Word ladder answers for March 27, 2026

The daily ladder for Friday, March 27, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was BOLT to POSE, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was JIVE to LATHS, 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: BOLT to POSE

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  1. T becomes E
  2. B becomes P
  3. L becomes S

Words in this ladder

BOLT noun
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
BOLE noun
a soft oily clay used as a pigment (especially a reddish brown pigment)
POLE noun
a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
POSE noun
affected manners intended to impress others

Puzzle 2: SINES to RISKS

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  1. E becomes K
  2. S becomes R
  3. N becomes S

Words in this ladder

SINES noun
ratio of the length of the side opposite the given angle to the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle
SINKS noun
plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
RINKS noun
building that contains a surface for ice skating or roller skating
RISKS noun
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

Puzzle 3: UPPERS to TOPPERS

Medium Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  1. add C
  2. U becomes O
  3. C becomes T

Words in this ladder

UPPERS noun
the higher of two berths
CUPPERS noun
a cup of tea
COPPERS noun
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
TOPPERS noun
a worker who makes or adds the top to something

Puzzle 4: JIVE to LATHS

Medium Shortest solution: 5 steps

Show the solution
  1. J becomes L
  2. V becomes T
  3. I becomes A
  4. add H
  5. E becomes S

Words in this ladder

JIVE noun
a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz
LIVE verb
inhabit or live in; be an inhabitant of
LITE adjective
having relatively few calories
LATE adjective
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
LATHE noun
machine tool for shaping metal or wood; the workpiece turns about a horizontal axis against a fixed tool
LATHS noun
a narrow thin strip of wood used as backing for plaster or to make latticework

Puzzle 5: LIEN to LEAN

Hard Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  1. E becomes O
  2. I becomes E
  3. O becomes A

Words in this ladder

LIEN noun
the right to take another's property if an obligation is not discharged
LION noun
large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
LEON noun
a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain
LEAN noun
the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical

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