Word Labyrinth

Word ladder answers for March 18, 2026

The daily ladder for Wednesday, March 18, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was ON to SUB, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was MOMS to TWINE, 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: ON to SUB

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  2. add S
  3. N becomes B
  4. O becomes U

Words in this ladder

ON adjective
in operation or operational
SON noun
a male human offspring
SOB noun
a dyspneic condition
SUB noun
a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States

Puzzle 2: NESTS to GENTS

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  2. N becomes T
  3. S becomes N
  4. T becomes G

Words in this ladder

NESTS noun
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
TESTS noun
trying something to find out about it
TENTS noun
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
GENTS noun
informal abbreviation of `gentleman'

Puzzle 3: MOMS to TWINE

Medium Shortest solution: 5 steps

Show the solution
  2. M becomes T
  3. M becomes N
  4. O becomes I
  5. add W
  6. S becomes E

Words in this ladder

MOMS noun
informal terms for a mother
TOMS noun
(ethnic slur) offensive and derogatory name for a Black man who is abjectly servile and deferential to Whites
TONS noun
a large number or amount
TINS noun
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
TWINS noun
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
TWINE noun
a lightweight cord

Puzzle 4: MINA to TEAS

Medium Shortest solution: 4 steps

Show the solution
  2. A becomes S
  3. M becomes T
  4. I becomes E
  5. N becomes A

Words in this ladder

MINA noun
tropical Asian starlings
MINS noun
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
TINS noun
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
TENS noun
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
TEAS noun
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water

Puzzle 5: ULEX to TALUS

Hard Shortest solution: 5 steps

Show the solution
  2. add P
  3. X becomes S
  4. U becomes A
  5. P becomes T
  6. E becomes U

Words in this ladder

ULEX noun
genus of Eurasian spiny shrubs: gorse
PULEX noun
type genus of the Pulicidae
PULES verb
cry weakly or softly
PALES noun
a wooden strip forming part of a fence
TALES noun
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
TALUS noun
a sloping mass of loose rocks at the base of a cliff

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