Word ladder answers for February 11, 2026
The daily ladder for Wednesday, February 11, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was WISE to HIVE, solvable in 2 steps, and the longest was BEDA to RHINES, which needs at least 7. On WISE to HIVE, players averaged 2.5 steps against a shortest path of 2.
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: WISE to HIVE
Show the solution
- S becomes V
- W becomes H
Words in this ladder
- WISE noun
- a way of doing or being
- WIVE verb
- take (someone) as a wife
- HIVE noun
- a teeming multitude
Puzzle 2: HARKS to LICKS
Show the solution
- R becomes C
- H becomes L
- A becomes I
Words in this ladder
- HARKS verb
- listen; used mostly in the imperative
- HACKS noun
- one who works hard at boring tasks
- LACKS noun
- the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
- LICKS noun
- a salt deposit that animals regularly lick
Puzzle 3: FIRED to TOWER
Show the solution
- F becomes T
- R becomes N
- I becomes O
- D becomes R
- N becomes W
Words in this ladder
- FIRED verb
- start firing a weapon
- TIRED verb
- lose interest or become bored with something or somebody
- TINED verb
- plate with tin
- TONED verb
- utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically
- TONER noun
- a solution containing chemicals that can change the color of a photographic print
- TOWER noun
- a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
Puzzle 4: MUDS to ACUTE
Show the solution
- M becomes C
- D becomes T
- S becomes E
- add A
Words in this ladder
- MUDS noun
- water soaked soil; soft wet earth
- CUDS noun
- food of a ruminant regurgitated to be chewed again
- CUTS noun
- a share of the profits
- CUTE adjective
- attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
- ACUTE noun
- a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
Puzzle 5: BEDA to RHINES
Show the solution
- A becomes S
- add N
- E becomes I
- B becomes W
- D becomes E
- add H
- W becomes R
Words in this ladder
- BEDA noun
- (Roman Catholic Church) English monk and scholar (672-735)
- BEDS noun
- a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
- BENDS noun
- pain resulting from rapid change in pressure
- BINDS noun
- something that hinders as if with bonds
- WINDS noun
- air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
- WINES noun
- fermented juice (of grapes especially)
- WHINES noun
- a complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way
- RHINES noun
- United States parapsychologist (1895-1980)
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