Word ladder answers for June 9, 2026

The daily ladder for Tuesday, June 9, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was SPITE to STATE, solvable in 2 steps, and the longest was GUTS to TELLY, 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: WAIL to BILL

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps

Show the solution
  1. I becomes L
  2. A becomes I
  3. W becomes B

Words in this ladder

WAIL noun
a cry of sorrow and grief
WALL noun
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
WILL noun
the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention; - George Meredith
BILL noun
a statute in draft before it becomes law

Puzzle 2: SPITE to STATE

Easy Shortest solution: 2 steps

Show the solution
  1. I becomes A
  2. P becomes T

Words in this ladder

SPITE noun
feeling a need to see others suffer
SPATE noun
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
STATE noun
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

Puzzle 3: ARC to WORTS

Medium Shortest solution: 5 steps

Show the solution
  1. C becomes M
  2. add W
  3. M becomes S
  4. add T
  5. A becomes O

Words in this ladder

ARC noun
electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
ARM noun
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
WARM verb
get warm or warmer
WARS noun
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
WARTS noun
any small rounded protuberance (as on certain plants or animals)
WORTS noun
usually used in combination: `liverwort'; `milkwort'; `whorlywort'

Puzzle 4: BUGS to PIXY

Medium Shortest solution: 5 steps

Show the solution
  1. B becomes P
  2. U becomes I
  3. G becomes T
  4. S becomes Y
  5. T becomes X

Words in this ladder

BUGS noun
general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate
PUGS noun
small compact smooth-coated breed of Asiatic origin having a tightly curled tail and broad flat wrinkled muzzle
PIGS noun
domestic swine
PITS noun
a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
PITY noun
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
PIXY noun
creeping evergreen shrub having narrow overlapping leaves and early white star-shaped flowers; of the pine barrens of New Jersey and the Carolinas

Puzzle 5: GUTS to TELLY

Hard Shortest solution: 6 steps

Show the solution
  1. U becomes E
  2. G becomes B
  3. add L
  4. T becomes L
  5. S becomes Y
  6. B becomes T

Words in this ladder

GUTS noun
fortitude and determination
GETS noun
a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
BETS noun
the money risked on a gamble
BELTS noun
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
BELLS noun
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
BELLY noun
the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
TELLY noun
an electronic device that receives television signals and displays them on a screen

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