Word ladder answers for April 1, 2026

The daily ladder for Wednesday, April 1, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was WILY to NINE, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was PUN to LAMB, 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: WILY to NINE

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  1. Y becomes E
  2. L becomes N
  3. W becomes N

Words in this ladder

WILY adjective
marked by skill in deception
WILE noun
the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
WINE noun
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
NINE noun
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one

Puzzle 2: MOLLY to POLOS

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  1. Y becomes S
  2. M becomes P
  3. L becomes O

Words in this ladder

MOLLY noun
popular aquarium fish
MOLLS noun
the girlfriend of a gangster
POLLS noun
the place where people vote
POLOS noun
Venetian traveler who explored Asia in the 13th century and served Kublai Khan (1254-1324)

Puzzle 3: WOWS to RAGE

Medium Shortest solution: 4 steps

Show the solution
  1. W becomes R
  2. O becomes A
  3. W becomes G
  4. S becomes E

Words in this ladder

WOWS noun
a joke that seems extremely funny
ROWS noun
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
RAWS noun
informal terms for nakedness
RAGS noun
a small piece of cloth or paper
RAGE noun
a feeling of intense anger

Puzzle 4: PUN to LAMB

Medium Shortest solution: 5 steps

Show the solution
  1. N becomes P
  2. add M
  3. P becomes L
  4. U becomes A
  5. P becomes B

Words in this ladder

PUN noun
a humorous play on words
PUP noun
young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
PUMP noun
a mechanical device that moves fluid or gas by pressure or suction
LUMP noun
a compact mass
LAMP noun
an artificial source of visible illumination
LAMB noun
young sheep

Puzzle 5: TATTED to FOAMED

Hard Shortest solution: 5 steps

Show the solution
  1. T becomes F
  2. T becomes R
  3. T becomes M
  4. A becomes O
  5. R becomes A

Words in this ladder

TATTED verb
make lacework by knotting or looping
FATTED verb
make fat or plump
FARTED verb
expel intestinal gases through the anus
FARMED verb
be a farmer; work as a farmer
FORMED verb
create (as an entity)
FOAMED verb
become bubbly or frothy or foaming

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