Word ladder answers for July 14, 2026
The daily ladder for Tuesday, July 14, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was BUN to NUB, solvable in 2 steps, and the longest was URD to PDL, which needs at least 7.
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: CAYS to PEALS
Show the solution
- C becomes P
- Y becomes L
- add E
Words in this ladder
- CAYS noun
- a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
- PAYS noun
- something that remunerates
- PALS noun
- a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
- PEALS noun
- a deep prolonged sound (as of thunder or large bells)
Puzzle 2: BUN to NUB
Show the solution
- B becomes N
- N becomes B
Words in this ladder
- BUN noun
- small rounded bread either plain or sweet
- NUN noun
- a woman religious
- NUB noun
- a small lump or protuberance
Puzzle 3: BALKS to CRANNY
Show the solution
- L becomes N
- B becomes R
- add C
- S becomes Y
- K becomes N
Words in this ladder
- BALKS noun
- the area on a billiard table behind the balkline
- BANKS noun
- English botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1743-1820)
- RANKS noun
- a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
- CRANKS noun
- a bad-tempered person
- CRANKY adjective
- (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
- CRANNY noun
- a long narrow depression in a surface
Puzzle 4: PENT to MAZES
Show the solution
- T becomes S
- P becomes M
- E becomes A
- add E
- N becomes Z
Words in this ladder
- PENT verb
- produce a literary work
- PENS noun
- a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
- MENS noun
- the force of workers available
- MANS noun
- an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
- MANES noun
- a Persian prophet who founded Manichaeism (216-276)
- MAZES noun
- complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost
Puzzle 5: URD to PDL
Show the solution
- D becomes N
- U becomes E
- N becomes R
- R becomes A
- E becomes P
- R becomes L
- A becomes D
Words in this ladder
- URD noun
- goddess of fate: a giantess who personified the past
- URN noun
- a large vase that usually has a pedestal or feet
- ERN noun
- bulky greyish-brown eagle with a short wedge-shaped white tail; of Europe and Greenland
- ERR verb
- to make a mistake or be incorrect
- EAR noun
- the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
- PAR noun
- (golf) the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course
- PAL noun
- a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
- PDL noun
- a unit of force equal to the force that imparts an acceleration of 1 foot/sec/sec to a mass of 1 pound; equal to 0.1382 newtons
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