Search for "word ladder" and you will find two different puzzles. One changes a word one letter at a time. The other, the one in Lingo Ladders, links words by meaning. Here is how they differ, and how to get better at each.
The classic word ladder
Lewis Carroll published the first word ladders in 1879 and called them Doublets. You get a start word and an end word of the same length. You change one letter per step, and every step has to be a real word.
- COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM
The skill here is spelling. Meaning does not matter at all: CORD and CARD have nothing in common except three letters.
The Lingo Ladders puzzle
A Lingo Ladders ladder also has words at the top and bottom, called guide words. The empty rows between them are the missing links. Each row joins the row next to it to make a compound word, a two-word phrase or a hyphenated word.
- SUN → FLOWER → POT
SUN and FLOWER make SUNFLOWER. FLOWER and POT make FLOWERPOT. The words can have any length, up to 8 letters, and they change completely from row to row. The skill here is vocabulary: you are hunting for the word that fits both of its neighbors.
Side by side
- What links two rows: classic ladders change one letter; Lingo Ladders forms a compound or phrase.
- Word length: classic ladders keep it fixed; in Lingo Ladders it changes from row to row.
- What you need: classic ladders reward spelling; Lingo Ladders rewards knowing many word pairs.
- Feedback: in Lingo Ladders, letters in the right spot turn green, letters in the word but in the wrong spot turn amber, and the rest turn gray.
Tips if you know the classic version
- Stop thinking in letters. Ask what words often come after the row above, then check which of them can come before the row below.
- Work from both ends. A guide word at the bottom narrows the middle as much as the one at the top.
- Say it out loud. Two-word phrases like DOG COLLAR are easier to hear than to see.
- Use the length. The number of empty tiles tells you how long the answer is.
Try both
Classic word ladders are a great spelling workout. Lingo Ladders is a daily vocabulary puzzle, with a new ladder every day in 8 languages. If you get stuck, the hints page has a clue for every row, and each answer stays hidden until you ask for it.