Word ladder answers for February 28, 2026
The daily ladder for Saturday, February 28, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was HIRE to HAZY, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was FORMS to HOARSES, which needs at least 5.
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: HIRE to HAZY
Show the solution
- I becomes A
- R becomes Z
- E becomes Y
Words in this ladder
- HIRE noun
- a newly hired employee
- HARE noun
- swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes
- HAZE noun
- atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility
- HAZY adjective
- filled or abounding with fog or mist
Puzzle 2: RUSE to GRIPE
Show the solution
- U becomes I
- S becomes P
- add G
Words in this ladder
- RUSE noun
- a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture)
- RISE noun
- a growth in strength or number or importance
- RIPE adjective
- fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used
- GRIPE noun
- informal terms for objecting
Puzzle 3: FORMS to HOARSES
Show the solution
- M becomes E
- F becomes G
- add S
- G becomes H
- add A
Words in this ladder
- FORMS noun
- the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
- FORES noun
- front part of a vessel or aircraft
- GORES noun
- Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton (born in 1948)
- GORSES noun
- very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flowers; common throughout western Europe
- HORSES noun
- solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
- HOARSES noun
- ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
Puzzle 4: ROT to JAMB
Show the solution
- T becomes B
- R becomes J
- O becomes A
- add M
Words in this ladder
- ROT noun
- a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
- ROB verb
- take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
- JOB noun
- the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
- JAB noun
- a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
- JAMB noun
- upright consisting of a vertical side member of a door or window frame
Puzzle 5: SIFS to MONGO
Show the solution
- F becomes N
- I becomes O
- S becomes M
- S becomes O
- add G
Words in this ladder
- SIFS noun
- (Norse mythology) wife of Thor and guardian of the home
- SINS noun
- estrangement from god
- SONS noun
- a male human offspring
- MONS noun
- a mound of fatty tissue covering the pubic area in women
- MONO noun
- an acute disease characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes and an abnormal increase of mononuclear leucocytes or monocytes in the bloodstream; not highly contagious; some believe it can be transmitted by kissing
- MONGO noun
- 100 mongo equal 1 tugrik in Mongolia
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