Word Ladder is a classic word puzzle invented by Lewis Carroll. The goal is to transform a start word into a target word one step at a time.
- Each step changes exactly one letter of the current word. You cannot add, remove, or rearrange letters.
- Every step must be a real English word. For example: COLD → CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM.
- Par shows the shortest possible number of steps for the ladder. Matching par means you found an optimal path.
- Use Undo Step to go back one word if you reach a dead end. Undo does not add to your move count, but the moves you undo still count as used moves.
- Skip Ladder moves to the next puzzle; skipped ladders do not count as solved.
- Your efficiency score compares the par total against the moves you actually used across all solved ladders.
Tip: work from both ends. Look at which letters differ between your current word and the target, and try to change one of those letters while keeping a valid word.