Word ladder answers for September 13, 2026
The daily ladder for Sunday, September 13, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was SHAPE to SUAVE, solvable in 2 steps, and the longest was JONES to AERATEDS, 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: MAS to WAXY
Show the solution
- S becomes Y
- M becomes W
- add X
Words in this ladder
- MAS noun
- informal terms for a mother
- MAY noun
- the month following April and preceding June
- WAY noun
- how something is done or how it happens
- WAXY adjective
- made of or covered with wax
Puzzle 2: SHAPE to SUAVE
Show the solution
- P becomes V
- H becomes U
Words in this ladder
- SHAPE noun
- any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
- SHAVE noun
- the act of removing hair with a razor
- SUAVE adjective
- having a sophisticated charm
Puzzle 3: ORATE to PALPATE
Show the solution
- O becomes P
- R becomes L
- add A
- add P
Words in this ladder
- ORATE verb
- talk pompously
- PRATE noun
- idle or foolish and irrelevant talk
- PLATE noun
- (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
- PALATE noun
- the upper surface of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities
- PALPATE verb
- examine (a body part) by palpation
Puzzle 4: SWIM to CHAR
Show the solution
- W becomes H
- M becomes P
- S becomes C
- I becomes A
- P becomes R
Words in this ladder
- SWIM noun
- the act of swimming; :
- SHIM noun
- a thin wedge of material (wood or metal or stone) for driving into crevices
- SHIP noun
- a vessel that carries passengers or freight
- CHIP noun
- a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
- CHAP noun
- a boy or man
- CHAR noun
- a charred substance
Puzzle 5: JONES to AERATEDS
Show the solution
- J becomes C
- O becomes A
- add R
- N becomes T
- add E
- C becomes A
- add D
Words in this ladder
- JONES noun
- United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
- CONES noun
- any cone-shaped artifact
- CANES noun
- a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
- CRANES noun
- United States writer (1871-1900)
- CRATES noun
- a rugged box (usually made of wood); used for shipping
- CERATES noun
- a hard medicated paste made of lard or oil mixed with wax or resin
- AERATES verb
- expose to fresh air
- AERATEDS verb
- expose to fresh air
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