Word Ladder

About Word Ladder

Start at COLT and climb to FAST — but every rung of the ladder has to be a real word, and you may only change one letter at a time. Thirty ladders in rising order, from two-step three-letter climbs up to six-step four-letter ones. Every ladder's shortest route was worked out by the computer before the game shipped, so the 'Best' number is the true minimum: match it and you have found the very best path there is. The first four ladders light up the letters that work, then you're on your own.

Word Ladder is one of our words & letters games for kids. This one plays in the iPhone and iPad app rather than in the browser, but 33 of our games are free to play right here — browse the full library to find them. It is also in our logic games for kids collection.

How to Play

• Tap the letter box you want to change.
• Pick a new letter — the word it makes must be a real word.
• Keep climbing until you reach the word on the right.
• Undo steps back a rung if you get stuck.

Tips & Tricks

• Look at the target word and ask which letters already match.
• Sometimes you must move away from the target before you can reach it.
• Beating 'Best' is impossible — matching it is the real win.

What It Practises

Word Ladder is mostly for fun, but it still asks something of a child:

• Spelling patterns and letter substitution
• Vocabulary of short common words
• Planning a route several steps ahead

Word Ladder — Frequently Asked Questions