How to Play Word Ladder
Word Ladder was invented by Lewis Carroll: get from one word to another by changing a single letter at a time, with every rung a real word.
The rules
- You're given a start word and a target word, both five letters.
- Type a word that differs from the last word in the ladder by exactly one letter, in the same position.
- Every word must be a real English word, and you can't reuse a word.
- Reach the target and you're done. Fewer steps is better.
Par is the shortest route through common words: 3, 5 or 7 steps depending on the difficulty.
Playing on kawu
- Type on your keyboard and press Enter; letters that changed are highlighted on each rung.
- Undo removes the last rung. Hint shows the next word on a shortest path.
- The daily ladder (par 5) is the same for everyone; practice ladders are unlimited.
Next, read the Word Ladder tips. Or try Word Guess and Word Builder.
Frequently asked questions
Can I rearrange the letters?
No. Each step keeps every letter in place except one, which changes to a different letter: COLD → CORD, not COLD → CLOD.
What is par?
The fewest steps between the two words using everyday words. You can beat par by finding a shortcut through a less common word that's still in the list.
Which words are accepted?
The same five-letter English words as Word Guess: common words plus a large list of valid but rarer ones. No proper nouns.
Last updated 2026-10-20