Word Ladder
Transform the start word into the target word — one letter at a time. Every step must be a valid English word!
Start
→
Target
Change one letter per step
About Word Ladder
Word Ladder is a classic word puzzle invented by Lewis Carroll in 1877. The challenge: transform one word into another by changing exactly one letter at a time, with each intermediate step forming a valid English word. It's a perfect workout for vocabulary and lateral thinking!
Controls
- Click a tile — Select which letter position to change
- Type a letter / tap keyboard — Replace the selected letter
- Enter / Submit — Submit the current word as your next step
- Undo Step — Remove your last submitted word
How to Play
- You see a start word and a target word — same length.
- Each step, change exactly one letter to form a new valid word.
- Click a tile to select it, then type the new letter.
- Press Submit (or Enter) to confirm. Only valid dictionary words are accepted.
- Reach the target word to win! Try to do it in as few steps as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — each step may change exactly one letter. The position and count of changes must be exactly one per step, and each resulting word must be in the dictionary.
The "Min Steps" shown in the sidebar is the shortest known solution. Matching or beating it is the challenge! Some paths require lateral thinking to find the shortest route.
Use the Undo Step button to backtrack. You can undo all the way to the start word. There's no penalty for undoing — the step count only counts submitted steps.
There are 30 hand-crafted puzzles covering 3-letter, 4-letter, and 5-letter word chains. Each game picks a random puzzle from the set.