What Is a Word Ladder?
A word ladder is a puzzle where you transform one word into another by changing one letter at a time, making a valid word at every step. The start and end words are the same length, and the goal is to reach the target in as few moves as possible.
- Start and target words share the same length
- Change only one letter on each step
- Every intermediate step must be a real word
A word ladder is a classic word puzzle where you transform one word into another by changing one letter at a time. Each step has to form a valid word, and you usually want to reach the target in as few moves as possible.
Word ladders are often credited to Lewis Carroll, who used them as a kind of literary brain teaser. Today, they show up in puzzle books, language classrooms, and games like Cross Ladder.
Classic word ladder rules
Traditional word ladders follow a simple set of rules:
- You’re given a start word and a target word of the same length.
- On each step, you can change one letter in the word.
- Every intermediate step must be a valid word.
- You win by reaching the target word using a valid chain.
COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM
Why word ladders are fun (and sneaky practice)
Word ladders look simple, but they make you think about:
- Vocabulary — recalling less-common words that fit the pattern.
- Spelling — noticing which letters can safely change.
- Planning — seeing 2–3 steps ahead to avoid dead ends.
They’re especially good as warm-up puzzles for kids, language learners, or anyone who likes small word challenges that don’t require a full crossword’s worth of time.
How Cross Ladder uses word ladder ideas
Cross Ladder isn’t a one-letter-change ladder, but it borrows the same core idea: each answer is built from the letters of the previous one.
Instead of just swapping single letters, you:
- Add letters so the new word contains all letters from the last answer, plus a few more.
- Remove letters so the shorter word only uses letters from the longer one.
- Follow a clue on each step, so you’re solving both a definition and a letter puzzle at the same time.
It feels like a sibling of the classic word ladder — same idea of “connected words,” but with more flexibility and clue-driven steps.
Ready to put the concept to work? Play today’s Cross Ladder puzzle →
Word ladder FAQ
Is a word ladder the same as a word chain?
Not exactly. Both connect words step by step, but word ladders usually require a strict “one letter changes at a time” rule, while word chains can be looser and include different types of transformations.
Who invented word ladders?
Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, is credited with inventing word ladders in the late 1800s. He originally called them “Doublets” and used them as a literary parlor game.