Word ladder answers for July 5, 2026
The daily ladder for Sunday, July 5, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was BONES to BONNY, solvable in 2 steps, and the longest was KINK to GUSH, 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: BONES to BONNY
Show the solution
- S becomes Y
- E becomes N
Words in this ladder
- BONES noun
- a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
- BONEY adjective
- having bones especially many or prominent bones
- BONNY adjective
- very pleasing to the eye
Puzzle 2: RULES to FILET
Show the solution
- U becomes I
- R becomes F
- S becomes T
Words in this ladder
- RULES noun
- a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
- RILES verb
- cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
- FILES noun
- a set of related records (either written or electronic) kept together
- FILET noun
- a boneless steak cut from the tenderloin of beef
Puzzle 3: KINK to GUSH
Show the solution
- K becomes R
- N becomes S
- I becomes U
- K becomes H
- R becomes G
Words in this ladder
- KINK noun
- a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (`rick' and `wrick' are British)
- RINK noun
- building that contains a surface for ice skating or roller skating
- RISK noun
- a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
- RUSK noun
- slice of sweet raised bread baked again until it is brown and hard and crisp
- RUSH noun
- the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
- GUSH noun
- a sudden rapid flow (as of water)
Puzzle 4: WADES to WASTERS
Show the solution
- add R
- D becomes T
- add S
Words in this ladder
- WADES noun
- English tennis player who won many women's singles titles (born in 1945)
- WADERS noun
- waterproof hip boots (sometimes extending to the chest) worn by anglers
- WATERS noun
- United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
- WASTERS noun
- someone who dissipates resources self-indulgently
Puzzle 5: BASEL to CHANGS
Show the solution
- L becomes S
- S becomes N
- E becomes G
- B becomes H
- add C
Words in this ladder
- BASEL noun
- a city in northwestern Switzerland
- BASES noun
- installation from which a military force initiates operations
- BANES noun
- something causing misery or death
- BANGS noun
- a vigorous blow
- HANGS noun
- a special way of doing something
- CHANGS noun
- the longest river of Asia; flows eastward from Tibet into the East China Sea near Shanghai
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