Word Ladder

The rules. The board shows two locked rows: a start word at the top and a target word at the bottom. Your job is to fill the rows between them with valid words, changing exactly one letter at each step, until the row immediately above the target matches the target.

Typing. The active row is the one you're keying in. Click a tile to position the cursor; press a letter key to change that tile; the other four tiles stay the same as the previous row. Press Enter (or click Submit step) to commit the row. Backspace clears the selected tile back to its inherited letter.

What counts as a step. A step must change exactly one letter from the previous row, and the resulting word must be in my English dictionary. Changing zero letters or two-or-more letters is invalid; entering a non-word is invalid. Invalid submissions trigger a shake; no penalty — just try another.

Par and the win. The par count is the shortest possible solution (computed from the dictionary). Finishing the ladder in par or fewer steps is a "win at par" — a small flex. Finishing in more steps still counts as a finished puzzle. There's no hard time limit.

Hint. Hint suggests the next word on the shortest path from your current row to the target. Useful when you've wandered into a dead end. Using Hint on a daily run marks the run as assisted — the run finishes normally but doesn't update your personal-best step count.

Today vs. Practice. The Today tab is the daily puzzle — same start and target for every visitor on the same calendar date. The Practice tab generates unlimited random ladders; pick 4- or 5-letter and tap + New ladder for the next one.