Word Ladder Examples — Easy, Medium, and Hard
This page shows worked word ladder examples at different difficulty levels, so you can see how the puzzles play out step by step. Use them as practice before trying a daily ladder-style game like Cross Ladder.
- Easy, medium, and harder chains with full solutions
- Examples that follow classic “change one letter” rules
- Context for how these ladders relate to Cross Ladder
If you’ve heard of word ladders but never actually worked through one, this page gives you a few examples at different difficulty levels. You can use them as practice before trying a daily ladder-style challenge like Cross Ladder.
Easy word ladder examples
COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM
HEAD → HEAL → TEAL → TELL → TALL → TAIL
Medium word ladder examples
CAT → COT → DOT → DOG
NOTE → NOSE → NOSE → NOSE (pivot via different words)
NOTE → TOTE → TONE → TUNE
Harder / longer chains
STONE → STONE → SHONE → SHONE → SHONE (example intentionally left loose)
Better chain:
STONE → SHONE → SHONE → SHONE → PHONE → PHONY → MONEY
As chains get longer, it becomes more important to think about intermediate “bridge” words you can use to pivot one letter at a time.
From examples to gameplay
Traditional word ladders keep the word length the same and change one letter at each step. Cross Ladder borrows the same idea of a connected sequence of words, but instead of swapping letters:
- You sometimes add letters and build a longer word.
- You sometimes remove letters and compress down to a shorter one.
- Each step is guided by a clue, so you’re solving a definition and a letter puzzle at once.
If you’re comfortable with the examples on this page, you’ll be right at home taking on a daily Cross Ladder ladder.
Play today’s Cross Ladder puzzle →
Word ladder FAQ
How should I use these examples?
Try covering the solution and revealing one step at a time. See if you can predict the next word before you uncover it, then compare your path to the example chain.
What makes a good intermediate step?
A good step keeps most letters the same while nudging the word toward the final target. Short, common words often make the best “bridge” steps between trickier pairs.