Word Labyrinth

Word ladder answers for September 22, 2026

The daily ladder for Tuesday, September 22, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was BOB to WON, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was TEST to CLOYS, which needs at least 6. Players found LAD to BANK the trickiest: they averaged 4.0 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: BOB to WON

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps · Solved by 6 players · 67% found a shortest path · 3.3 steps on average

Show the solution
  2. B becomes S
  3. B becomes N
  4. S becomes W

Words in this ladder

BOB noun
a former monetary unit in Great Britain
SOB noun
a dyspneic condition
SON noun
a male human offspring
WON noun
the basic unit of money in South Korea

Puzzle 2: LAD to BANK

Easy Shortest solution: 3 steps · Solved by 4 players · 75% found a shortest path · 4.0 steps on average

Show the solution
  2. L becomes B
  3. add N
  4. D becomes K

Words in this ladder

LAD noun
a boy or man
BAD noun
that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency
BAND noun
an unofficial association of people or groups
BANK noun
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)

Puzzle 3: RUT to BLOOM

Medium Shortest solution: 5 steps · Solved by 1 player

Show the solution
  2. U becomes O
  3. add O
  4. R becomes B
  5. T becomes M
  6. add L

Words in this ladder

RUT noun
a groove or furrow (especially one in soft earth caused by wheels)
ROT noun
a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
ROOT noun
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
BOOT noun
footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
BOOM noun
a deep prolonged loud noise
BLOOM noun
the organic process of bearing flowers

Puzzle 4: TORS to HAWK

Medium Shortest solution: 4 steps · Solved by 1 player

Show the solution
  2. R becomes W
  3. O becomes A
  4. T becomes H
  5. S becomes K

Words in this ladder

TORS noun
a prominent rock or pile of rocks on a hill
TOWS noun
the act of hauling something (as a vehicle) by means of a hitch or rope
TAWS noun
the 23rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
HAWS noun
a spring-flowering shrub or small tree of the genus Crataegus
HAWK noun
diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail

Puzzle 5: TEST to CLOYS

Hard Shortest solution: 6 steps

Show the solution
  2. S becomes N
  3. T becomes S
  4. E becomes O
  5. T becomes C
  6. add L
  7. N becomes Y

Words in this ladder

TEST noun
trying something to find out about it
TENT noun
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
TENS noun
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
TONS noun
a large number or amount
CONS noun
an argument opposed to a proposal
CLONS noun
a group of genetically identical cells or organisms derived from a single cell or individual by some kind of asexual reproduction
CLOYS verb
supply or feed to surfeit

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