Word ladder answers for February 19, 2026
The daily ladder for Thursday, February 19, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was JAYS to STAYS, solvable in 2 steps, and the longest was CHAITS to SHIVER, which needs at least 7.
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: JAYS to STAYS
Show the solution
- J becomes S
- add T
Words in this ladder
- JAYS noun
- United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
- SAYS noun
- the chance to speak
- STAYS noun
- a woman's close-fitting foundation garment
Puzzle 2: CITES to BILLS
Show the solution
- C becomes B
- T becomes L
- E becomes L
Words in this ladder
- CITES noun
- a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
- BITES noun
- a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person
- BILES noun
- a digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder; aids in the digestion of fats
- BILLS noun
- a statute in draft before it becomes law
Puzzle 3: PEEK to EPICS
Show the solution
- E becomes C
- E becomes I
- K becomes S
- add E
Words in this ladder
- PEEK noun
- a secret look
- PECK noun
- (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
- PICK noun
- the person or thing chosen or selected
- PICS noun
- a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
- EPICS noun
- a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
Puzzle 4: CORK to LOBS
Show the solution
- K becomes E
- C becomes L
- R becomes B
- E becomes S
Words in this ladder
- CORK noun
- outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
- CORE noun
- a small group of indispensable persons or things
- LORE noun
- knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
- LOBE noun
- (anatomy) a somewhat rounded subdivision of a bodily organ or part
- LOBS noun
- an easy return of a tennis ball in a high arc
Puzzle 5: CHAITS to SHIVER
Show the solution
- I becomes R
- T becomes D
- C becomes S
- D becomes E
- R becomes V
- S becomes R
- A becomes I
Words in this ladder
- CHAITS noun
- the first Hindu calendar month (corresponding to March in the Gregorian calendar)
- CHARTS noun
- a visual display of information
- CHARDS noun
- beet lacking swollen root; grown as a vegetable for its edible leaves and stalks
- SHARDS noun
- a broken piece of a brittle artifact
- SHARES noun
- assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group
- SHAVES noun
- the act of removing hair with a razor
- SHAVER noun
- an adult male who shaves
- SHIVER noun
- a reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement
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