How Suvi's ladders work
There are two a day: a four-letter ladder on the main page and a five-letter one on Long Ladder. Each step changes exactly one letter in place, with no rearranging and no adding or dropping letters. Every step must be in Suvi's word list, and no word can be used twice.
Par is the shortest route that exists through that same word list. So par is a perfect score: you can match it, but never beat it. Four-letter pars usually run from four to six steps and long ladders from four to seven, and the start and end words always differ in at least three places.
Count the letters that have to change
Before typing, line the two words up and compare them letter by letter. The number of positions that differ is the fewest steps any route could take. If par equals that number, every step must fix one letter for good. If par is bigger, at least one letter has to change twice, or a letter that already matches has to step aside and come back.
| Step | Word | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Start | COLD | – |
| 1 | CORD | L to R |
| 2 | CARD | O to A |
| 3 | WARD | C to W |
| 4 | WARM | D to M |
All four letters differ and par is 4, so no step is wasted. The skill is the order: each letter has to change at a moment when the result is still a word.
Vowels are the hinges
Many four-letter words are a frame of consonants round a vowel: C_RD gives CARD, CORD and CURD. Swapping the vowel keeps the frame but moves you into a new family of words, and that's often the only way to set up the consonant change you need. When a consonant won't change, ask whether a different vowel would let it. In the ladder above, CORD to CARD is the hinge: it brings in the A that WARM needs, and from CARD the rest falls into place.
Build from both ends
You can only type downwards from the start word, but you can plan from the bottom up. List the words one step from the end word: for WARM that includes WARD, WARN, WART, WARP, FARM, HARM and WORM. Any of those is your real target. Then take a step or two forwards from the start in your head and look for a word that meets one of them in the middle. Working from both ends turns a wide search into a handful of targets.
Dead ends, Undo and unusual words
Some words have very few neighbours. If none of the steps from your current word gets you closer, back out. Undo is free: only the words left in your finished ladder count as steps, so you can test a route and take it back. Hint shows a next rung that is one step closer to the end.
Suvi's word list is generous. It includes plenty of less familiar words, and par is worked out across all of them, so now and then the par route uses one you wouldn't say every day. If you can't reach par with everyday words, try a real but rarer one; the game tells you if it isn't in the list. When there's a choice, hints suggest common words.
Five-letter ladders
Longer words have fewer neighbours, so long ladders have more dead ends and the order of changes matters more. Two ideas help:
- Use the last letter. Many five-letter words end in S, E, Y or D, and switching between them often opens a fresh set of neighbours when you're boxed in.
- Think in four-letter chunks. CARTS is CART plus S. While the S stays put, you're solving a four-letter ladder in the first four letters.
If you only remember three things
- Count the letters that differ first: it tells you whether par needs a detour.
- Swap vowels to unlock stuck consonants.
- Plan backwards from the end word's neighbours, and undo freely.
Try it on today's ladder, then climb the five-letter long ladder.
Questions
- Can I beat par?
- No. Par is the shortest route through the same word list Suvi accepts, so matching it is the best possible score. Several routes can tie, and any of them counts.
- Do undone steps count?
- No. Only the words still in your ladder when you reach the end word count as steps. The timer keeps running, though.
- What happens if I press Show me?
- You see the shortest route from where you are to the end word, and today's ladder won't count for your streak.
- Why was my word rejected?
- It changed more than one letter, isn't in Suvi's word list, or is already in your ladder. Proper nouns and rude words aren't in the list.
Play it now
Word Ladder is free on Suvi, on your phone or computer, no download. Also: Long Ladder.