One letter a rung, all the way up

Change one letter at a time to get from the word carved at the foot of the tree to the word on the treehouse door. Every rung has to be a real word, and every rung you place is a plank burned with letters that lifts a squirrel one step closer to the top.

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Genre: Word puzzle
Controls: Touch
Mouse
Keyboard
Devices: Desktop
Tablet
Mobile
Released: 2026

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Word Ladder

Word Ladder is the old pencil-and-paper puzzle given a tree to climb. COLD becomes CORD, CORD becomes CARD, CARD becomes WARD, and WARD becomes WARM: one letter changes each time and every step along the way has to be a word somebody would actually use. Here the ladder is a real one, roped to the trunk of an oak in the late afternoon, and each word you place is a plank with the letters burned into it. A squirrel hops up to the new rung as it lands, leaves come loose, and the treehouse door at the top swings open when you finally reach it.

Every ladder has a par: the shortest route there is, worked out before you start. Match it for three stars, take one rung more for two, two more for one. When you are stuck, a leaf will show you which letter to change next, and you can always take the top plank off and try a different way. Longer ladders climb into the evening, when the light goes amber and the first fireflies come out among the branches.

There is a Daily Ladder that is the same for everyone on the date and keeps a run of days; Climb, where the ladders get longer and longer until three of them beat you; Practice in three sizes, from three-letter words up to five; and Race, which asks how many ladders you can finish in ninety seconds. The word list was written for this game: over four thousand everyday words, and the puzzle is built by walking the map of which words are one letter apart, so no ladder is ever impossible and none of them is a dead end. Type on a keyboard or tap the wooden keys; your streak and your best runs are kept in your browser and nowhere else.

Tips for Word Ladder

Word Ladder is easiest when you work towards the target rather than away from the start. Look at the word on the treehouse door and count which letters already match the word at the foot of the tree; those can usually stay where they are. Each rung should ideally fix one more letter, but sometimes the direct change is not a real word, and a step sideways through a different letter is the only way round.

Par is the shortest route there is, so if you are one rung over, it is worth taking the top plank off and looking for a better change. The leaf hint shows which letter to change next, which is useful when you are stuck without giving away the whole answer. Start with Practice on three-letter words to get a feel for it, then try the Daily Ladder. Climb keeps going until three ladders beat you, and Race is about speed over neatness, so in Race take the first route you can see.

How to play Word Ladder

In Word Ladder you climb from one word to another by changing one letter at a time. The start word is carved at the foot of an oak tree and the target word is on the treehouse door at the top. Every word in between must be a real word, and each one differs from the word below it by a single letter. COLD can become CORD, then CARD, then WARD and finally WARM.

Each word you place becomes a plank on the ladder, and a squirrel hops up to it. Reach the target word and the treehouse door swings open. Every ladder has a par, the shortest route there is: match it for three stars, take one rung more for two stars and two more for one. If you get stuck, a hint on a leaf shows which letter to change next, and you can take the top plank off to try another way.

There are four ways to play. The Daily Ladder is the same for everyone on the date and keeps a streak of days. In Climb the ladders get longer and longer until three of them beat you. Practice comes in three sizes, from three-letter words up to five, and Race asks how many ladders you can finish in ninety seconds. On a computer you type a word and press Enter, with Shift+H for a hint and Shift+U to undo a step. On a phone or tablet you tap the wooden on-screen keys. P pauses and M mutes.

About Word Ladder

Word Ladder is based on a pencil-and-paper word puzzle that has been played for well over a century. Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, popularised it under the name Doublets, and it has appeared in newspapers, puzzle books and classrooms ever since. The rule has stayed the same throughout: change one letter at a time, and make every step a real word.

Kiloo's Word Ladder is made by Kiloo and turns the puzzle into a climb up an oak at golden hour, with lettered planks, a squirrel and fireflies coming out as the longer ladders climb into the evening. The word list was written for the game, with over four thousand everyday words, so you are not asked for obscure ones, and every ladder has a route to the top. It suits anyone who enjoys words, from children building their vocabulary on three-letter Practice ladders to adults who want a daily puzzle and a streak to keep. Par gives careful players something to aim for, and Race suits anyone who prefers speed.

Frequently asked questions

Is Word Ladder free to play?

Yes. Word Ladder is free to play in your browser on Kiloo, with nothing to download and no account needed. Your Daily streak and your best runs are kept in the browser you play in and nowhere else.

Can I play Word Ladder on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet you tap the wooden on-screen keys to change a letter and then place the word on the ladder. On a computer you type the word and press Enter, with Shift+H for a hint and Shift+U to undo.

How do stars and par work in Word Ladder?

Every ladder has a par, the shortest possible route, worked out before you start. Matching par earns three stars, one rung more earns two, and two rungs more earns one. Undoing the top plank lets you try a shorter way.

Can a ladder ever be impossible?

No. Each puzzle is built by walking a map of which words are one letter apart, using a list of over four thousand everyday words, so there is always a route from the bottom word to the top and none of them is a dead end.

What are the rules of Word Ladder?

In Word Ladder you change exactly one letter at a time to turn the start word into the target word. Every step must be a real word. You cannot add, remove or swap letters around, only replace one, and the fewer steps you take, the more stars you earn.

What is the Daily Ladder in Word Ladder?

The Daily Ladder is one ladder a day that is the same for everyone on that date. Solving it on consecutive days builds a streak, which is kept in the browser you play in. Climb, Practice and Race are there whenever you want more ladders.