Word ladder answers for May 16, 2026
The daily ladder for Saturday, May 16, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was PEEP to PACK, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was OPTS to TUBER, 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: PEEP to PACK
Show the solution
- P becomes K
- E becomes C
- E becomes A
Words in this ladder
- PEEP noun
- the short weak cry of a young bird
- PEEK noun
- a secret look
- PECK noun
- (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
- PACK noun
- a large indefinite number
Puzzle 2: BEETS to BUTTS
Show the solution
- E becomes S
- E becomes U
- S becomes T
Words in this ladder
- BEETS noun
- biennial Eurasian plant usually having a swollen edible root; widely cultivated as a food crop
- BESTS noun
- the supreme effort one can make
- BUSTS noun
- a complete failure
- BUTTS noun
- thick end of the handle
Puzzle 3: OPTS to TUBER
Show the solution
- P becomes U
- O becomes T
- T becomes B
- add E
- S becomes R
Words in this ladder
- OPTS verb
- select as an alternative over another
- OUTS noun
- (baseball) a failure by a batter or runner to reach a base safely in baseball
- TUTS verb
- utter `tsk,' `tut,' or `tut-tut,' as in disapproval
- TUBS noun
- a relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body
- TUBES noun
- conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases
- TUBER noun
- a fleshy underground stem or root serving for reproductive and food storage
Puzzle 4: TAX to MASTS
Show the solution
- T becomes M
- X becomes S
- add T
- add S
Words in this ladder
- TAX noun
- charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government
- MAX noun
- street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
- MAS noun
- informal terms for a mother
- MATS noun
- a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
- MASTS noun
- a vertical spar for supporting sails
Puzzle 5: RAP to RAZE
Show the solution
- add S
- P becomes E
- S becomes Z
Words in this ladder
- RAP noun
- a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
- RASP noun
- uttering in an irritated tone
- RASE verb
- tear down so as to make flat with the ground
- RAZE verb
- tear down so as to make flat with the ground
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