consonant frame (C_T → C_T), keep the frame fixed and rotate the middle.
• One detour max. Most pars need at most one "sideways" change — a letter that matches neither start nor end. If you're planning two detours, there's usually a shorter route.

Pro tips

• For the 🎯 Par Attack variation, plan the entire ladder before typing: say each rung aloud and confirm it's a word.
• Stuck one step from the end? List every word one letter away from the end word, then ask which of those is one letter away from where you stand.
• Build a mental bank of 3- and 4-letter hub words — PALE, BALE, SALE, TALE chains solve a surprising share of ladders.

⚠️Common mistakes

• Greedy climbing: changing letters in start-word order even when a different order avoids a dead end.
• Forgetting the word must be valid at every rung, not just the endpoints.
• Overlooking plurals rule: on DailyGrid a word like "cats" isn't a legal rung — check the dictionary feedback before building on a step.

❓FAQ

What is a word ladder?

A puzzle by Lewis Carroll: turn the start word into the end word changing one letter at a time, with every step a valid word. Fewer steps wins.

What is par?

The fewest steps the puzzle can be solved in. Every DailyGrid ladder is generated with a known shortest path, so par is always reachable.

Is the DailyGrid Ladder free?

Yes — a new ladder every day at midnight ET, no account needed — the daily puzzles are free. Always. One of ten daily puzzles on DailyGrid.

Where can I learn the other games?

See all ten DailyGrid guides.