Build a word ladder in three stages: answer the clues, put the answers in order so each word is one letter away from the last, then unlock the two words at the ends, which read together as a phrase.
Play a first ladderThe middle rungs are shown shuffled, each with a crossword-style clue. Tap a rung and type the answer; when the rung is full you move straight on to the next one. Nothing tells you if a single answer is right: once every rung is filled, the game checks them all, and moves on to ordering only if every answer fits its clue.
Drag the solved rungs until every word differs from the one above by exactly one letter. Either way up counts, and only one arrangement works.
The top and bottom rows open together with one clue: read top to bottom they make a phrase or compound word, like BOOK + WORM. Each is one letter from the rung next to it. Fill both and the climb is complete; the first word may be at the bottom.
Tap a rung to see its clue above the ladder, type with your keyboard (on a phone it opens when you tap a rung), and use the up and down arrows beside the clue (or the arrow keys) to jump between rungs. Reveal now fills in the whole word for the selected rung. The timer starts on your first key press.
In the ordering stage, drag a rung by its grip or nudge it with the up and down arrows beside it. The ends unlock the moment the order is right.
While solving clues, a hint reveals the next letter of the selected rung. While ordering, it moves one rung into its right place. Hints are counted on your shared result.
Reset in the header clears the level and starts the clues again from scratch.
Here is a small ladder from start to finish. Three rungs to clue, one order that works, and two end words that make a compound word.
Top + bottom rows = A compound word for someone who loves reading
Each rung is one letter away from two others, so a rung you are sure of tells you most of the letters in its neighbours. When a clue has several answers that fit, pick the one that shares the most letters with rungs you have already solved.
New to the puzzle? Start with a Novice ladder: four-letter words and only three rungs.