Wordward guide: word ladder rules and tips
A word ladder turns one word into another, one letter at a time, with every step a real word. Here is how Wordward plays it, how par and grades work, and how to find the short path.
How to play a word ladder
Lewis Carroll called them Doublets: start with one word, end at another, and change a single letter on each step. Every word along the way, each rung, has to be a real word. The fewer rungs you need, the better the solve.
Four letters
Every Wordward ladder uses four-letter words, from START to TARGET.
One letter per rung
Tap a tile in your current word, then tap a keyboard letter to replace it. You can't add, remove or rearrange letters.
Real words only
Moves are checked against an accepted list of more than 5,800 four-letter words. A word that isn't on it shakes and doesn't count. You also can't reuse a word already on your ladder.
No fail state
There's no move limit. Undo is free and unlimited, and Restart clears your rungs, but steps you've already played still count against a PERFECT.
Par and grades
Par is the true shortest path, verified against the full accepted word list. Each week has a rhythm: gentle Monday–Wednesday, steady Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and a tough Saturday. Even gentle ladders ask you to take a useful detour.
| Grade | How to earn it |
|---|---|
| PERFECT | Match par on your first pass, without undoing, restarting or taking a hint |
| PAR | Match par after undoing or restarting |
| GREAT +1 | One step over par |
| GOOD +2 | Two steps over par |
| DONE +n | Three or more over par |
Because par already counts every accepted word, an obscure detour can't beat it. It can only match it.
Word ladder strategy tips
- 01Count the letters that differ.Line START up against TARGET. Each position that differs needs at least one change, so that count is the fewest steps possible. COLD and WARM differ in all four places, and four steps do it: COLD, CORD, CARD, WARD, WARM. When par is higher than the count, some letter has to change twice, or change to something else first.
- 02Change vowels to open doors.A vowel swap often unlocks a new family of words. In COLD to WARM, moving from O to A (CORD to CARD) is the step that makes WARD reachable. When you're stuck, try every vowel in the middle two positions.
- 03Work backward from TARGET.List the words one step from TARGET, then look for one that's also close to your current word. Searching from both ends and meeting in the middle is far quicker than pushing forward from START alone.
- 04Lock letters that already match.If a letter is already correct, try routes that leave it alone. Changing it means changing it back, which costs two steps.
- 05Think before you commit.Undo is free, but every rung you play counts toward your total, and a PERFECT needs a clean first pass. Plan two or three rungs ahead before tapping.
How hints work
A hint takes two presses. The first shows which letter to change and how many rungs are left at par, for example "CHANGE LETTER 2 · 3 RUNGS LEFT". If that's enough, carry on yourself. Press again and Wordward plays that optimal rung for you at no extra cost.
Every puzzle includes one hint. Pro makes hints unlimited on practice ladders and past dailies. Today's daily stays at one hint for everyone.
The daily word ladder
Everyone gets the same ladder each day, and a new one arrives at 00:00 UTC. Dailies are numbered from #1, which was 1 January 2026. Difficulty follows the week: GENTLE Monday to Wednesday, STEADY on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and TOUGH on Saturday. Today's daily also has a ranked leaderboard.
Solving today's daily extends your streak; archive replays don't. There's no streak freeze, so solve before the UTC reset.
The share grid
Your share shows WORDWARD #N, the START and TARGET words, and par, then one row per step. ⬜ is a letter you left alone, 🟨 is the letter you changed on that step, and 🟩 marks the letter that finished the ladder. The footer shows your step count, plus any hints you used.
Free players get three practice ladders a day on top of the daily, reset at midnight UTC. Their shares are marked practice.
Wordward Free vs Pro
Both Free and Pro are ad-free, and today's daily plays the same on both.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Today's daily and leaderboard | Included | Included |
| Practice ladders | 3 a day | Unlimited |
| Hints | 1 per puzzle | Unlimited, except today's daily |
| Daily archive | Today and the 2 days before | Every daily back to #1 |
| Solve history | Last 10 | Last 500 |
| Themes | MARQUEE | Adds CURTAIN CALL, SPOTLIGHT VIOLET, GARDEN STAGE |
| Cloud sync | Not included | Included |
Pro comes with the one-time Wordward Full Game Unlock, or with the StackForge Play Pass, monthly or annual.
FAQ
What is a word ladder puzzle?
A puzzle where you turn one word into another by changing one letter at a time, and every step must be a real word.
What does par mean in Wordward?
The shortest possible number of steps from START to TARGET. Match it on your first pass without a hint for a PERFECT.
Can I add or remove letters?
No. Every word has four letters, and each step replaces exactly one of them.
How many hints do I get?
One per puzzle. Pro makes them unlimited on practice ladders and past dailies; today's daily stays at one for everyone.
When does the Wordward daily reset?
At 00:00 UTC, with the same ladder for every player.