Word ladder answers for July 27, 2026

The daily ladder for Monday, July 27, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was METE to HERE, solvable in 2 steps, and the longest was RIPS to STRATUS, which needs at least 6. On MODS to BITS, players averaged 3.7 steps against a shortest path of 3.

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: MODS to BITS

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps · Solved by 3 players · 67% found a shortest path · 3.7 steps on average

Show the solution
  1. D becomes T
  2. M becomes B
  3. O becomes I

Words in this ladder

MODS noun
a youth subculture that began in London in the early 1960s; a working-class movement with highly stylized dress and short hair; listened to rhythm and blues music and travelled on motor scooters
MOTS noun
a clever remark
BOTS noun
botfly larva; typically develops inside the body of a horse or sheep or human
BITS noun
a small piece or quantity of something

Puzzle 2: METE to HERE

Easy Shortest solution: 2 steps · Solved by 2 players

Show the solution
  1. T becomes R
  2. M becomes H

Words in this ladder

METE noun
a line that indicates a boundary
MERE noun
a small pond of standing water
HERE noun
the present location; this place

Puzzle 3: CONE to MATCH

Medium Shortest solution: 5 steps · Solved by 1 player

Show the solution
  1. O becomes A
  2. C becomes M
  3. N becomes T
  4. E becomes H
  5. add C

Words in this ladder

CONE noun
any cone-shaped artifact
CANE noun
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
MANE noun
long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck
MATE noun
the officer below the master on a commercial ship
MATH noun
a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement
MATCH noun
lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction

Puzzle 4: CRAWLS to BRANDS

Medium Shortest solution: 4 steps

Show the solution
  1. C becomes B
  2. W becomes I
  3. L becomes D
  4. I becomes N

Words in this ladder

CRAWLS noun
a very slow movement
BRAWLS noun
an uproarious party
BRAILS noun
a small net used to draw fish into a boat
BRAIDS noun
a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
BRANDS noun
a name given to a product or service

Puzzle 5: RIPS to STRATUS

Hard Shortest solution: 6 steps

Show the solution
  1. I becomes A
  2. P becomes T
  3. R becomes T
  4. add U
  5. add S
  6. add R

Words in this ladder

RIPS noun
a dissolute man in fashionable society
RAPS noun
a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
RATS noun
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
TATS noun
tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar
TATUS noun
about three feet long exclusive of tail
STATUS noun
the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society
STRATUS noun
a large dark low cloud

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