About the daily Word Ladder on DailyClue

You are given a start word and a target word, both 4 letters long. Turn the first into the second in 6 moves or fewer. Each move changes exactly one letter, every step must be a real word from our dictionary, and you cannot use the same word twice. A word that is rejected does not use up a move.

An example

COLD → CORD → WORD takes two moves: L becomes R, then C becomes W. Harder ladders need more steps, and sometimes a detour through a word that looks like it takes you away from the target.

How the daily ladder works

A new ladder arrives at midnight India Standard Time (IST, UTC+5:30), and every player gets the same one. You can play it once a day. If you run out of moves, the target and one valid ladder are shown. Your progress and statistics stay on your own device; there is no account.

Stuck on a ladder?

Count how many letters differ, plan from both ends, and avoid words with few neighbours. Our Word Ladder tips and strategy guide shows how, with a worked example in which the shortest path is longer than it first looks. New to DailyClue? Read how to play for all three games.