Word ladder answers for May 20, 2026
The daily ladder for Wednesday, May 20, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was POURS to SLUES, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was SMITE to SEGALS, which needs at least 6.
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: POURS to SLUES
Show the solution
- P becomes S
- O becomes L
- R becomes E
Words in this ladder
- POURS verb
- cause to run
- SOURS noun
- a cocktail made of a liquor (especially whiskey or gin) mixed with lemon or lime juice and sugar
- SLURS noun
- (music) a curved line spanning notes that are to be played legato
- SLUES verb
- turn sharply; change direction abruptly
Puzzle 2: PEGS to BUDS
Show the solution
- P becomes B
- G becomes D
- E becomes U
Words in this ladder
- PEGS noun
- a wooden pin pushed or driven into a surface
- BEGS verb
- call upon in supplication; entreat
- BEDS noun
- a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
- BUDS noun
- a partially opened flower
Puzzle 3: LOAMS to LOPES
Show the solution
- M becomes D
- A becomes R
- D becomes E
- R becomes P
Words in this ladder
- LOAMS noun
- a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials
- LOADS noun
- a large number or amount
- LORDS noun
- terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
- LORES noun
- knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
- LOPES noun
- a slow pace of running
Puzzle 4: TAN to WAVES
Show the solution
- T becomes W
- add R
- N becomes S
- add E
- R becomes V
Words in this ladder
- TAN noun
- a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun
- WAN noun
- a computer network that spans a wider area than does a local area network
- WARN verb
- notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
- WARS noun
- the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
- WARES noun
- articles of the same kind or material; usually used in combination: `silverware', `software'
- WAVES noun
- one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
Puzzle 5: SMITE to SEGALS
Show the solution
- M becomes P
- E becomes S
- I becomes A
- P becomes E
- T becomes L
- add G
Words in this ladder
- SMITE verb
- inflict a heavy blow on, with the hand, a tool, or a weapon
- SPITE noun
- feeling a need to see others suffer
- SPITS noun
- a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea
- SPATS noun
- a quarrel about petty points
- SEATS noun
- an area that includes places where several people can sit
- SEALS noun
- fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters
- SEGALS noun
- United States sculptor (born in 1924)
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