Word ladder answers for January 21, 2026
The daily ladder for Wednesday, January 21, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was TIMER to AIDES, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was UTUS to PROOFED, which needs at least 8.
Each solution below is hidden until you open it, so you can try the puzzle first. A shortest solution is shown for every puzzle; many ladders have more than one path of the same length, so yours may differ and still be optimal.
Puzzle 1: TIMER to AIDES
Show the solution
- R becomes S
- M becomes D
- T becomes A
Words in this ladder
- TIMER noun
- a timepiece that measures a time interval and signals its end
- TIMES noun
- a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
- TIDES noun
- the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
- AIDES noun
- (Greek mythology) the god of the underworld in ancient mythology; brother of Zeus and husband of Persephone
Puzzle 2: PEARL to REAMS
Show the solution
- L becomes S
- P becomes R
- R becomes M
Words in this ladder
- PEARL noun
- a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
- PEARS noun
- sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
- REARS noun
- the back of a military formation or procession
- REAMS noun
- a large quantity of written matter
Puzzle 3: SOAKS to SIRES
Show the solution
- A becomes C
- O becomes I
- C becomes N
- K becomes E
- N becomes R
Words in this ladder
- SOAKS noun
- the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid)
- SOCKS noun
- hosiery consisting of a cloth covering for the foot; worn inside the shoe; reaches to between the ankle and the knee
- SICKS noun
- people who are sick
- SINKS noun
- plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
- SINES noun
- ratio of the length of the side opposite the given angle to the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle
- SIRES noun
- a title of address formerly used for a man of rank and authority
Puzzle 4: POCKS to SPAMS
Show the solution
- P becomes S
- C becomes A
- K becomes R
- O becomes P
- R becomes M
Words in this ladder
- POCKS noun
- a pustule in an eruptive disease
- SOCKS noun
- hosiery consisting of a cloth covering for the foot; worn inside the shoe; reaches to between the ankle and the knee
- SOAKS noun
- the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid)
- SOARS noun
- the act of rising upward into the air
- SPARS noun
- any of various nonmetallic minerals (calcite or feldspar) that are light in color and transparent or translucent and cleavable
- SPAMS noun
- a canned meat made largely from pork
Puzzle 5: UTUS to PROOFED
Show the solution
- U becomes E
- add M
- S becomes D
- M becomes O
- add R
- U becomes O
- T becomes F
- add P
Words in this ladder
- UTUS noun
- sun god; counterpart of Akkadian Shamash
- UTES noun
- a member of the Shoshonean people of Utah and Colorado and New Mexico
- MUTES noun
- a deaf person who is unable to speak
- MUTED verb
- deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
- OUTED verb
- to state openly and publicly one's homosexuality
- ROUTED verb
- send documents or materials to appropriate destinations
- ROOTED verb
- take root and begin to grow
- ROOFED verb
- provide a building with a roof; cover a building with a roof
- PROOFED verb
- make or take a proof of, such as a photographic negative, an etching, or typeset
Today's puzzles are waiting
A new set of word ladders is released every day, free to play.
Play today's ladder